Service and the Four Types of Service Action (DP IB Creativity, Activity, Service): Revision Note

How can CAS service be ethical and meaningful?

Reciprocal and collaborative engagement

• Service is defined as collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need

  • An authentic need is a verified and genuine requirement for assistance that has been identified through research or direct interaction with the community

• Meaningful service must be built on reciprocal engagement—a mutual exchange of benefit that maintains the dignity and respect of everyone involved

• It should be a collaboration where students work alongside community members in a shared commitment towards the common good

Moving beyond "doing for others"

• Service must evolve beyond the idea of "doing for others" to "engaging with others"

• Students should avoid the common misconception that service is just "helping the unfortunate"

• Students must verify that the community actually wants their help to ensure they are respecting the dignity—the state of being worthy of honour or respect—of those involved

Ethical decision-making

• Ethics in CAS involves exploring values and recognising the consequences of your choices and actions

• Ethical service means working with others, listening to their perspectives and evaluating the impact of your actions meaningfully

• Students must approach diverse communities as partners with a shared humanity—recognising that all people, with their differences, can also be right

• Interaction with these communities must align with their rights and involve understanding complex underlying issues like poverty or illiteracy

What are the four types of service in CAS?

Direct service

• Direct service involves face-to-face interaction with people, the environment or animals

• This type of action allows you to see the immediate impact and recipients of your help

  • Examples include one-on-one tutoring or developing a garden in partnership with refugees

Indirect service

• Indirect service consists of "behind-the-scenes" contributions where you do not see the recipients directly

• Students should check the community actually wants and values the support

  • Examples include re-designing a non-profit organisation's website or nurturing tree seedlings for future planting

Advocacy

• Advocacy involves speaking on behalf of a cause or concern to promote action on an issue of public interest

• The goal is to educate the public or support a specific campaign

  • Examples include initiating an awareness campaign on hunger or performing a play about replacing bullying with respect

Research

• Research service involves collecting, analysing and presenting information to inform action and decisions

• This data is used to report on topics of importance to influence policy or community practice

  • Examples include conducting environmental surveys for school policy or interviewing people about homelessness

What is service learning in CAS?

Connecting service to academics

• Service learning is a research-based approach that connects your community service to your academic understanding

• You can apply skills from DP subjects (e.g., research, communication, data handling) to make service more effective

  • For example, Mathematics students might maintain financial accounts for a local charity

  • Sciences students could raise awareness after testing local water quality

Deepening impact and learning

• This approach deepens your academic learning while simultaneously improving the actual impact you have on the community

• Students utilise the CAS stages—the framework of investigation, preparation, action, reflection and demonstration—as a supportive structure for their service learning initiatives

• By making explicit links between subjects and service, students can enjoy different approaches to their learning and see the relevance of their studies in the real world