Social Voice Community Service

Social action is how we gain and express our social voice. Action leads us to experiences which force us to think about what we believe. Yet, action is also the method we use to express what we believe. There are two groups that collaborate to participate in social action. The first is the Social Awareness Club and the second is the IMPACT Program.

Social Voice

THE SOCIAL VOICE CYCLE

It begins with exploration. You see injustice in your community and you ask "why?" Or you are sitting in a history class and you say, "This sounds so much like what's going on right now." So, you begin to explore. You interview people. You read primary source documents. You research using books and internet source.

From there, you begin to engage. After asking, "Why is this true?" you ask, "What can I do about this?" Often, this means community service. It might be something as small as writing a letter or as big as leading a volunteer community service project. During this period, you don't play the role of a superhero, trying to save the world. Instead, you serve the community using your skills and building upon what they are doing right.

Finally, you express what you have learned. Whether it is through art, music, poetry, a website, a blog, a conversation with a friend; you express your social voice, your view on this issue. Except, this time you have research and action to back you up.

It doesn't end there, though. Your time of volunteering and sharing with others sparks a dialogue. You begin to ask questions again, which leads to exploration. So, the social voice cycle continues.

 

IMPACT BLOG - IMPACT SiteIMPACT Program

Social Awareness Blog - Social Awareness Club Social Awareness Club

Social Action Blog

Featured Project

Food Bank

We went to the food bank throughout the first quarter. For many students, it was a valuable learning experience to see the effects of hunger in their own community. The project coincided with our own food drive, where we raised over 800 cans of food. For the seventh graders, it connected to the issues of the Progressives and the Great Depression.

Here are the types of projects we have done: food bank, Andre House, graffiti painting, letters to soldiers, Care Packages to soldiers, Life Straws, fundraising for families after a tragedy, raising money for mosquito nets (through dances, car washes), canned food drive, letters to politicians to try and change things, school-wide recycling program and flower pots for residents of a nursing home. In the 2007-2008 school year, the two groups combined for over 2,700 service hours.