Grade 6 Gives Back

On November 19, our Grade 6 students put empathy into action, by designing and filling donation boxes for the Ute Bock Foundation for Refugees.

Our students had a wonderful time taking ownership of this Service Learning Project by raising over 330 Euro. They creatively designed donation boxes and went on a shopping trip to Billa to fill them. Our Grade 6 students thoughtfully selected food and essential items, ensuring that each package was filled with love to help refugees feel welcomed and cared for upon their arrival. Our students created over 30 boxes of essentials!

Beyond the physical donations, our students are doing deep work to understand the human side of displacement. Students are currently rotating through a series of three activities: 1) Mirroring the Journey: Activities that explore the difficult situations refugees face and the hardships they encounter when fleeing; 2) Building Empathy: Discussing the difficult question, "If you had to leave right away, what would be the 5 items you would grab?" to spark conversation about what is truly important; and 3) The We Belong Quilt: Connecting these global issues back to our own classroom by discussing what makes us feel like we belong, and designing a square for our Grade 6 community quilt.

This experience provided an invaluable opportunity to deepen lessons of kindness, empathy, and community that will continue to be a focus of our Grade 6 service-learning work throughout the school year. Projects like this are among the many ways AISV empowers students with the skills and character strengths needed to become positively impactful global citizens.