Understanding the 8th Grade IB Community Project: What Families Need to Know
Updated: Aug 30
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP), our 8th graders are embarking on their Community Project (CP). This independent learning experience allows students to explore their right to action through service.
To help your child navigate this journey, we have compiled the core requirements and framework they must follow to deliver a successful project.
Core Requirements for a Complete Project
No matter what topic or issue your child chooses to address, their Community Project must meet the following criteria:
Community-Focused Service: The project must focus directly on service as action.
Personal Commitment: The topic must be an area or issue to which the student is genuinely committed.
Global Context: The project must explicitly connect to an IB MYP Global Context.
Rooted in Skills: The final outcome must result from thorough research, creativity, organization, and planning.
Academic Honesty: All written components must strictly adhere to academic honesty guidelines with absolutely no plagiarism.
Process Documentation: Students must document their entire journey from start to finish. This includes background research, journal entries, emails, correspondence, completion certificates, and photos. This is tracked personally in a reflective journal and collaboratively in a process journal.
Collaboration Options
Teamwork is an essential life skill. This project allows students to explore collaborative interests and practice vital communication skills. Students may work:
Individually
In teams of up to 3 students maximum
The Foundation: Developing a SMART Goal
A common reason students struggle to achieve their goals is not a lack of effort, but how the goal is structured. Less specific goals make it incredibly difficult to measure success or determine timelines.
To ensure a clear and achievable outcome, every student or team must design a SMART goal:
S - Specific: Students must research a community need based on personal interests. Avoid broad statements like "getting healthy"; focus on clearly defined items by contacting organizations directly to find out exactly how to help.
M - Measurable: Success must be quantified. Ensure the chosen metric accurately reflects success. Students should track countable items like hours volunteered, pounds of food collected, dollars raised, or signatures gathered.
A - Attainable: Students must ask how the goal will be achieved. Do they have the resources, transportation, and capabilities? If a goal feels too large, encourage your child to break it down into manageable, actionable sub-goals.
R - Relevant: The project must have a clear purpose and make a visible, meaningful difference to the intended audience. Focus energy on high-value outcomes that maximize the return on their effort.
T - Time-bound: The goal must include a specific target date. For example, instead of an open-ended goal, aim for a clear timeline like "collecting 50 coats over 4 weeks". A set timeline allows students to monitor weekly progress and adjust their action plan if they fall behind.
How Parents Can Help
Your support, encouragement, and logistical help are vital factors in your student's success. You can best assist them by:
Discussing their interests: Help them narrow down a community need they care about.
Reviewing their timeline: Check in regularly on their deadlines to ensure their time-bound goals stay on track.
Encouraging flexibility: Remind them that if a community need shifts, it is okay to regularly re-evaluate and adapt their plan.
If you would like to explore these goal-setting concepts alongside your child, you can watch this brief SMART Goals Overview Video together!
Thank you for partnering with us to help our students make a meaningful impact on the world.
Best regards,
The PTSA Board
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