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The Service Concept at ISHB
The service concept is based on the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn, who provided the inspiration behind the President’s Award (Duke of Edinburgh Award) and who was the founder of the United World Colleges, of which Nelson Mandela is the Honorary President. We hope that our outdoor education programme, as promoted through our services, will become a model of community integration, which breaks down prejudice and discrimination by engaging young people in active and purposeful challenges requiring trust and cooperation to achieve a common purpose.
Students when they move to the High School are required to “volunteer” for one of the service groups. Currently we have: Beach, Environmental, Mountain and Sea. In their service they will be challenged to consider the meaning of “service to the community” within and beyond the context of their specific environment. 
During 2008 the Service groups will seek to establish positive relationships within the community of Hout Bay and to lay foundations for the future. Students will learn about their local environment and develop specific knowledge and skills that relate to it and they will consider ways in which they, as a service group, as crews or teams can support and help others by “service to the community”. Additionally, we hope to link each service group to a HB pre-school and our students will take an interest in its operation and development and in those who work and learn there.
Students in services are divided into crews or teams; these form the pastoral structure of the school. There are crew / team captains and a service captain and vice captain as well as staff members of the service. In time the services will become the basis for wider community involvement inclusive of other young people in the community.
Our Service Training Day is on a Friday afternoon during term time, sometimes at weekends or during holidays. We aim to develop leadership and responsibility in our students. Our senior students will facilitate the safe involvement of our primary school in outdoor education. We also need to develop the expertise and skills of our staff. We need volunteers, particularly those with specific skills, knowledge and qualifications in our service areas. We also need to build up our equipment to facilitate our human engagement with the environment.
