Ensuring all students possess a mindset of service to their community is one of our main aspirations. 

Our vision is for students to be able to find fulfilment in service to others by the time they leave the College at the end of Year 13. 

We want students to engage in acts of service from the age of 4 to 18, and we provide them with multiple opportunities to do so.

The image below shows some of the opportunities our students have had access to.

Feedback from students shows how valuable and rewarding their volunteering experiences have been and how the mindset of service has inspired them.

JCG is constantly bringing up in assemblies, flyers, mentoring and tutor notices how we, as a school family, can affect the community in a positive productive manner. 

Our College, often works with specialists to create a supportive environment, which I find leads to many getting involved in clubs, beach-cleans and other services for our community. 

JCG will never force you to be involved in anything you don’t want to be but the College itself is constantly putting itself forward for events and activities that will benefit the students and the community.

At JCG, there are numerous opportunities to donate to charities and contribute to good causes. Each House has a chosen local charity, which money from House events is donated to. Occasions like these include themed dress down days, where parents are asked to make a small contribution, and other smaller events, like House ice cream sales. National charities such as Comic Relief are also supported.

I think the work we do with charities is vital. We have all seen how a few encouraging words or a hug can help in difficult times. 

Charities give us the ability to help people that we cannot reach or speak to directly. They can send our support for people all over the world for us. We all want to help people, don’t we? No matter where they live, whether we are close to them or not and whether we have experienced what they are experiencing or not. 

It is easy to see the outpouring of support from around the world for the victims of the horrendous war in Ukraine; those stories are everywhere at the moment. However, quietly, away from the media attention, thousands of other charities work tirelessly to help those not in the headlines and on the news. Most do not receive any money from the Government, relying entirely on fundraising efforts and donations. 

But what makes our support for charities really fun is coming up with new and exciting ways to help these charities and pass on information about what the charities do and the people that they help, whether they are in Jersey or the other side of the world. 

Who knows where in the world that toy, money or piece of clothing will end up, or whose brother, sister, mother or father it will help? But one thing we do know is that it will help someone who really needs it.

I’ve never really believed what I do to be out of the ordinary - in my mind, everyone does a similar ratio of volunteering to school and everything else. However, maybe this mindset is because of encouragement from both my family and JCG - the support I receive is incredible, and I think that’s one of the reasons I’m able to give as much time as I do to volunteering.

 My Friday nights and Saturday mornings, as well as countless weekends and event days, are given over to helping people with no expectations for myself, apart from good conversation and experience. 

Since I was little, I’ve been involved in Scouting, and from the age of 14, I have given back to the group that gave me so many amazing hours by volunteering as a Young Leader with Cubs and Scouts. Whether this is on a Friday night or at the beach in the summer teaching Scouts how not to fall in when rafting, I find myself smiling and learning, even though it’s not directed at me. 

On Saturday mornings, I volunteer at Parkrun, barcode scanning or timekeeping if not clapping wildly, and people have almost stopped asking me if I’m still doing it for my DofE volunteering. 

However, regardless of what I do - if it’s selling raffle tickets in a formal dress at the Opera Festival or wearing a hi-vis in a car park - there’s no doubt that JCG has helped cultivate my genuine love of doing good for other people. 

Our school highlights the concept of service and encourages every student to appreciate the aspects of our life we can give back to, and in the process, you might meet some of your greatest friends or connections. I think starting with what you love is the most important thing, and from then, everything else seems worthwhile.

The attitude and dedication that JCG has towards service and working for our community has always astounded me. Throughout my time in college, there has never been a lack of activities to get involved in. Whether that be fundraising for charities through cake sales, or simply giving up our time in bag packs at our local supermarkets, the college has a true passion for community service. 

This devotion has nurtured a service-oriented disposition in our college family, and whilst the teachers are always fantastic at providing opportunities for students to get involved, the true brilliance of service at JCG is that so much of what we do is student-led. The college gives you the platform and the opportunity to speak up about what you are passionate about, whatever that may be. 

A notable example of this is in our weekly assemblies in which students are given the opportunity to speak about a cause or topic that they believe in. I have participated in several of these assemblies myself, covering topics such as period poverty and the celebration of the different cultures we have around the college. 

The college has given me opportunities to fundraise for amazing charities and organisations such as Jersey Action Against Rape, CRY Jersey, and Friends of Mont a L’Abbe School, to name a few, and I am so excited to continue to participate in the opportunities that our community gets involved in. 

In my experience, participating in these events has not only allowed students to do good for our community, but it gives them opportunities for self-reflection. The devotion and passion for service stays with our students past their time at JCG, and not only does it develop our community, but it gives our students the opportunity to think and grow as individuals.

When I think of JCG, the ethos of service comes instantly to mind. During my time in College, I was given numerous opportunities to involve myself in the community, both local and international, which opened my eyes to the importance of service. 

JCG made giving my time and helping others an intrinsic part of College life, through discussing the importance of service in assemblies and showing us how we could get involved at the annual JCG Serves Fair. 

However, College also encouraged me to look beyond our island into current affairs and global events, such as climate change and gender issues; these discussions pushed me to think of myself as a global citizen and about how I could have an impact on the situations around me. 

I realised the importance of working with a charity that matters to you and of doing research on the best ways to utilise your skills; such a thought process has stayed with me beyond my time at JCG. 

For example, I currently study Politics as part of my degree at university, and one of my modules covered the topic of forced displacement due to conflict, and I wanted to learn more and see if there were any ways that I could help. After doing some further research, I discovered the organisation SolidariTee, which is an entirely student-run organisation which fundraises to provide legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers. 

During my second year, I have been a head rep for the Durham SolidariTee team and have loved every second; in volunteering, I have been able to fundraise, meet new people and increase my awareness on the topic of forced displacement, and I hope to continue in this role on my year abroad next year. 

I think the most important messages that have remained with me regarding the concept of service from my time at JCG is the significance of our presence in the world as global citizens, and that helping in whatever way you can makes a huge difference, whether that be on a local or international scale. Of course, it is equally important to find your passion, because through this you will love whatever you do!