On the evening of May 14, the inaugural LEAD Service Learning Conference of SHSID Middle School was held in the Hsi Building Auditorium. School leaders, teacher and student representatives, representatives from public welfare organizations, and parent delegates attended the event, jointly reviewing the practical achievements of the middle school’s service learning programs over the past year.

The conference served as both a showcase of phased accomplishments and a platform for dialogue on how young people can respond to social issues. Ranging from community care and science popularization to educational support and art philanthropy, students have gradually developed a profound understanding of service learning through continuous practice: learning to take responsibility, collaborate, and embrace social care while solving real-world problems.

01 Service Learning Rooted in Real Action

The conference opened with a themed service learning video, recapping the development journey and practical outcomes of the middle school’s service learning initiatives. Following the video, Ms. Zhang Zehong, Party Secretary of Shanghai High School, delivered an opening address. She acknowledged students’ strong sense of responsibility, initiative, and social engagement demonstrated through long-term service, and encouraged them to keep responding to social needs with practical actions and discover the true meaning of learning through hands-on experience.

A partner certification ceremony was held during the conference. The Shanghai Children’s Foundation was awarded the title of Impact Partner, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Popularization and Education Development Foundation received the title of Prospective Partner, marking the deepening cooperation between the school and public welfare institutions. Representatives from multiple long-term supporting organizations including public welfare foundations, hospitals, schools and social groups gathered to witness the growth of student service learning programs over the year.

02 From Campus to the Real World

In the student project sharing session, various service learning groups took the stage one after another to present their practical experiences and reflections of the past year.

• MFP (Music For People) brought music to hospitals and public spaces, transforming stage performances into heartfelt companionship and support.

• Goodball built long-term connections with students in mountainous areas of Sichuan through basketball charity events and offline exchanges, realizing that service learning fosters mutual understanding and shared growth.

• Primo hosted charity sales, lectures and community activities themed on mathematics, redefining the essence of leadership, empathy and social responsibility in the process.

• TFT (Tales for Tomorrow) spread warmth and companionship to remote mountainous areas in Yunnan via the campus radio station and on-site practice, helping students understand the value of education and human connection through ongoing interaction.

• SciAcademy turned scientific knowledge into tangible action by creating short science videos and popular science articles, popularizing the charm of science to the public through charity sales, public welfare classes and interactive experiments.

• Indigo provided long-term companionship for young people with autism, building stable supportive bonds through music, games and daily communication.

• Story Buddy guided lower-grade students to enhance their expressive and critical thinking abilities through reading companionship and interactive discussions.

• Supporting Education offered consistent online English courses to deliver long-term and stable academic support for rural students.

Though focusing on different fields, all projects followed the path of identifying problems, taking practical action, and conducting reflection, bringing service learning from classroom concepts into concrete practice beyond campus boundaries.

Art performances were also featured at the conference. Performances including Beyond, Canon in D Major, Mama, Xylophone Dance, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Shostakovich’s Waltz No.2 and We Are the World were presented in sequence. The artistic performances resonated with the theme of public welfare, adding emotional depth to the conference. Through artistic expression, students interpreted the core of service learning: connecting others with expression and passing on kindness with action.

Parent representatives were also invited to share their children’s growth and transformations over the past year. They noted that the value of service learning lies not only in project achievements, but also in the broadening of students’ cognitive perspectives.

03 Grow Through Service, Engage with the World Through Action

At the closing of the conference, the school presented Community Partner awards to organizations that have long supported service learning p rograms, and student representatives presented flowers to express gratitude to institutional partners. This segment embodies not only the fruits of one-off collaboration, but also the enduring bond forged among the school, society and students.

The inaugural LEAD Service Learning Conference comprehensively reviewed phased achievements and offered students an opportunity to rediscover the meaning of learning. When knowledge is applied to real-life scenarios and actions respond to social needs, learning attains a fuller and more profound significance.

(Written by Antonia Pan

Pictures by External Media

Reviewed by Mr. Shen Tianyuan, Ms. Shen Ying, Shiyu Wu, Hannah Kloeber)