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WAB Faculty & Staff

HS Global Citizenship: Student-Led Activities

The Western Academy of Beijing realizes that, as global citizens, we have a responsibility towards the world around us that extends outside the classroom. Being global citizens is about making a difference.

Student Initiated Activities at WAB HS

Explanation and Expectations

Student-Led Projects

  1. These projects are student initiated and generally supported by a supervisor.
  2. Projects are open to all grades 9-12.
  3. Projects are generally limited in time and scope (minimum one month) and not expected to be on-going. However, projects can continue from year to year.
  4. Projects have a clear, generally single outcome and generally an endpoint (but can be on-going as well).
  5. Projects can be individual or a small group of students, each contributing actively.
  6. Leadership structure is not required.
  7. Regularly scheduled meetings are not required.
  8. For CAS students, evidence and reflections must be collected and documented on Managebac. Examples: Duck Lake Hockey tournament, Donation drive to collect funds for earthquake victims, Design of a mural to support learning in the science lab, organize a tree planting day or series of garbage collection days along Mingdu River.

Student-Led Clubs

  1. Clubs are student initiated and must be supported by a supervisor (see supervisor roles and responsibilities).
  2. Clubs are open to all grades 9-12.
  3. Clubs are on-going throughout the year and often continue year to year.
  4. Club leaders develop leadership skills supported by Global Citizenship Coordinator.
  5. Club leaders are expected to use strategies to ensure that all members have opportunities to play an active role in the club.
  6. Clubs must have a clear vision statement, goals, club description, logo, planned calendar of the year and ideally, social media, website, etc.
  7. Clubs must meet regularly during lunch and/or Day 9.
  8. Club leadership must document club activities on TEAMS and MyTime.
  9. CAS students are required to provide evidence and reflections on Managebac.
  10. Clubs have multiple initiatives and projects going on to give members choice and exposure to a variety of experiences.
  11. Clubs participate in WAB events throughout the year and may also plan their own events specific to their vision and goals.

Types of SLCs

     Global Service – These clubs work with a community partner and address Global issues/needs. They are linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

WAB Service – These clubs work with the WAB community to address needs throughout the school.

  Creative – These clubs provide creative activities and foster community in a creative area. (see “creative” definition on Libguide)

After-School Activities (ASAs)

  1. ASAs may be faculty or student initiated. If the ASA is student initiated, there must be adult supervisor.
  2. ASAs are developed in partnership between the HS Global Citizenship Office and WABx.
  3. ASAs are open to whole school - MS and HS – G6-12 and even ES (To be determined by ASA leader)
  4. ASAs are committed to a season or a whole year.
  5. ASA leaders use SchoolsBuddy to manage their ASA.
  6. ASAs meet after school during a regularly scheduled time.
  7. ASAs may be but are not limited to Creative or Sport/Activity initiatives.

Day 9 Activities 

  1. Are student-initiated and generally supported by a supervisor.  

  2. Open to all grades 9-12 (with prior arrangement can include MS)

  3. Day 9 activities can be part of a club or project. 

  4. Day 9 activities can be a single, multiple events or run throughout the year. 

  5. Day 9 activities can be organized by individuals or a small group of students, each contributing actively.  

  6. Leadership structure is not required. 

  7. Are scheduled through MyTime. 

  8. Regularly scheduled meetings during lunch are not required. 

  9. For CAS students, evidence and reflections must be collected and documented on Managebac. 

  10. For CAS students, in order for a Day 9 activity to be considered a CAS project, there is a minimum of 3 sessions required.  

 

Student-Led Clubs at WAB

At WAB we believe we are all global citizens. A successful Global Citizen is aware of and seeks to understand pressing global issues and furthers social justice, respects and engages with diverse cultures, and recognizes a responsibility to take action in local and global contexts.  

Precious Plastics

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production - The Global Goals

This organization wants to educate the WAB community about plastic recycling/upcycling opportunities. To design and implement a more realistic and efficient recycling program as a service to our community. To produce products made from 100% community plastic waste.

  

GM English

Goal 4: Quality education - The Global Goals

GM English plan and initiate free English language lessons for Chinese local caretakers in hopes of increasing their personal and professional opportunities! Our lessons are centered around conversational Chinese that are tailored to their individual needs with curriculum on grammar and vocabulary. Currently, we have also built a WeChat subscription account, which act as a platform to extend our objectives so that more people from remote areas can also access language lessons. We upload vocabulary daily and post teaching videos and fun articles weekly.

  

HANBOK Korean Culture Club

Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities - The Global Goals

HANBOK is a Korean culture club open to all Korean students who are interested in learning more about Korean culture and traditions. By arranging numerous activities and events, our club aims to raise an understanding of Korean culture. We run for day nine of fun activities, cooperation with other clubs, participation in school events, and donating club earnings. Our club is dedicated to providing a pleasant and welcoming environment in which members can learn, share, and appreciate Korea's rich and diverse culture.

  

New Sunshine

Goal 3: Good health and well-being - The Global Goals

New Sunshine at WAB is a project dedicated to supporting families from rural and impoverished parts of China treat child leukemia (cancer). Many of these families can barely afford treatment, not to mention the treatment opportunities in these rural communities are limiting. We financially support hospitals and have grant programs funding for their treatment, not to mention we visit children diagnosed with leukemia in Beijing and support their “hospital schools” which offer them education. One of the sad realities which we hope to curve with our project is a situation where children from rural and low income families are essential waiting to die since they can’t access treatment.

  

ProFarmer

Goal 2: Zero Hunger - The Global Goals

As one of the oldest and most storied clubs at WAB, Pro-farmer is a service group that specializes in serving the WAB community and the community of local farmers in Beijing, China, and the world as a whole. We believe in the sale of Fairtrade, organic and local produce, investing our profits to farmers local and global through KIVA while helping to curb corruption and unequal business practices by directly working with farmers in our community.

  

Spectrum

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities - The Global Goals

Spectrum is a project that aims at striving to create a school community in which sexuality and gender identity is a comfortable topic of discussion, and the discovery of it is never made to be shameful. We seek to bring awareness to all degrees of maltreatment toward anyone identifying themselves as LGBTQIA+, so that these issues in the WAB community are not trivialized. In order to propel us towards this goal, we host various, large-scale events - such as Pride Week, Color Run, Candy Grams, Day of Silence, etc. - that are directed towards raising awareness towards specific issues, raising funds for a variety of charities, or overall celebrating and bringing pride to the LGBTQIA+ community and spreading that anti-discriminative positivity across all of WAB.

  

Fetch

Goal 15: Life on land - The Global Goals

Fetch is an Activity and Service project that visits the animal shelter next to WAB to walk, train, play with and take care of the dogs residing there. Several of these dogs were injured in an accident, abused, or abandoned by their owners. As a group, we strive to help the dogs become more comfortable around others, increasing their chances of being adopted into loving families.

  

Acts for Alzheimers

Goal 3: Good health and well-being - The Global Goals

Acts for Alzheimer's is a project aimed to support patients suffering from the effects of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. We use the money to donate supplies to the nursing home to enhance the elder's life. We also visit the nursing home and do activities with the elderly to make a better connection.

  

Feminism Club

Goal 5: Gender equality - The Global Goals

The Feminism Club hosts discussion and conversations around gender-themed topics. We create a safe space for students to share ideas, stories, and research, allowing students to become more open-minded and well-rounded. Throughout the school year, we also aim to create fundraising opportunities for EGRC and plan panel talks with invitational speakers. Topics that we will cover are: the construction of gender, toxic masculinity, empowerment, and what the patriarchy looks like today.

  

Roots & Shoots

Goal 15: Life on land - The Global Goals

Roots & Shoots is an eco-oriented club dedicated to promoting sustainability in our school community and caring for our environment.

  

Light-Up!

Goal 4: Quality education - The Global Goals

Light-Up is a student initiated service club that corporates with the RenYuYuan, a learning institution providing education and rehabilitation training for orphans and children with disabilities from 5-13 years old. We visit weekly to teach the kids English, aiming to help them to improve English communication skills and build confidence to have good adoptions with foreign families.

  

MCF

Goal 4: Quality education - The Global Goals

Migrant School Kids (MSK) is a local community-based service group that interacts with the children of the migrant school weekly. Our main objectives are to a) provide the kids further educational opportunities through academic (i.e. English) related activities, and financial support through fundraising and b) build authentic and meaningful relationships with children via creative and engaging activities such as baking and arts & crafts.

  

Auction for Change

Goal 4: Quality education - The Global Goals

Goal 5: Gender equality - The Global Goals

Auction for change is an organization that dedicates its service and donates its proceeds to a different cause each year. Our group mainly works towards our annual silent auction, a formal event for students, parents, and teachers. Art students from WAB, as well as friends and parents kindly contribute by donating artworks which we later exhibit in the auction. This year, we will be collaborating with EGRC (Educating Girls in Rural China) and focus on the topic of female hygiene. Our final proceeds from the silent auction will be supporting the girls who live in rural China with hygiene products, and also school tuition for 1-2 individuals. We will also develop a curriculum regarding the topic of female hygiene and sex education, which will then be implemented as one of their courses in school. Throughout the school year, we organize small fundraisers to contribute to the final auction.

    

LatinX

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities - The Global Goals

The Latinx Culture Club brings to WAB the first western culture club with the purpose of including all nationalities who want to learn more about Latin America. Our goals this year are to educate ourselves about current events and explore the diversity of each country's culture. We plan to do this by celebrating Latin American holidays/festivals and the end goal is to be able to share our experiences as a club to educate others at WAB.

  

Zer0

Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities - The Global Goals

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production - The Global Goals

Goal 13: Climate action - The Global Goals

Zer0 is a green-initiative based club that specifically aims to make WAB a more sustainable place. Our purpose is to bring environmental awareness to the WAB community, and at the same time step-by-step slowly changing the campus by reducing the carbon footprints at WAB. Through recycling all the way to solar panels, our club continuously creates new projects that hopefully can make WAB more environmental-friendly every day.

      

MediChem

Goal 3: Good health and well-being - The Global Goals

We’re a club focused on giving students practical experience with chemistry and medicine through experiments which deepen our knowledge and understanding of both. We run diverse experiments, ranging from chemical reactions to dissections. We typically have one session where we explain the science behind a specific concept which we follow up with experiments, giving students both academic knowledge and a space to apply it. We run dissections every month, going in depth on organs, their purpose in the body and what specific areas are capable of. We’re also pursuing a partnership with the United Foundation for China’s Health, giving them real world experience in a hospital by having them work volunteer hours at the hospital. Students would have the opportunity to work with real patients providing those without the means to pay for medical aid, quality support. The work that we do in MediChem gives students real world experience lending a helping hand to those who need it.

 

Chinese Culture Club

Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities - The Global Goals

Our goal as the Chinese Culture club is to promote traditional Chinese culture to both international and Chinese students in WAB, and to help strengthen students' Chinese learning experience with our efforts. Club members will get an opportunity to engage in traditional activities such as calligraphy and Chinese creative writing, play in Chinese traditional drama Journey to the West, and organize school-wide festive activities in WAB. In addition, more modern activities such as Chinese Rap Song contest, ancient costume exhibition, and Chinese movie sessions will be organized this year.

  

CARE Club

Goal 3: Good health and well-being - The Global Goals

The CARE club advocates for mental health awareness, representation and education. We aim to make WAB a friendlier environment for students to hold open discussions and learn more about how to identify and process these struggles in healthy ways. Furthermore, we are also in collaboration with charities and funds that address mental health struggles in young people, as well as facilities that nurture neurodiverse individuals, helping them reach a broader audience. We hope to spread a positive message of understanding, acceptance and kindness.