Service Learning at YIS: Empowering Learners Through Action

by Brooke Crum and Larissa Sears

The YIS community provides students with meaningful opportunities to connect classroom learning with real-world action. Through hands-on experiences, students develop essential IB learner profiles, becoming caring, principled, and reflective individuals, while nurturing skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. These service learning initiatives also align with IB dispositions by fostering empathy, responsibility, and a commitment to contributing positively to their communities. Students can actively engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by integrating service learning into the curriculum, promoting social responsibility and global awareness.

Elementary

Each grade level participates in an initiative that connects to a relevant goal and builds on the student's developmental abilities.

• Kindergarten students visit a local senior home with HS students to build intergenerational relationships, practice communication skills and develop empathy; learning how small gestures can brighten the lives of others. 
• Grade 1 makes onigiri (rice balls) for food-insecure individuals, developing social responsibility while learning about hunger and inequality.
• Grade 2 gardens and sells produce, exploring sustainable agriculture and food insecurity.
• Grade 3 focuses on waste management and sustainability by studying how their school community can reduce waste and reuse materials.
• Grade 4 raises awareness about the importance of bees to ecosystems, using research and advocacy skills to support life on land.  
• Grade 5 leads the Wonderfruit Wednesday initiative, collecting and distributing fruit to food-insecure and underserved communities. Through this initiative, students identify community needs and learn about the importance of addressing local hunger issues..

Students reflect on how small actions contribute to larger social and environmental solutions. Service learning empowers students to become active citizens who recognize their ability to make a positive impact. These experiences not only enhance academic learning but also foster a lifelong commitment to caring for others and the planet.

Secondary

The autonomous, student-led service learning program empowers secondary school students to engage in meaningful service action at local, national, and international levels. With 36 service groups in total, students work collaboratively to address real-world needs within diverse communities. Each group is composed of 5 to 20 students, divided into two sections (grades 6-8 and grades 9-12), and operates with the guidance of an advisor. These advisors play a key role in facilitating connections to various service opportunities within the school and with trusted external partners, such as NGOs, whose missions align with YIS’s values.

These student-led groups are strongly self-directed, encouraging students to take ownership of their projects, build leadership skills, and apply their learning in real-world contexts. By actively engaging in service, students deepen their understanding of social responsibility, cultivate empathy, and develop a lifelong commitment to community engagement and environmental sustainability.

At the core of YIS’s service philosophy is the belief that service is not just an act of giving, but a learning process. This approach emphasizes developing understanding, skills, and dispositions by taking effective action on social or environmental issues. Through strong partnerships with community organizations, YIS ensures that students’ service activities address genuine needs and promote responsible, impactful service work.

Yours in Service,

Brooke Crum and Larissa Sears