We see the benefits that volunteering produces every time our students spend time with the elderly, celebrate racial harmony in our community, or participate in environmentally friendly activities, like our Earth Day events or the Tetra Pak Recycle Programme. Research suggests that there are a number of positive outcomes that volunteering creates as well, and that those benefits are made even stronger when people engage in volunteerism at a young age.
According to a report on volunteering from Child Trends Data Bank, young people who volunteer are "more likely to have positive academic, psychological, and occupational well-being. Adolescents who are involved in community service or who volunteer in political activities are more likely as adults to have a strong work ethic, to volunteer, and to vote."
At GIIS, we work to foster this sense of community pride and work ethic through one of our key 9 GEMS™ - “Universal Values and Ethics." This focus area aims to cultivate not only good leaders and students, but truly good human beings. Our multi-campus Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Universal Values is an integral part of our efforts in this area.
Another facet of our 9 GEMS™ , “Community and Care,” gives students the chance to apply the learnings of Universal Values & Ethics in their own communities through a number of different activities and initiatives across a breadth and depth of measures, including the environment, local culture, and working with the underprivileged. For example, GIIS Singapore successfully started the Kindness Movement in collaboration with the Friends of Singa. The main aim was to create opportunities for the students to show compassion and the willingness to step out of their normal routines and help their fellow human beings.
Our commitment to promoting volunteerism through these two interlinking parts of our holistic 9 GEMS™ model is a commitment to not only improving our community, but maximizing outcomes for all GIIS students. We intend to help students view giving back as a way of life instead of as an obligation or duty. A strong, regular practice of volunteerism gives students the opportunity to assume responsibility for their actions, step into leadership roles, and practice empathetic thinking around the problems of our times.
Download the latest Global Learning Magazine for free to learn about the volunteerism at GIIS. You also can contact us today and we would be happy to tell you more!