Values In Action
Discover how BLS students give back through CCA-led projects that build empathy and serve the community across four key domains.
Values in Action (VIA) programme in BLS provides a values-driven education to our students in which each child is given the opportunity to contribute back to the society progressively (covering four main domains: School, Community, Nation and World).
Our school adopts the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) as an approach for our VIA programme. Partnering with several external organisations for our VIA programme enhances the experience and fosters a holistic approach to learning, benefiting both our students and the broader community.
Steering away from the conventional approach of class-organised VIA, the projects in BLS are helmed by CCA groups. Our CCA-based VIA programme provides an opportunity for CCA groups to engage a community partner and raise awareness and/or advocate for the community. Taking a CCA-centric and student-centred approach in the VIA programme, the CCA-based VIA projects are spearheaded by Sec Three students and they are mentored by their seniors in Secondary Four or Five. CCAMs (CCA Teacher Mentors) facilitate and guide students through the process using the Design Thinking Framework: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype & Evaluate.
Through the VIA journey, the synergy of these collaborations and the activation of knowledge from the Applied Learning Programme empower students to forge meaningful connections with partners. This process equips them to harness technology and creativity effectively, addressing real-world challenges through Design Thinking. The impact of our VIA and VIA-ALP programme has been well-recognised and appreciated by our partners.
The structured learning experiences and hands-on opportunities to serve the community have enabled our students to be more aware of the varying needs in the community. CCA-based VIA provides a platform for students with common skills and interests to work together to make a difference to the community. Teachers noted that working together on a project, aside from CCA duties, helps to develop team spirit among the students who also forge closer bonds with their CCA mentors and peers in the CCA.
We have seen our students grow and develop into socially responsible individuals able to lead with empathy. We hope that the experience gained from the VIA projects will plant the seed of compassion in our students, so that they will continue to reach out and help the various communities beyond secondary school.
Over the four to five years in school, students experience both school-wide and CCA-based VIA projects. Some organisations the BLS has worked with since 2017 are:
Boon Lay Grassroot Organisations
Down Syndrome Association (Singapore)
Fei Yue Community Service
Green Schools @ South West
Willing Hearts