Buddhist services in Victoria - prison chaplaincy, healthcare chaplaincy, education in schools

The Buddhist Council of Victoria

offers a number of services.

BCV Prison Chaplaincy

The BCV has been coordinating Buddhist prison chaplaincy work in Victoria since 2002, when it was approached by Corrections Victoria. Prisoners from the Buddhist faith constitute only a small percentage of the total prison population, less than 5%, or in numerical terms a little over 200 prisoners. There are volunteer chaplains from several different Buddhist communities and traditions visiting prisoners on a regular and 'as-needs' basis. If you are interested in learning more about prison chaplaincy, or becoming involved yourself, please contact the BCV.

BCV Healthcare Chaplaincy

The program aims to provide chaplaincy and spiritual care services for Buddhist patients in hospitals and other major healthcare facilities. The program is currently in development.  If you are interested in finding out more about this program, please contact us or visit the BCV website on www.bcv.org.au

BCV Buddhist Education

The BCV Education program, started in 2004  is a community and donations supported program and delivers quality non-sectarian Buddhist education program within the Victorian Government’s Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in Schools program. The Education program exists to:

• Contribute to the spiritual development of every child while respecting and complementing the on-going education provided by schools and
• Develop wisdom and compassion required to be part of a harmonious and peaceful community.

In keeping with contemporary educational approaches, lessons are built around co-operative and active learning – respecting and drawing on the child’s own experiences.  If you are interested in supporting the Education program by donations or as a volunteer teacher, please contact us for more information.