And Never the Twain Shall Meet? Not true: Alim, from age 8, was scavenging on Bintaro's streets. He now has a job and a good place to live. In normal circumstances, Alim and BIS' IB students would never have met. As a result of CAS, they did and the result was not only a chnaged life, but a new model for how society should be organised. CAS: change for the better.

The Learning Garden at SD Pondok Pucung (1 minute from BIS) is a 40 metre space conceptualised to allow pupils at the school to enjoy some moments of meditation and serendipity in tranquil, green and well-tended environment. It was created from a derelict wasteland by Yr 13 students and formally opened Term 1 2009. It's a remarkable testament to students' transformative powers and a model for how to engage postively in the community. Green fingered? Do visit, and if you're bringing a plant, we'll help you plant it. Look at the before and after images, below.

Year 12 coaches are currently training the U12 Coca Cola league entrants for the season beginning January 16th. The boys in the team (photo below) live in a shanty community near the school: the games provide 3 months' opportunity to enjoy competitive soccer, a good breakfast and lunch and a hot shower. The team is co- sponsored by students at UWC Singapore.  The initiative is based on the UNESCO Declaration of the Rights of a Child (see right) which specifies a child's right to recreation as an important part of his or her development. Follow the team on the JFSA website.

From Shanty to Soccer

Yr 13 CAS students worked with children from Pondok Pucung to interpret an Indonesian folktale. The performance, during the ISTA Festival was indicative of how working together with a neighbouring school creates an exciting synergy: each one institution is better as a rssult of the other.

Yr 12 students set up this year a micro-business for a 19 year old man, Mas Andi, who formerly scavenged the streets for a living. The students provided a bike, a bike box and various accoutrements for running a coffee business - from a bike. The project affirms the dignity of a young Indonesian, who is rediscovering the power to take control of his life. This project is sponsored by students at UWC Singapore. We thank them for their support!

Irwan lives in a kampong 5 minutes from BIS and is a beneficiary of a scholarship provided by a BIS teacher, Miss Victoria Smith - a legacy that continues even though has now moved to Singapore. Irwan is one of 15 such children denied an education, until the BIS community intervened.

As part of their duty of car, CAS students invite the 30 children from the Free School to do art at BIS. That's caring, in colour!