Writing to Right Wrongs

By: Anna Donaldson, Chelsea Zhang and Isabel Phan

As a school following the IB diploma, we understand that all students are required to participate in some form of service as part of completing CAS, and our school offers many opportunities and services for our students to get involved in. However, many students treat these opportunities as a means to an end. They treat it as a ‘necessary evil’ to complete their diploma, and therefore see it as nothing more than laborious assignments on top of already highly demanding schoolwork. Additionally, some others also feel like there’s no point; like nothing we do will ever be of consequence because ultimately everything is out of our control (e.g. the climate crisis). This leads to low participation in their respective services and even a common sense of disdain towards truly meaningful causes. For example, in our yearly December Write for Rights effort, being forced to write letters during Mentor Group made it feel like the only thing standing between students and morning break. Students may not take service—or similar compulsory exercises—seriously, considering the challenges that their classes present on their own. However, simply doing it out of obligation removes any meaning it had in the first place. Service can be rewarding, but as privileged students, we are disregarding both the opportunities and human connections it offers. 

Service is incredibly fulfilling when we are open-minded. Watching someone’s smile unfold and knowing it was because of you is the warmest, most fuzzy feeling you’ll ever get to experience. A lot of people in this school have closed themselves off to this wonderful opportunity, and it’s not necessarily their fault. We understand why school makes Service mandatory, we really do. My only question is if this makes its purpose of getting students to be self-motivated in their involvement entirely counterproductive. 

When we are open-minded, we see that our actions have an immense impact on those around us and ourselves. By choosing to actively partake in service, we have the opportunity to very literally change the lives of others. For example, in the CSB service, our students have the opportunity to not only form bonds with Rohingya students by providing a source of stability in their lives, but they also help the students prepare for their GCSEs, which effectively the only avenue for these students to gain citizenship. Other service experiences foster immense growth in our service partners. In Genesis—a service that receives psychiatrically and/or physically disabled junior to high school kids on our campus to play with students from Grade Four and Five—“throughout the term, I’ve not only made my own connections with Hanna, Iyla, and Dora, but have also seen them grow their confidence in both speech and actions” (Izy). To us, this progress is visible proof of the impact that we can make to better our community. And even if we disregard the impact we have on others, service can become a sort of safe space away from the IB, fostering personal growth in ourselves. “Despite the ever shifting landscape of IAs, tests, and exams, I found that my friends at Cheshire Home were a welcome constant each Thursday” (Anna). If we strive to put in effort and commit to our services, we (as individuals) can get a lot out of them. 

Service journeys do not need to begin out of altruism or a higher calling, but can start with the smallest of actions. Even in situations where it’s mandatory, we call on you to get involved and actively commit. It seems like a waste of resources and time, not even to mention potential, if we continue to treat service as an obligation that we must drag our feet to each week. While it can be a distraction from our all-important academics, should we not welcome that? Just talk to any IB student and you can see how burnt out and completely in need of a break they are. Service not only provides students with an opportunity to break the mundanity of our school lives, but also to empower students to see the potential impact they can have on their broader community. We need to stop considering service as merely a means to an end, but as an actual opportunity to connect and make a change. 

We hope that these past few paragraphs have at least managed to dismantle some of these feelings of hopelessness, if not empower you to get involved. Note that CSB is just an example; there are many opportunities to get involved. You can partake in the GC’s events, monetarily supporting Ms Lulu’s work in the school. Likewise, if you’re in G9 or 10, you could consider joining the service in G11 — your work with Janet, Shakira, and the other students would help cultivate personal connections, supporting and tutoring them through their GCSEs. More broadly, this week’s Write for Rights is another opportunity for involvement. Reject the typical lull around writing letters and immerse yourself in the activity. This year one of our case studies is supporting Maung Sawyeddollah in his demands for reparations from Facebook/Meta for inciting anti-Rohingya sentiments in Myanmar. Writing letters and being part of this effort really does result in actionable changes. 

Last year our school community wrote 4,524 letters. Each letter had an impact. Whether it uplifted the people in the cases; like Cecillia Chimbiri (now freed from a Zimbabwe prison) who felt “so loved and appreciated” after reading all the cards and letters and Bernardo Cal Xol, who is now reunited with his daughters and partner. These cases are just a few examples of how not only our everyday actions have a tangible impact, like freedom from wrongful imprisonment, but also provide opportunities for human connection, like making people feel loved and helping them remain hopeful in the face of state repression). Writing these letters gives us a chance to feel empowered to make a difference—if not in the legal outcomes of these cases, at least in a way that connects with and comforts the activists and their families. 

In these coming weeks, don’t treat service and W4R as a means to an end; a way to boost your college apps; or to fulfil your CAS requirements. Instead, we call on you to take these opportunities as chances to support others, build meaningful relationships, and create consequential change.