SERVICE
SERVICE
Service is at the heart of our school. Sevenoaks was one of the pioneers of school-based community service in England, creating its Voluntary Service Unit( VSU) in 1960
Today, over 450 students engage in our weekly service programme, which enables students to choose from over 45 placements linking with over 60 partner schools and community organisations. We enable our students to become informed ahead of action, asking students to reflect on concepts such as sustainability, inclusivity and partnership, whilst positioning student leadership and reflection at the centre of our service model.
Many students enjoy the hands-on experience of working alongside local people, whether performing music to older people, teaching the Minimus Latin programme in local primary schools or getting to know refugees through conversation lessons. Other groups work to promote scientific research and investigation amongst young people, explore the promotion of positive wellbeing in our community, and create educational resources that are used across the world. community-led development practice. Students have been able to travel to engage with community partners in South Africa, Morocco and Bali, forming long-term relationships.
Empowering students to make positive choices in the field of environmental sustainability is also central. Students can also choose to work on our allotment, design and implement projects such as a Model COP summit with partner schools, or support the development of our Eco-schools partnership. Our Environmental Action Group enables students to contribute to the school’ s wider sustainability education and practice.
Sevenoaks has a strong culture of student-led social entrepreneurship with many students creating their own organisations responding to needs that they identify and analyse. Our social leadership programme and social entrepreneurship competition provide a structure for speaker talks and mentoring, also connecting students to national competitions.
Students recognise the skills, understanding and relationships that participating in service fosters; service is also a compulsory element of the Duke of Edinburgh’ s Award Scheme and the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
Service can certainly be a transformative experience, promoting a stronger sense of self-awareness, positioning us all as active and responsible citizens, and enabling students to recognise their ability to lead meaningful change.
Indeed, we have a number of global partnerships which aim to improve our collective understanding of global issues and contribute to sustainable and
50 THE IB AT SEVENOAKS | CREATIVITY, ACTION, SERVICE