Water Blogged

Daystar Academy IB School is a Shining Example of H2O for Life Service Learning in Action!

Posted by Mitchell LeGrand on September 13, 2023

This spring, students at Daystar Academy IB School in Chicago had an incredibly successful Water Day at their school! In 9th and 10th grade Geography classes, students had been learning about the UN’s 17 SDGs. To extend their learning in their “Service as Action” class, the 9th and 10th grade students were challenged to create an event for the entire school community to both raise awareness about the water crisis and raise support to address the needs of the Kipsigor school in Kenya. They worked for many weeks to create a successful Walk for Water and Water Day activities. The event for all the K-8th classes took place on May 26th, 2023. It was a great success–kids had lots of fun, they walked around the neighborhood in a loop a certain number of times based on their age, and had a fun time of community during the games the older students hosted.

The students at Daystar received a PPG Mini Grant from H2O for Life to support their project. They turned that $500 grant into $6,052! Not only did they raise enough for their partner school in Kenya, but they were also able to support Dodme Basic School in Ghana! This was only their first year with H2O for Life and we are excited to see what is next for their young changemakers! 

–“This project showed me a firsthand perspective of how far people around the world need to “walk for water” when I can just turn on the tap.”

–“It is powerful because it makes me feel good that I can do something as a student to impact the world.”

–“Doing this project which seemed small but had a big impact on others inspires me.”

–Including service in the context of classroom learning “creates original experiences and activism that has an impact.” Also, “it is a good way to grow problem-solving and social skills.” Also, “we learn how to apply our knowledge to help others around us for the betterment of the environment and world.”

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