Students run service initiatives to build a better future

At Dulwich, Service is one of our six principal values. We inspire and cultivate an understanding and care for others, with the desire to build a better future for ourselves and others through a deeper knowledge of the world. 

Students at Dulwich College Suzhou are encouraged to participate in various service learning activities throughout the year. In the past academic year, we have reached a record number of staff volunteers and engagement, we have seen student involvement from all year groups in Senior School with participants in previous years actively choosing to take on leadership roles to ensure continuation of projects involvements, and we have seen a significant increase in both male student participants and diversity of nationalities involved in Service Learning. On top of that, in alignment with School Improvement Plan and focus on sustainability, House student leaders have actively chosen to support new and technologically-innovative charities to include OceanCleanUp. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the amazing projects that our students have accomplished in this academic year. 

The Crescendo Project
The Crescendo Project is a music-loving and charitable student-led organisation aims to teach music to migrant school students, who would otherwise not have the opportunity to learn music. For the past three years, they have provided music lessons on Saturday morning to two distinct migrant schools – Ming Xing Primary School, You Hao Primary School, and one children’s hospital. 

This is the third successful year for this project as 85 students from two Dulwich schools (Dulwich College Suzhou and Dulwich High School Suzhou) come together to teach music to 60 migrant school children. The have also incorporated two new instruments in their lessons – violin and zither, in addition to piano and guitar. In order to provide for the music lessons and expand the musical learning experience for the migrant children, they have purchased 7 electronic keyboards and pedals, 8 zithers and 6 violins in addition to the repair and upkeep of the 41 guitars that have been donated in previous years from the fundraising money they have raised.

“For both our enthusiastic students and teachers, our project has presented us with a unique learning experience that has truly been inspiring. We hope to share our happiness through music to many more migrant schools around Suzhou in the coming future. “

Congratulation to the student founder of the project, Cindy H, who will be attending Princeton University in the new academic year. The admissions officers are particularly impressed by the successes of her project and are excited to have her contributing her project management and leadership skills at Princeton. 

The ACAMIS Music Room Refurbishment Project
Going hand-in-hand with the Crescendo Project is the The ACAMIS Music Room Refurbishment Project. It aims to enhance the musical learning environment of migrant school students in Suzhou by refurbishing their music rooms. 

In the past three years, they have successfully refurbished the music rooms for Ming Xing Migrant School, Li Xin Migrant School and You Hao Migrant School. A record number of 50 students are involved in this project.

“I believe that the essence of our project is to gain important skills such as leadership and team-building skills that cannot be acquired in lessons. As students living in an international community, it is crucial to interact with the local Suzhou community to broaden our views of the world and understand the cultural diversity that we live in.”

Kate L, Year 12

Congratulation to the student founder of the project, Joo Eun H, who will be attending University of Oxford in the new academic year. 

The ACAMIS Hospital Library Project
The ACAMIS Hospital Library Project is a brand new service learning project this year. It aims to update a local children’s hospital library for children with non-infectious blood diseases who have been hospitalised for long periods. Our students have made regular visits to engage in playtime activities with the patients and their families, as well as writing and designing English language basics books, and organising book drives and donations in highlighting literacy.

“It is my hope that through being more actively engaged in different activities in a proper library, the children at the hospital will be able to have an invaluable opportunity to find their childhood lives more enjoyable. “

Iso L, Year 12

The Student Council Orphanage Project

The Student Council Orphanage Project involves 30 students on two visits to a local orphanage with our students engaged in playtime activities with orphanage children, who have varying special needs; social, behavioural, learning and physical. It is also the first off-site service trip involving students as young as Year 7. 

The team has successfully raised approximately RMB16,000 from various Student Council and House activities over the past 3 years and have purchased special fit diapers, eczema cream, skin-sensitive hygiene products, baby milk formula, bath towels, play blocks and arts and crafts materials for the orphanage home. 

The RE:FORM and Earth Day Project
The RE:FORM and Earth Day Project has just accomplished their second successful year of clothing collection and upcycling initiative to support the River of Hearts charitable cause benefiting impoverished Shanghai communities. The RE:FORM Project collects unwanted textiles, stocks them for further sorting to be either up-cycled, down-cycled, or donated to charities. They have raised RMB26,000 from House and other student-led service activities over the past 2 years and have collaborated with Green Initiatives Shanghai to organise Earth Day Conference and workshops in educating the Dulwich community on sustainability. 

Congratulations to the student founder of the project, Lyndsey K, who will be attending Stanford University in the new academic year. The admissions officers are particularly impressed by the successes of this project and her numerous other projects. 

SPARK Project
Lastly is the SPARK Project, which aims to provides a welcoming environment for students who have an interest in starting a club but don’t know how to do so. They are a small team of students who raise funds throughout the year to help kick start other student-led cross curricular activities. Last year, they have helped the Video Game Club to organise the Clash Royale Championship, which was very popular within the school community and also helped set up Table Tennis Club in the College. 

It is worth to note that the service learning teams have fundraised a record amount of over RMB22,000 in profit at this year’s Founder’s Day for our Friends of Dulwich chosen charities. Shackleton House has donated RMB15,000 to the Roots and Shoots Dulwich Forest in inner Mongolia and in Ningxia in support of renewed planting initiatives from historical funds raised. 

All the aforementioned above is not an exhaustive list but a testament to the amazing amount of work our Dulwich College Suzhou students are doing throughout their local, national and international communities and we look forward to seeing more student-led service initiative projects making a positive impact on improving the lives of others as well as ours.