Service Learning

Purple Community Fund and its sister charity, Upskills+ Foundation, are organisations founded by Jane Walker in support of the Tondo community in Manila, Philippines. PCF and Upskills+ strive to break the cycle of poverty by acquiring new skills, education, welfare and livelihood programs. We engage with our partner through Ring pull collection, marketing and selling ring pull products, acting as brand ambassadors, organising special events to raise funds, and sponsoring scholars through non-uniform days.

Touch Home Care is an organisation that aims to provide a better quality of life for the elderly and vulnerable across Singapore. We engage with our partners by packing and delivering meals to needy people through the Meals-on-Wheels program, ensuring that dinners and other additional foods are delivered on time for clients to enjoy.

Blue Dragon was founded in September 2004 by Michael Brosowski, an Australian teacher. Relentlessly, Blue Dragon has reunited street kids with their families, kept young people in school and rescued children from appalling examples of human trafficking. We engage with our partner by building awareness of the impact of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. We undertake educational events which include speakers from Blue Dragon and host street kids on campus to engage in cultural exchange and support their aspirations and language development. 

Grade 7 students begin their service-learning experience with direct work on water sanitation projects with our service partner Water and Health Foundation (WAH) based in Cambodia. The learning is integrated into the Geography curriculum for the academic year.

Grade 8 students continue their service-learning experience with small-scale school and local community initiatives to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Underpinned by their academic curriculum, they focus on the relationship between human activity and sustainability approaches to the themes of recycling, food waste, fast fashion, plastic consumption and energy consumption. All students critically evaluate issues facing these themes and implementation in the school/local community, followed by planning activities to raise awareness within the community. Finally, students take actions that engage the school community to enhance their understanding of approaches to sustainability and how they can make their changes.

Grade 9 students work on achieving their National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) Bronze whilst engaging in service work with local partners every week. These service experiences require active participation, initiative and engagement. These projects range from supporting Touch Homecare to deliver nutritious meals to the homebound elders in Toa Payoh, providing social interaction through playing games with disabled clients at Cheshire Homes, to supporting blind youths with their after-school CCAs at Mountbatten Vocational School.  

Grade 10 students work on their Foundation CAS (FCAS) and/or NYAA Silver certification with the same dedication they practiced in their Grade 9 service journey. Students may also start their own project, such as the Conservation Matters initiative, to raise awareness in our student community on the importance of nature, plants and animal conservation.

• At the IBDP level, students follow CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service). They must design an individual experiential learning programme with a significant service element, including service experiences and projects. This culminates in a demonstration event for parents and the SJI community in November. 
   
• Working with partner organisations, students learn about grassroots solutions to local and global issues through engaging in direct and indirect service, advocacy and action research. A group of grade 11 students established Project Connect, which developed an ongoing partnership with local-based charity Aidha. Aidha provides domestic workers with English and financial education modules, encouraging domestic helpers to seek financial independence and build self-confidence. Project Connect collaborated with Aidha on a social media research project where they identified ways in which the charity could convert their modules into bite-size content that would be published on various social media platforms. Project Connect also engaged in an interview project where we spoke with over 60 domestic helpers about their experiences living in Singapore. Project Connect launched a ‘Letters Of Love” campaign inviting the school community to write words of affirmation to the graduating batch from the Aidha financial module. It was an opportunity for the whole school to come together and celebrate the achievements of these inspiring women. Project Connect has also launched a podcast where domestic helpers tell their journey of coming to Singapore. This platform gives Aidha students a voice to share their aspirations and dreams for the future, highlighting the empowerment of being financially independent.