At GESS, students are encouraged to take initiative and put thoughts into action by using their abilities and talents to respond to global and local issues. Among the many aspects of community services, the Service As Action programme is managed by academic staff and students who put heart and resources into jointly implementing community-centric initiatives with external partners. We speak with Alexander Kroll and Jennifer Barry on their role and what our students have been involved in.
[ December 2022 | GESS‘ Giving Tree – a dedicated group of GESS students worked on the second edition of GESS‘ annual Giving Tree. Collecting pre-loved items, the programme donated 130 items to Love, Nils; HEART @ Fei Yue; and Sengkang Family Service Centre (partnered with AMKFSC). Pictured with students are Jennifer (top photo, on left) and Alex (bottom photo).
Tell us about your team and the initiatives you oversee at GESS.
As far as the formal Service and Action programme is concerned, it is the two of us managing it. But there are other teachers and students who are organising activities and intiatives. For example, there is Mrs Krishnaveni who has implemented many things with her students, and there is the CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) programme run by Isabelle Lacoste.
For the two of us, we work regularly with partners like Love, Nils and TOUCH Community Services on recurring activities, as these have seen great response not only by our students but also in terms of participation.
What do you see as your team’s mission? What are the challenges that come with this area of your work?
As part of the school’s strategic plan, there is intention to streamline everything so that we get an even more concerted effort and structure, across sections and grade levels. We really want to formalise a sustainable and purposeful structure for all parties involved – GESS students, teachers, partners, local communities and beneficiaries. Having said this, we must not forget the essence of why we are doing this – it’s really service at and from our heart, and retaining all the good aspects of what everyone has been doing rather than just organisational changes.
Whenever you start anything new, the challenge is always getting initial buy-in, building up that enthusiasm or getting people to see the value in what we are doing. We have good and ready support, while others take some time. But in general, it often boils down to:
- Commitment of time and effort. Given that we have teaching commitments, finding a good one or two days to organise these community activities is not as easy as it seems.
- Search for suitable partners. We know Singapore is a highly systematic and orderly nation, with appropriate regulations where working with non-profit organisations or special groups are concerned. We are often required to commit to a regular meeting or activity schedule. This is not always possible for our students given their school and personal schedules.
- Guidance and mentorship for students. We take pride in the programmes put together, to get our students started on community work, a passion that could potentially grow and stay with them through their adulthood. From this aspect, we want to ensure our students get the necessary guidance and mentorship, as well as encouragement and room to cultivate their own passion and ideas.
What about the moments that make you feel all your time and effort are worth it? What do you find remarkable about our students who take time to be involved in community work?
When we see the students who demonstrate so much initiative and passion, planning their activities and bringing it all together… or seeing German section and European section students working as one GESS on the same project. These are really the moments we feel so proud of them.
We really have students who do well and above what is expected of them. True, some of them started off as part of their schoolwork. But many of them developed their own sense of commitment – they can jolly well be somewhere else, hanging out with friends, doing their own things, but they decide to take ownership and choose to make a difference to the larger community.
Lastly, give a shoutout to students who may be considering or feeling hesitant about whether they should get involved.
We would say, absolutely do it! Think about your interest because whatever you’re interested in, there’s definitely a way that it can be used to make a difference. If you are not sure where to start, ask a teacher, ask your parents, do some research. Don’t let that uncertainty stop you. Then take a leap – which may actually be the most difficult part.
On our side, we will definitely continue creating opportunities for our students to be involved. This is often an interesting process for both of us as well, finding new events, brainstorming what else and what more we can do, strengths of our counterparts, and so on.
Everyone has something to offer, so go for it!
