Community Outreach
ISBs mission is to inspire students to achieve their personal and academic potential, to lead healthy, active, balanced lives and to becoming caring, global citizens. This last mission point is a fundamental trait that successful leaders need to have in today’s – and tomorrow’s – world and the focus on care and compassion permeate ISBs community and school culture. ISB students from Elementary through to High School are constantly engaged in community outreach & service learning activities and are the initiators of exceptional projects that serve to improve the lives of those less fortunate in Thailand and around the world.
The extent of the students’ outreach can be seen in the number of hours they spend working on community projects, doing outreach in the community, advocating for social causes, and fundraising for those less fortunate. ISB high school students have logged thousands of hours of service action hours, dedicated to creating social impact. As part of the graduation requirement from ISB, students are required to take part in substantial community service.
There is an extensive list of organizations that ISB and ISB students support through volunteering, skills development, fundraising, resource sharing: Amnesty International, Bann Rachawadee, Habitat for Humanity, Marharaj Boys Home, Operation Smile, Phayathai Orphanage, Shining Hope, Sparrow Home, Street Boys, Breast Cancer Awareness, Helping Paws, Unite for Children, Breaking Boundaries and more. ISB staff also founded and continue to run the After The Wave Foundation, a non-profit organization that is committed to supporting communities in the Phangna area that were affected by the 2004 Tsunami.
There are a number of initiatives that have been developed by students themselves, including: the Shark Guardian Ambassadors, which aim to protect sharks and educate people on the negative impacts of shark finning; ISBean, a social enterprise that through the sourcing and selling of coffee creates a sustainable business model for communities in Northern Thailand; Green Panthers Waste Management, which promotes environmental sustainability, and Because We Are Equal, which advocates for gender equality and raises awareness on global gender issues. Students are also actively involved in supporting their peers and building community at school through the Student Ambassador Clubs.
These are only a number of the ways that ISB, the community and in particular the ISB students create a social impact in Thailand. These efforts are done not for reward or recognition but out of compassion, kindness and understanding that we are all global citizens with a responsibility to contribute positively to society through our intellectual, creative and humanitarian efforts.
On account of the extensive work that the ISB community has done in the Thailand, ISB was awarded the BCCT Social Impact award in 2017.
The ISB Middle School COVID Relief Club collected food baskets to donate to iCare (a local charity working to provide much-needed COVID relief to improvised communities in Thailand) through their advisory. One of our Middle School students, determined to make a difference, decided to lead this project and food drive. She said, "one important lesson I learned is how grateful we should all be for having all the resources we need to survive, but also how impactful one community can be when we collaborate with each other to help those in need. One major ISB value this project represents is care. This project shows how one community is willing to help each other in these hard times by providing them with the things they need in order to survive."