The staff member responsible for the delivery of this strategy is Bridget Gibson. She works very closely with the staff of the Uplands Outreach Programme. She is the HOD of the Department of Life Orientation. Community Service is a vital component of the Life Orientation programme. All Grade 10 students are required to complete 10 hours of Community Service during their Grade 10 year in order to achieve a Certificate in Community Service. This qualifies them for one of the four external certificates they have to acquire by the end of Grade 12 for Life Orientation.

However all students are encouraged to participate in as much Community Service as possibility during their time at Uplands College.

Uplands provides as many opportunities as possible for the students to get these hours through school structures. They can also do any other Community Service off-campus.

Groups of students visit Millennium Home of Hope, an orphanage in White River. Here the students help with general cleaning duties, play with the babies, bath and feed the babies and any other useful activities needed by the home.

Weekly visits are also made to the SPCA in White River where students help with general duties – bathing, de-fleaing, de-worming, brushing, and playing with the animals, gardening, cleaning kennels and general maintenance duties.

Every Wednesday afternoon, students visit two day care centres in the Masoyi area. One is a Day Care for orphans of HIV related illnesses. The other is a Day Care for handicapped people. Uplands students interact with these children make them feel special, collect stationary, clothes etc for them and generally make them feel that someone cares.

Every year selected students participate in the annual Camp Quality programme – a week of fun and entertainment for children with terminal illnesses.

SMILE is a literacy programme for English second language speakers. Uplands students run this programme for Grade 4 pupils from our partner schools participating in the Outreach Programme. This happens on the Uplands campus.

Various other Community Service activities occur from time to time e.g. helping Hospice, church groups, flea markets etc.

The main purpose behind Community Service is for students to spend time out of their comfort zone and to make a difference in the life of a fellow person, child or animal!

Interact Club
The Interact Club has been reinstated at Uplands College this year and is being overseen by Jocelyn Brown, HOD of the Humanities Department. Interact is a Service Club branch of Rotary International, for young people aged 14 – 18.

The Interact Club at Uplands College is self-governing and self-supporting but has close links with the Community Service Programme and the Outreach Programme, as well as the White River Rotary Club. We are fortunate to have a dedicated Rotary representative, Judy Potts, who attends all meetings and gets involved with all our initiatives.

In addition to the rewards gained from helping others through service, Interactors have the opportunity to make new friends and broaden their horizons and to develop leadership and teamwork skills.

Once a week, Interact students meet to do a variety of activities including a Club meeting (once a month), making wall charts for underprivileged schools in the area and visiting local farm schools to work/ play with the children there, to name a few. We also have to do our own fundraising to ensure we have the money to implement our many initiatives. Every year selected students participate in the annual Camp Quality programme – helping to provide a week of fun and entertainment for children with terminal illnesses.

Various other Community Service activities occur from time to time, such as helping Hospice, church groups, flea markets, Rotary events and many more.