Caritas Programme, Pre CAS projects and IB charity projects
Let us help everyone believe that they are not alone in any troubles they may have in their lives.
A very important part of the school life is the Charity work, which is established in the school programme in a number of areas and it’s at the very heart of our school ethos.
Caritas Programme – Helping nature and the environment, Helping children and young people, Helping elderly people, helping ill or disabled people,Helping people facing difficult life situations, Helping the places where we live
Caritas Programme offers many charity opportunities in different areas to any student interested. The Latin word Caritas stands for the Greek expression AGAPE, which was, according to the Ancient Greeks, the highest form of Love – the love that forgets about oneself in order to help someone else. By helping those who are less fortunate, students realise how important solidarity is and also acknowledge the value of making sacrifices to benefit other people. They also appreciate what values are important and how communication and good relationships are both meaningful and can change life for the better. Thus the Caritas programme gives students a unique opportunity to play an active role in making this world a better place.
Over the years we have established good relationships with different organisations representing the main areas where help is essential – such as the Military Hospital, Vila Vallila, Woods of Prague, Zajíček na koni and the retirement home in Vysočany For more information about these organisations see the Caritas section in the :more booklet.
Pre – CAS projects
Students are led to acknowledge the importance of Charity work from year 1 through the Pre CAS programme. In order to help students to develop the skills needed for running a purposeful charity project, we have incorporated into Tutor and PSME time, various activities focusing on different aspects of charity work. Students learn how to identify areas of need and how to find the best solution for effective action. They gradually develop their skills and in Year 4 they are encouraged to run their first independent Charity project. The best projects are awarded by Pre – CAS Award at the Founders’ Day.
Pre – CAS programme – building skills needed for running a charity project.
Student IB service projects
IB students have to organise an independent project for their IB diploma. Many of them choose Charity projects. Here are some examples of successful ones:
- Raising money and community awareness of the Ukrainian refugee crisis
- Supporting Ukrainian students by helping them to integrate into the Czech school system.
- Visiting the Elderly house Domov seniorů kardinála Berana in Mukařov or in Domov pro seniory Vysočanská, where the students talk to and play games with the residents.
- Holiday events for children in the village of Dřevčice – Here the students created games and other activities for the kids there. Christmas decorations and Easter egg hunts were two of the main activities which occurred.
Poetry Day
For many years our students have been working with the organisation Zajíček na koni, which supports children and young people with a learning disability and their families. Zajíček na koni runs the cafe Ad Astra, which is an ideal place for organising poetry evenings. Students usually choose the theme of the evening, such as the work of Mácha, Karel Čapek or Jiří Orten and prepare a programme consisting of readings of the texts of various writers and also readings of poetry written by students and teachers. Musical performances always accompany the readings to create a very special atmosphere at these intimate literary events.