Fairfax students are challenged to move out of the academic arena by learning through life experiences. Service learning and community outreach is a fundamental component as lifelong learners.  Outreach is about:

• reflective thinking…you understand your own strengths and limitations, identify goals and devise strategies for personal growth

• willingness…you accept new challenges and new roles

• awareness…you see yourself as a member of various communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment

• participation…you are an active participant in sustained, collaborative projects

• balance…you enjoy and find significance in a range of activities involving intellectual, physical, creative and emotional experiences.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

- Mahatma Ghandi

CLICK HERE TO LOG YOUR SERVICE HOURS AND REFLECTIONS

A Reflection Should Include:

• How did I feel?

• What did I perceive?

• What did I think about the activity?

• What did the activity mean to me?

• What was the value of the activity?

• What did I learn from the activity and how might this learning (for example, a change of perspective) apply more widely?

If the activity is service, you might also want to consider ethical questions such as: 

• What is a service?

• Why is service to the family not considered as a service?

• Am I trying to help or empower people with a service?

• What obligation do I have to the person who is being served?

• How do I finish a service relationship?

• What do I do if the person does not want my service?

The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. 

IB learners strive to be:

• INQUIRERS  

• KNOWLEDGEABLE

• THINKERS  

• COMMUNICATORS 

• PRINCIPLED  

• OPEN-MINDED

• CARING  

• RISK-TAKERS  

• BALANCED  

• REFLECTIVE  

As a result of your experience as a whole, there should be evidence that you have:

• increased your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth
  You are able to see yourself as an individual with various skills and abilities, some more developed than others, and to understand that you can make choices about how you wish to move forward.

• undertaken new challenges
  A new challenge may be an unfamiliar activity or an extension of an existing one.

• planned and initiated activities
  Planning and initiation will often be in collaboration with others. It can be shown in activities that are part of larger projects, for example, on-going school activities in the local community, as well as in small student‑led activities.

• worked collaboratively with others
  Collaboration can be shown in many different activities, such as playing/organizing team sports, playing music in a band, or helping in a kindergarten. At least one project involving collaboration and the integration of at least two of creativity, action and service is required.

• shown perseverance and commitment in your activities
  At a minimum, this implies attending regularly and accepting a share of the responsibility for dealing with problems that arise in the course of activities.

• engaged with issues of global importance
  You may be involved in international projects but there are many global issues that can be acted upon locally or nationally (for example, environmental concerns, caring for the elderly).

• considered the ethical implications of your actions
  Ethical decisions arise in almost any CAS activity (for example, on the sports field, in musical composition, in relationships with others involved in service activities). Evidence of thinking about ethical issues can be shown in various ways, including journal entries and conversations with your CAS supervisor.

• developed new skills
  As with new challenges, new skills may be shown in activities that you have not previously undertaken or in increased expertise in an established area.

This focus on learning outcomes emphasizes that it is the quality of your experience  that is of most importance.