Why serve? –‘Paying our rent for our room here on earth’1 Zach Nguyen hosted a barbecue on World Refugee Day. The world can become very small for our Year 11 and 12 International Baccalaureate (IB) students. As their focus narrows whilst striving towards their academic goals, it is easy for students to lose sight of who they are as people and what kind of person they would like to be when they leave us for Tom Carlisle (Year 11) the next stage of their journey. ‘I chose this act of service as it gave me an opportunity to unite my community and give back. I believe that by acting Mindful of this, the IB has built compulsory service into its core, locally and in areas in which I can have an influence, it can alongside creativity and physical activity. Over the 18 months, create a ripple effect among other communities, which in turn students engage regularly in something creative, physical activity can have a global impact. This was a good example of the and acts of service. This reminds them that there is more to life rent that I am paying as a citizen of Earth as I was giving back and that it is important to ‘understand that they are members of to the earth and making the place in which I am so lucky to local and global communities with responsibilities towards each reside nicer and more habitable. From this experience I got other and the environment’2 . In essence, to be a good citizen of a better understanding of how I can make a difference as an this planet we need to pay our dues. We are repaid in kind by individual on a global scale and encourage others to do the how we grow, our feelings when helping others and by practising same in the process.’ gratitude for all that we have. Service takes many forms – volunteering for Exodus, working Image: Tom Carlisle and Matthew Potter in the local op shop or helping neighbours. Many boys coach organised a clean-up day near their homes. and tutor other students in sport, music, theatre, art or subjects they find challenging. During the lockdowns, many boys turned to online volunteering, transcribing slave documents for the Smithsonian, or helping the Australian Museum to identify animals in specific habitats, for example. The manner of the service is not so important – looking beyond yourself is the key. Embracing the “think global, act local” mantra, service is often the foundation for the students’ collaborative Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) project. Constricted by COVID, Year 12 students often identified authentic needs and created accessible and meaningful solutions via YouTube videos on topics as diverse as drawing, Chinese lessons and general approaches to learning. Having greater freedom this year, Year 11 is widening the scope of their service. Zachary Nguyen (11 Tupou), Austin See (11 Bavin), Piran Barker (11 Whitaker) and Richard Hunt (11 Prescott), moved by the war in Ukraine, raised awareness and funds on World Refugee Day to support UN Women Australia. In his reflection, Zachary wrote, ‘although the personal benefits I gained from the experience are extremely valuable, the main goal of our project Serving others – a small price to pay for our place in this world. was to better the lives of those who are currently experiencing Miss Cheryl Priest unforeseen hardships . . . and the approximately $600 raised will Head of IB have very real implications on the livelihood of one or many people’. Tom Carlisle (11 Moulton) and Matthew Potter (11 Cooper) looked at their own ‘backyard’. Compelled to act after seeing the litter in 1Adapted from Muhammad Ali in Time magazine 27 February 1978 the reserve behind their homes, they organised a clean-up day, 2IBO (2015). CAS Guide, p. 10. IBO, Geneva. inviting local citizens and Newington volunteers to make their little part of the world that much better. Service| News Spring 2022 | Stanmore 7–12 | 17