Quaker Practice: Service

Service

Testimony

Service is a vital aspect of Quaker beliefs. Quakers have a long history of service and at MMFS, we honor this with annual service learning programs in every division. We build a solid understanding of the role of service in the life of the school and the individual. Students’ engagement with service is designed to meet their specific developmental levels. For instance, younger lower school students complete Penny Drives, middle school students attend a work day at the Quaker cemetery in Prospect Park, and upper school students participate in Youth Service Opportunity Programs (YSOP).

Service at MMFS focuses on the life in classrooms, with age/grade groups, by division, and the school as a whole. We expand our commitment to service to include the local community in Brooklyn, and the increasingly larger communities of New York City, the United States, and beyond. Working for the betterment of others, whether it be at the local, national, or global level, allows students the opportunity to learn meaningful lessons about citizenship and stewardship while fostering a sense of compassion and concern for others. Service at MMFS is an active task that requires each member of the community to be a leader and take ownership of the task while working toward a common goal. Service provides an avenue for change and allows all our students the opportunity to realize their potential impact on the world.

It is in giving that we receive.

St. Francis of Assisi

Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise what is the point in seeing?

Thich Naht Hahn

There can be no happiness if things we believe in are different than things we do.

Albert Camus

Queries

  • How is service alive within our school?
  • How do we manage long-term service relationships while identifying new projects that require support?
  • How do we make service tangible to students?
  • What form should service projects take?
  • How do we help make students aware of their potential impact on the world?
  • How do we help students identify service areas in which they are interested?
  • What is the role of families, staff, and faculty in service programs?


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