The CCA Primary Action Group aims to empower students to look for and take action on global and local issues they feel are important to their community. Primary students participating in the Action group CCA spend their Monday lunchtimes working towards creating positive student action in the Primary school. Students have inquired into what ‘action’ means to them and effective ways they can take action at AIS. The Action group leads other students at AIS in taking action for themselves and be a student group who want to make their school community a better place. The students meet regularly, make plans, and take action!

The Student action group feels action at AIS looks like:

• Raising awareness on issues or concerns at AIS
• Being a helping hand, helping students in need
• Raising awareness of issues at AIS
• A student group that can make a difference at AIS

The Action group developed the ‘Helping Hand yard friends’. Students from the Action group went into the yard and actively looked for students that may need support. This support could be playing in the yard with students, helping new students feel welcomed, helping students that are hurt or unwell get to the nurse.

The AIS Read-a-thon is run throughout classes in the Elementary school. Money raised from the Read-a-thon is donated to the charity World assistance for Cambodia to construct a rural school in Cambodia complete with desks, chairs and blackboards. Through generous donations AIS give children of the rural poor areas of Cambodia opportunities for a better education. The construction of the building will be funded through the read-a-thon and it will be staffed by the Cambodian Ministry of Education. The school will be built on land donated by the surrounding villages. The construction of the school typically takes between three to eight months depending on weather conditions. Once the school is completed, it is presented to the village and classes begin immediately. The school will be recognized by the Cambodian government as a state school which is staffed by official state teachers who teach the curriculum set by the Cambodian Ministry of Education. The school then becomes self-sustainable and does not require further funding from AIS.

As the AIS Elementary Read-a-thon promoted and encouraged student’s reading funds are quickly raised. From individual’s generous donations throughout the Elementary school a rural school in Cambodia is constructed. AIS students helping other less fortunate students have allowed the children of the rural poor areas of Cambodia to have an opportunity for the chance of an education.

As part of the Year 4 Community and Service action students are asked to purchase a picture book to donate to a student of S.K. Kangkar Pulai 1. The students then become Buku (book) Kawan (friends) of a student at S.K. Kangkar Pulai 1. On the last day of the annual Year 4 camp the books are read and presented to the S.K. Kangkar Pulai 1 students. Students also play AIS sports with their buddies at the camp and then donate the equipment to the school.

After weeks of hard work and determination by each student under the guidance of their teacher and mentor students individually present their understanding of the topic and the concept they chose to focus on, to parents and the school community. As part of the final year of the PYP program, students are undertaking a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry that involves them identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. As the culminating experience of the PYP, the students demonstrate how they can take action as a result of their learning.

Students at AIS have been involved with the NYAA scheme for over 10 years.

The aim of the NYAA Scheme is to encourage young people between the ages of 14 and 25 years to develop personal qualities of self-reliance, perseverance and a sense of responsibility to themselves and society. The criteria for an award are those of self-improvement and effort. The participant is judged on personal achievement measured against original circumstances and potential capabilities. This allows for the less able and disadvantaged to participate on an equal opportunity basis. 

There are three levels of the Award – Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level requires a greater degree of commitment and determination. Each participant has until his or her 25th birthday to complete this program. 

For further information regarding the National Youth Achievement Award Scheme please refer to www.nya.org.

The Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) has developed a program for disabled students called SMILES; this stands for: Students Meet for Interaction Learning & Enrichment Services. This very special program allows disabled children to participate in physical and coordinated activities.   AIS students help organise and support the modified sports  as well as assisting with activities such as games, crafts and homework help with the children. This co-curricular activity is an opportunity for our students to gain an understanding of children with intellectual and physical disabilities and their needs and to enrich the lives of others and help make a difference. As one student said, “It makes the children happy to have us play with them, but we leave with the biggest smile.” 

For further information regarding the Asian Women Welfare Association please refer to (www.awwa.org.sg).

Year 10 students have the opportunity to join the Cambodia House Building Team. The students work throughout the year to raise the money to build houses and then selected students travel to Cambodia to assist in their construction in villages selected by The Tabitha Foundation.

This is a rewarding and challenging CCA that requires a year-long commitment. Students travel to Cambodia for a week, and as well as building houses they will have the opportunity to visit S21 and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh and a local orphanage, so gaining an understanding of Cambodian history and culture.

2013 is the 14th year that AIS has been involved in offering this experience for students. It is an opportunity to work as a team and give something back to communities in need and make a difference in the world today. 

For further information regarding the Tabitha Foundation please refer to www.tabithasingapore.com.

Initiated in 2007, the Schools for Schools program is a long-term project which encourages community and service understanding and fund-raising for needy schools in Nepal and India. 

Students involved are given the opportunity to trek for a week in Nepal and India in order to work with the students and staff in the project schools. Throughout the year, various initiatives are set up by students to further the partnerships between AIS and our Nepal project schools and to raise funds for the schools. 

To date, AIS' support has built a library, a dormitory for teaching staff and several classrooms. The project has also helped to fund teachers’ salaries, classroom resources and computers. In addition, funds raised by AIS students made completion of a hydroelectricity project possible, providing electricity to four schools and over 40 homes in a remote region of Nepal.