As we begin to highlight all the enrichment SPARKS activities which take place across BSB, we felt this would be the perfect opportunity to focus on the initiatives under the theme of ‘Reaching Out,’ which are being led with exceptional passion and dedication by Geography teacher and Global Issues Network (GIN) co-ordinator Charlotte Lemaitre and others…
BSB students are given meaningful opportunities to make a difference in their community & the wider world. They are challenged to solve real world problems and develop knowledge and skills through meeting and working with experts. The community representative we connect with can take on a variety of roles, acting as clients, mentors or as an audience to our students. These interactions help students how to engage with adults and organisations, hear different points of views and are exposed to workplaces, adult jobs and can develop potential career interests. Research has also shown that authenticity not only boosts motivation but also enhances achievement.
Reaching out is central to the mission of the Global Issues Network (GIN), an extracurricular group that empower students to collaborate locally, regionally, and globally, with a singular aim – to create project-based sustainable solutions for the global challenges we all face.
This mission aligns perfectly with our school’s values of fostering confident, caring, and courageous students who engage actively, ethically, and purposefully with the world around us. The GIN group is all about encouraging respect for oneself, others, and the wider world and thus reaching out is vitally important.
The GIN journey begins with students from diverse age groups, spanning from Year 7 to Year 13, identifying the global and local issues that resonate most with their passions. They engage in thought-provoking discussions and share their ideas with their peers. The result is a collective decision on which campaigns to focus on during the academic year.
A crucial next important step is reaching out and establishing a link with the charity they are supporting. This is vitally important as it enables the students to build up a relationship with the charity, they hear stories about the challenges people are facing and they understand clearly how they can provide support, as well as the Importance of appropriate aid.
This year, the lunchtime GIN group arranged online calls with Education For All, a charity they supported last year. This organisation promotes girls’ education in the High Atlas Mountains. Students were eager to learn about the charity’s progress after an earthquake destroyed the girls’ boarding houses and to discuss how they could offer effective support this year.
Another campaign group focusing on prosthetics organized a call with Jane, a representative from the Limbo Foundation, UK, which supports children with limb differences. Jane presented the students with real-world challenges, such as designing a new book, creating modern clothing for children with limb differences, and finding ways to foster connections and support within the community
Moreover, the prosthetics group extended their research by collaborating with BSB Futures to host an in-person careers talk. Alex Craens shared his personal journey of rehabilitation and living with amputation, while Julien de Muyter, a bionics engineer, discussed innovations in prosthetics development. The insights gained will help students address the challenges posed by their partner charity.
The animal shelter group is hoping to also build a sustainable relationship, with their charity. They plan to make a visit this month to understand the difficulties of housing a large population of animals post-COVID-19 and the support the charity requires.
A fourth group have been focusing on an upcycling project, with the aim of upcycling BSB’s old PE tops into useable products. To support them in their task they reached out to L’Ouvroir in Brussels, an upcycling company which employs people with disabilities. Damien the Director of L’Ouvroir in his first meeting with the students challenged the students to create a story, design a logo and carry out a survey to ensure they didn’t turn waste into waste and instead designed an effective product. He supported them in making protypes of the 6 products they designed and due to his support, the student’s project has been successful with their product being sold to our local community at the Christmas market and they are now looking at how they can upcycle old textbooks, reaching out online to BSB Alumni Ben Durack, a Product Designer at Aberdeen University for his advice.
This year we have two student groups working on campaigns linked to organisations who have reached out for our student’s support. BSB’s Sara Yuceil charity Waka UP, which supports vulnerable women in the Brussels region is working alongside a group of GIN students, while another is assisting Serve the City, with their solidarity breakfasts after successfully supporting their winter bag initiative last year.
GIN students also understand the importance of educating others. This year, as in the past, they have partnered with Primary Year Group Leaders to support their Unit of Discoveries. The UNICEF healthcare group will work with Year 5, the Education For All group with Year 4, and the prosthetics group with Year 3.
Participating in GIN projects exposes students to the complexities of global issues and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They learn crucial life skills such as teamwork, public speaking, goal setting, risk management, and effective project promotion through social media. GIN also helps them establish stronger connections with the broader school and local community.
What students love most about GIN is the sense of agency it offers. They have the power and will to positively impact their own lives and the world. It aligns with the OECD Learning Compass 2030, which emphasises students’ ability to act rather than be acted upon, shaping their future responsibly. GIN allows students to showcase their talents while giving them autonomy to lead and contribute to campaigns. It also bridges the gap between younger and older students, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose across all year groups.
The GIN group at BSB is more than just an extracurricular activity; it is a springboard for the next generation of eco-conscious leaders and professionals, determined to make a positive change in our world. Through their passion, dedication, and collaboration, they are embodying the change they wish to see in the world. They understand the power of reaching out and the importance of working with their local community.
Read more about student leadership and community engagement at BSB