Community Outreach
GEMS International School students have long been at the forefront of invoking and engaging with the school’s community spirit. Over the last year and more, there have been numerous times when students have led initiatives, organized events and raised funds in the interests of charity and community involvement.
Following the annual Student Council elections held in October 2018, and over the course of their weekly meetings, the elected representatives conceived a host of ideas for community activities. The first event the Student Council helped organize was the ‘Creepy Crawly Costume Dance’, which was the result of considerable brainstorming to make it fun for both attendees and organizers.
Raising funds for Kerala flood victims and taking part in relief operations
GIS staff were among those affected by the extensive damage caused by heavy flooding in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the summer of 2018. Motivated by the desire to reach out and help the people of Kerala, GIS organized a staff cricket match. Tickets to watch the ‘Cricket for Kerala’ game were priced AED5 each and the resulting collection was sent to the Kerala Foundation through the Red Crescent. At the same time, the Student Council organized a collection of essentials, such as stationary and books, for students of flood-affected schools.
Working with Rotary in Kerala, 14 faculty members then travelled to the affected region and worked to support eight local schools in need. GIS’ Head of School and the teachers that travelled to Kerala were honoured in a special ceremony by Rotary, in which they were bestowed the title of ‘Friends of Kerala’ and awarded certificates of recognition.
Over several months in 2018, students from across GEMS Education schools in the UAE took part in initiatives that were designed to celebrate and embody the values and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. To that end, GIS organized ‘Smiles4Zayed’, a student-led initiative aimed at spreading happiness in the community through acts of kindness. Activities included spreading joy at KHDA offices, The Dubai Mall and several other public spaces.
In March 2019, the GIS community organized a ‘support staff week’ to acknowledge school staff and their families. On 20 March, the school’s support staff shared a specially organized breakfast and lunch, in appreciation of all the hard work they do on a daily basis. On this ‘Day of Appreciation’, the Student Council shared cards prepared by students to thank staff members, as well as cinema vouchers and Lulu gift vouchers, for which students had raised funds.
Activities such as these exemplify the GIS credo of encouraging students to be caring members of their community, who share kindness and show gratitude for the generosity of others.
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