ISD empowers individuals and communities to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships, grounded in the principle that humans are an interdependent part of nature.
At the International School of Debrecen service and sustainability learning is embedded in our mission and shapes who we aspire to be as individuals and as a community. As an explicitly mission aligned organization, our commitment to service and sustainability learning is reflected in our organizational structure. In each school division there is a member of faculty with specific responsibility to develop and coordinate our service and sustainability learning program. As a school in its fifth year of operation, our program is in its infancy, but we are building strong foundations grounded in international best practice.
Guiding Principles
- Collaboration: We encourage students to work together on service projects, fostering teamwork and collective problem-solving. We build reciprocal relationships with local communities and organizations to ensure a holistic approach to addressing needs.
- Curriculum Integration: We seamlessly integrate service learning into the school curriculum, connecting academic content with real-world applications and community needs. We foster interdisciplinary connections to enhance students’ understanding of complex global issues.
- Perspective: We emphasize the importance of diverse perspectives in understanding and addressing community needs. We encourage students to empathize with community members and consider the cultural, social, and economic context of the communities they serve.
- Adaptive: We promote flexibility and adaptability in service projects to respond effectively to evolving community needs. We equip students with the skills to navigate uncertainty and make adjustments based on feedback and changing circumstances.
- Passion and Purpose: We cultivate and inspire a sense of passion and purpose in students by connecting service projects to partner needs and their personal interests and values. We recognize and celebrate the enthusiasm and commitment of students in making a mutually positive impact.
- Sustainable: We emphasize long-term impact by incorporating sustainable practices into service projects. We encourage students to think about the ecological, social, and economic sustainability of their initiatives.
The ISD service and sustainability learning program plays a crucial role in helping our students to become knowledgeable, skilled, creative and internationally minded agents of positive change.
Explore our Learning Stories
Teachers can use Service Learning to make abstract subjects real for students of all ages. There are some issues that are difficult to address but important to learn about. Take…
At ISD, service and sustainability learning is embedded in our mission and shapes who we aspire to be as individuals and as a community. Both in Elementary School and in…
In Grade 4, our students were investigating how humans have a responsibility to make informed choices for the sustainability of local and global environments. To dive into this learning, students…
