Celebrating Community Service at YHS

It is time to celebrate Community Service at YHS! In 2019-2020, students and teachers across the Little, Junior, and Senior schools engaged in inspiring Community Service initiatives. 

At YHS, we are committed to building strong and socially just communities together. A key goal of Community Service at YHS is to cultivate students’ understanding and action on issues that matter. As a school – a place of learning – we encourage students to connect with people of diverse backgrounds and experiences and to deepen their understanding of the root causes of issues such as racism, migration, and environmental sustainability through hands-on experience and civic engagement.

Students are inspiring! Through Community Service initiatives, students take on active roles as learners and contributors. They ask questions. They listen. They participate in the development of initiatives and partnerships that support human rights and the dignity and agency of all involved. They learn through experience and purposeful reflection. They take a kernel of an idea and take action with coaching, leadership training, and opportunities for networking and mentorship. They learn to lead teams of students who volunteer in the community and in small and larger ways take steps to shaping a just, equitable and sustainable world. 

Yorkies “Jean Up” for Fundraising Fest

This year our YHS Fundraising Fest took place online (May 11-25, 2020). Students were invited to submit a proposal that outlined a social initiative or organization for which they wish to support. 

Sophia, Grade 12, asked for students and staff to support BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s “Jean Up”. Jean Up, previously known as Jeans Day, is a month-long initiative to raise funds for BC Children’s Hospital to “get sick and injured kids out of their hospital gowns and into their jeans”. BC Children’s is the only hospital in the province solely dedicated to children’s health and care. Children from all over the province come to this incredible hospital to receive the best health care possible.

Sophia chose to lead this initiative as three years ago her younger brother Asher spent a month in the hospital after it was discovered he had a rare blood clot in between his skull and brain. “If it was not for the relentless efforts and support from the BC Children’s Hospital team, my family and I don’t know where Asher would be. We owe so much to the hospital and their incredible and important work.” 

If you would like to support Jean Up, click here.

Here are our some of our Senior students virtually supporting Jean Up: