The BSN Connects Local Communities
Students from The British School in the Netherlands Senior School Voorschoten raised money for Xenia House Hospice in Leiden at the Outdoor Cinema in Voorschoten. At the BSN many of our sixth form students (16-18 year olds) follow the International Baccalaureate programme, which requires students to partake in a Service Learning component before completing their time at school. Students are therefore required to actively seek out and take part in community opportunities whenever possible; not only in our immediate community in Voorschoten, but also at a national and global level.
Written by: Jolundi Wilson
Service Learning Co-ordinator at the BSN
We are particularly interested in providing opportunities for our students to be involved in our Voorschoten community as it teaches them that they can make a difference locally - small acts of compassion can have a much larger impact than we might anticipate! Moreover, it has been proven many times that students feel a great sense of fulfilment and achievement when they are rewarded with valuable experiences that drive involvement beyond their school careers. Community service opportunities therefore allow students to learn practical life skills and realise that every positive action has a consequence.
During these unprecedented times, caused by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, it has been challenging for students to engage directly within their community. However, in spite of these challenges, students were presented with the opportunity to be involved in the outdoor cinema, facilitated by the Filmtheater in Voorschoten on Friday and Saturday, September 11th and 12th. This was the first outdoor cinema the Filmtheater had ever hosted and a fantastic way to start the school year for our Service Learning students.
Our students were involved in both evenings and helped with the technical set-up of the screen and the logistical planning of the event ensuring that they adhered to the 1.5 metre distancing guidelines stipulated by the RIVM and Gemeente Voorschoten. The students also set up their own hotdog stand inside the Cultuur Centrum which was kindly authorised by Sportfondsen. HEMA Voorschoten also kindly offered to sponsor 250 hotdogs for the students to sell over the two evenings.
Whilst students were not able to sell all the hotdogs at the outdoor cinema, they used their pragmatism to sell the remaining hotdogs at school. Of course everyone loves hotdogs and the remaining ones sold out within minutes!
With the hotdog sales, students were able to raise money for the charity Xenia House Hospice in Leiden. Xenia House provides care for terminally ill young people who are currently greatly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Students thought it would be a good idea to raise money alongside another student project currently running in school for Xenia House, which will support them in expanding their facilities and continuing with their excellent care of patients. The purpose of the outdoor cinema meant residents from Voorschoten were still able to attend a community event as the annual ‘Weekend of Voorschoten’ was cancelled. It is always fulfilling to be part of a community event that brings cheer and excitement. Filmtheater Voorschoten also donated the money raised from selling tickets to our students’ project. With two successful evenings and more than €700 raised for Xenia House, we would like to thank the Filmtheater and HEMA Voorschoten, for giving us the opportunity to be involved in this fantastic community event. We look forward to being involved in the next Outdoor Cinema and other community events in the future.