International School of Düsseldorf: Creating responsible citizens

At the International School of Düsseldorf, learning isn’t just something that happens in the classroom. The multifaceted curriculum sees students, their families, and staff, strive to have an impact in the local community. Here’s what “service learning” means at ISD. 

In late September, the entire student population of the International School of Duesseldorf (ISD) walked purposefully around Kaiserswerth. What were they doing? And why? Ms Laura Maly-Schmidt, chair of ISD’s service learning committee, explains: 

“Service to and support of others plays an important role in education at ISD. In our senior school, all students are involved in service learning projects that help build an understanding of what it means to be an informed, active, and responsible citizen.  

“Service might take the form of advocacy - for example, raising awareness, raising money or collecting goods to support charities - or it may be direct service working on-site where help is needed.”

The ISD annual walkathon

The students that were striding through the area of Kaiserswerth in Düsseldorf were, in fact, taking part in the annual ISD walkathon - the school’s largest charity fundraiser of the year. 

The walkathon raises awareness of, and funds for various projects, including the Project Tanzania Scholarship Programme, Futuro Sí, and - closer to home - Aktion Deutschland Hilft (supporting victims of the recent floods) and the Peace Village Friedensdorf in Oberhausen (rehabilitating children affected by war and conflict). 

Cleaning up the Rhine and promoting climate action

Another local project with which ISD has a strong association is the annual RhineCleanUp. This year saw over 250 ISD students, parents, faculty and staff join the effort to clean up the iconic waterway, collectively picking up over 100 bagfuls of rubbish from the riverbanks around the area of Kaiserswerth in Düsseldorf.

ISD’s student service group, “The Future We Choose”, believes that “we are the generation to make a change in order for our children, and their children, to live happy and healthy lives. Although not created by our generation, environmental problems are ours to solve and we need to take action now." 

The group has recently been encouraging environmentally appropriate gardening practices in the ISD community by harvesting and planting wildflower seeds gathered from the walking path along the B8. Before the first frost arrives, students will prepare the soil and sow the seeds - cornflowers, chamomile, geraniums and daisies - around the ISD campus. 

Ms Maly-Schmidt says, “Our students are genuinely passionate about making a difference and doing their best to build a more sustainable future - whether that be on a global, national or local level.” 

If you’d like to find out more about how you and your child can get engaged in service learning, visit the ISD website, enquire online, or contact the admissions team. They look forward to hearing from you.