SERVICE is a collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need.
The aim of “Service” is for students to understand their capacity to make a meaningful contribution to their community and society.
Through service, students develop and apply personal and social skills in real-life situations involving decision-making, problem-solving, initiative, responsibility, and accountability for their actions. Service within CAS benefits all involved: students learn as they identify and address authentic community needs, and the community benefits through reciprocal collaboration. CAS service experiences are unpaid.
When defining “community”, it may be the school; however, it is recommended that service experiences extend beyond the school to local, national and/or international communities. Community involvement includes collaboration with others, as students investigate the need, plan and implement their idea for service. Students can also extend local service to global impact through partnerships with CAS students in other cities and towns, countries and continents. Technology affords opportunities for networking, sharing of initiatives, partnerships and impact.
If you are or have been involved in a service project/volunteer work, continue doing it! Some of the projects and service activities you did in MYP can continue in the DP.
There are many approaches to service, such as:
Ongoing service: When investigating a need that leads to a plan of action implemented over time, students develop perseverance and commitment. They observe how their ideas and actions build on the contributions of others to effect change. Their reflections may show deeper awareness and knowledge of social issues.
School-based service: Students are encouraged to participate in meaningful service that benefits the community outside school but there may be appropriate service opportunities within the school setting. In all cases an authentic need must be verified that will be met through student action. Service needs met at a school may prepare students for further action within the larger community; for example, by tutoring within the school, students may then be better prepared to tutor at a community centre.
Community-based service: Participating in service within the local community advances student awareness and understanding of social issues and solutions. However, single incidents of engagement with individuals in a service context can lack depth and meaning. When possible, interactions involving people in a service context best occur with a regularity that builds and sustains relationships for the mutual benefit of all. For example, rather than a single service experience at a retirement facility, students can decide to establish regular visits when they realize their efforts are valued and have reciprocal impact.
Fundraising: The preferred approach is for students to initially develop their understanding of the organization they choose to support and the issues being addressed. Students can draw from their interests, skills and talents to plan the method and manner of fundraising. Ideally, students directly communicate with the organization and establish accountability for funds raised. Students can also be asked to consider other ways to augment their contribution through direct, advocacy, or research service.
Volunteerism: Students often volunteer in service experiences organized by other students, the school or an external group. Before volunteering, students should learn of the context and the service need; being informed and prepared increases the likelihood that volunteering will have personal meaning and value.
Service arising from the curriculum: Students may be inspired by something they have learned in their subjects to initiate a service experience. For example, while studying freshwater ecology in environmental systems and society, students decide to monitor and improve a local water system.
• Direct service: students interact with people, the environment or animals.
• Indirect service: students do not see the recipients; however, they have verified their actions will benefit the community or environment.
• Advocacy: students speak on behalf of a cause or concern to promote action on an issue of public interest.
• Research: students collect information through varied sources, analyse data and report on a topic of importance to influence policy or practice.
Ideas for direct service
• Coach children in sports
• Deliver meals to people living with a medical condition
• Organize or assist at a blood drive
• Play music with elders to have an exchange of skills and learn about each other’s music preferences
• Restore a stream
• Prepare the soil and beds for an elementary school garden and plant with the children
• Grow seedlings for distribution
• Make a storm-water garden
• Help at an animal shelter with data entry and dog walking
• Assist with a pet adoption outreach programme at community events
Ideas for indirect service
• Assemble a photo exhibit about poverty for a gallery
• Prepare meals in a soup kitchen
• Take part in a walkathon to raise money for different humanitarian causes
• Build an organization’s website or provide content for an organization’s website
• Record audio books for people who are visually impaired
• Create a website with information about flora and fauna for a local park
Ideas for advocacy service
• Organize a letter-writing campaign for a cause
• Host a speaker and film series to raise awareness for the community
• Create comic strips or comic books to teach about emergency safety and readiness
• Provide reusable water bottles to replace single-use water bottles
• Promote a “just use less” campaign to reduce quantities of what is put in trash and recycling bins
• Create posters, videos and public service announcements to promote animal adoption for a shelter
Ideas for research service
• Assist with a city-wide needs assessment by running focus groups
• Conduct hands-on research about how interaction improves quality of life for residents at an elder care facility
• Use photography to collect images that inform about the first flush from a storm drain by your school
• Interview administrators at local landfills to learn about community habits that support collections of trash to recycle and food waste for composting
• Analyse items collected in a community or beach clean-up to develop a campaign (advocacy service) that prevents the items from being littered again