Requirements
Hours
Students must complete at least 50 hours of globally focused service. RHS encourages students to spend at least 12 of 50 hours with one partner organization.
Students can pace their hours at their own discretion. However, hours can be completed in one year or over four years. Students can complete their hours over the summer as well as during the school year. If a student were to divide his/her time evenly, he/she would be doing 12-13 hours of globally focused service each year in high school. Global Service hours must be completed by the end of May of the senior year.
Students can pace their hours at their own discretion. However, hours can be completed in one year or over four years. Students can complete their hours over the summer as well as during the school year. If a student were to divide his/her time evenly, he/she would be doing 12-13 hours of globally focused service each year in high school. Global Service hours must be completed by the end of May of the senior year.
Global Focus
While we encourage all students to do local community service to help those in need, the service for the Global Studies concentration needs to be related to a global issue. RHS hopes that this Global Service will help students understand the various issues that face the world and consider the best ways to address and fix these issues. Some examples of global issues are: poverty, hunger, climate change, natural disasters, intolerance (religious, cultural, etc.), health care, orphans, corruption, and clean water. Students can choose any of these topics or other issues they see in the world as the focus of , Global Service.
The ideas for doing global service as well as organizations that students can contact, are listed below. Students should think creatively and not be limited by the ideas on this list. There are many ways to perform this service – from raising money to interning for a global non-profit organization, from sponsoring a cultural night to raising awareness of global issues at community gatherings.
Some of these global issues also exist in our local community. For instance, some Vermonters face food insecurity and get some of their food from local food shelves. Because of this, students can perform some of their Global Service hours at an organization that serves the local (Rutland or Vermont) community as long as the work is in service to help solve a global issue. RHS expects that no more than 25 of any student’s Global Service will fit into this local category and the connection between the local and global issues must be made clear in the student’s reflection.
The ideas for doing global service as well as organizations that students can contact, are listed below. Students should think creatively and not be limited by the ideas on this list. There are many ways to perform this service – from raising money to interning for a global non-profit organization, from sponsoring a cultural night to raising awareness of global issues at community gatherings.
Some of these global issues also exist in our local community. For instance, some Vermonters face food insecurity and get some of their food from local food shelves. Because of this, students can perform some of their Global Service hours at an organization that serves the local (Rutland or Vermont) community as long as the work is in service to help solve a global issue. RHS expects that no more than 25 of any student’s Global Service will fit into this local category and the connection between the local and global issues must be made clear in the student’s reflection.
Documentation
Students are responsible for keeping track of their Global Service Project hours in their RHS Google Docs account. These documents must be shared with the Global Studies coordinator and the students’ guidance counselor. Students having technical problems or concerns should contact their advisor for support.
Documentation includes keeping track of the organization, project, number of hours spent in the work, contact at the organization, work done, explanation of how the work is global, and reflection on the service experience. Documentation can be in written form, but it can also include photographs, interviews, videos, or other medium.
After completing 25 service hours, students should complete a Service Recognition Form so that this achievement can be recognized and celebrated. The form should be submitted to the Global Studies coordinator. When the form is submitted, the student will be recognized and the hours documented on his/her progress prior to graduation. Students completing more than 50 hours of Global Service Project hours should submit the Service Recognition Form before May of their senior year to be recognized at the Senior Awards night.
Documentation includes keeping track of the organization, project, number of hours spent in the work, contact at the organization, work done, explanation of how the work is global, and reflection on the service experience. Documentation can be in written form, but it can also include photographs, interviews, videos, or other medium.
After completing 25 service hours, students should complete a Service Recognition Form so that this achievement can be recognized and celebrated. The form should be submitted to the Global Studies coordinator. When the form is submitted, the student will be recognized and the hours documented on his/her progress prior to graduation. Students completing more than 50 hours of Global Service Project hours should submit the Service Recognition Form before May of their senior year to be recognized at the Senior Awards night.
Reflection
Reflection is essential to student learning and growth. Students must document not only their hours but also their work and reflection done during the service experience. Students’ reflections should come at the end of their experience on a specific project. The student must explain how the project topic is a global issue and answer 2 of the 4 sets of questions in a reflection about their experience.
- Explain whether you would do this service again. Why? What were the positive aspects of this service? What would you change?
- What did you learn in doing this service? What questions did the service make you think about? (These questions can be about the global issue, the organization, or yourself)
- What connections can you make between the local and global aspects of this service? Are the issues the same here in Rutland and elsewhere? Explain how you made the connection between the topic in Rutland and elsewhere and what you learned from thinking about them.
- If you did this with a group, explain your role in the group. How did you work with others? What should change for things to go even better? If you did this alone, explain how you connected with this project. Do you wish you had been with a group? Why?
