Service as Action Community and Service

Service as Action (formerly known as Community and Service) is a required component of the IB MYP. Aligning with the mission statement of the IB Program, Vista Magnet aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

Service as Action builds upon learning in the classroom and helps students define needs within the community. Working through the design cycle, students develop a sense of social responsibility and focus on improving skills that will enable them to make effective contributions to society.

IB World Schools value service with others as an important way to engage in principled action across a range of overlapping local and global communities. IB identifies 7 learning outcomes an MYP student should develop through engaging with service as action:

• become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth
• undertake challenges that develop new skills
• discuss, evaluate and plan student-initiated activities
• persevere in action
• work collaboratively with others
• develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding
• consider the ethical implications of their actions

These learning outcomes align with developing the IB learner profile attributes and approaches to learning (ATL) skills.

In contrast to previous years, students will no longer be required to complete a certain number of hours as part of their Service as Action. In order to prepare students for the Community Project (MYP year 3) and the Personal Project (MYP year 5), students will explore various types of service opportunities as an extension of the curriculum. Students will use the design cycle to explore service through school-wide and classroom based opportunities.

Students will document each Service as Action using a Google Slides template that can be found on the school web-site, Google Classroom, and by clicking here. Teachers will help coach students to document evidence of their service through the lens of the design cycle.

Absolutely! We will continue to share and sponsor opportunities in our community to make a difference. Our goal is to help our students develop into responsible, caring citizens that seek to positively impact the world around them.

An IB Community Changer:

• Takes on a project that addresses a need in the community.
• Researches a Community Project they are passionate about.
• Works individually or with a team of 2 or 3 like minded students.
• Documents their journey through the Design Cycle.
• Takes action to meet the need in their community.
• Creates a Summative Visual Presentation.