SERVICE ENGAGEMENT The Reverend Tim Buckler reports on a varied and busy year of service engagement at the College
W e will always live in community. Our shared hu- manity and our desire to live life well will lead us to understand that a generosity of spirit expressed in active compassion for others, and for our environment,
scholars’ as well as providing alms houses for ‘six poor brethren and six poor sisters’. It is our desire to continue this legacy so that an active spirit of service will lie at the heart of a Dulwich education. In Dulwich College, service
is a fundamental principle that is essential as we seek to make the most of this one life that is ours. We are relational beings, and relationships that thrive do so in no small part because they revolve around a commitment to
‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth’ Muhammed Ali
outreach finds expression through our programmes of Community Action, Charity and Impact 500 (i500). These three are all linked but separate.
think of and invest in the needs of others. In addition to this, the world is our home; we are called to be stewards of the planet, investing in it for the benefit of those who come after us. As members of the College community, our service to others, sometimes referred to as our service outreach, is a key feature of what it means to be a true Alleynian. Edward Alleyn himself had the vision to educate ‘12 poor
COMMUNITY ACTION This year over 200 pupils in Years 10 to 13 have volun- teered to be involved in our extensive Community Action programme. We have a growing list of local placement locations – upwards of 20, covering the educational, the social and the environmental – where pupils volunteer for an hour each week – during lunchtime, after school, or on a Saturday morning. This programme is often accessed by pupils working towards the volunteering section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, but has proved to be an excellent way for pupils to express their desire to make a difference in society. We have been delighted with the feedback from both the College pupils involved in the Community Action pro- gramme, and from the placement locations. The climax of the Community Action programme is our annual Service Day at the end of the Summer term, when pupils are involved in whole-day volunteering opportu- nities outside the school gates. We’ve been thrilled with the way in which this day has developed. Our first Service
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COLLEGE COMMUNITY
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