Service Learning by Design Empowering Youth to Make a Difference
Service Learning by Design empowers students to apply knowledge and skills to real-world community challenges, fostering empathy, social responsibility, and leadership.
Students engage directly with community partners and beneficiaries to understand needs, reflect on their learning, and design meaningful solutions that create a tangible impact.
Students work closely with community partners and beneficiaries to understand real needs, gathering insights through direct engagement and reflection. Using the Design Thinking framework, they translate these insights into creative service solutions that have tangible, positive impact on their communities.
In recent past programs with Greenridge Secondary, Orchid Park Secondary, St Anthony Canossian Secondary, Junyuan Secondary to name a few, school leaders praised the initiative for blending fun activities with meaningful learning, leaving students inspired and motivated to connect and make a positive difference in their community.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Through the programme, students will:
- Apply values such as care, integrity, and responsibility to real-life situations.
- Develop problem-solving and collaboration skills by working in teams to plan and implement projects.
- Build empathy and social awareness by interacting with diverse community groups.
- Practice leadership and initiative while seeing the tangible impact of their actions.
Community Engagement and Learning Journeys - Learning from the real world
Learning Journeys take students beyond the classroom to explore real-world contexts—ranging from community engagement with local partners to subject-based experiences like math trails or social studies explorations. Using service design and human-centered approaches, each journey lets students see, feel, and understand challenges from a designer’s perspective, fostering empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking.
These journeys can take many forms—from virtual dialogue sessions to immersive field experiences.
For example, at Catholic Junior College, over 700 students participated in a Service-Learning Fair featuring 23 organizations, exploring causes and hands-on volunteering opportunities.
In another experience, in partnership with People’s Association and DOTS Academy, students engaged with dementia patients and advocates during a Dementia Service Experience, witnessing how service design and community support enhance the lives of residents in Kebun Bahru.
Learning Journeys can be delivered independently or integrated into Service Learning or other project-based programs.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the programme, students will:
- Develop empathy and cultural awareness by engaging directly with communities and understanding their needs and experiences.
- Connect learning from the classroom with real-world contexts, seeing the relevance and impact of their actions.
- Strengthen critical thinking and collaboration skills as they work together to identify opportunities for positive change.
- Reflect on their experiences and communicate insights, applying creative problem-solving to contribute in thoughtful ways.
- Build confidence in their ability to act as responsible and engaged citizens.