Instilling values beyond academic prowess is an important part of our ethos, The Whole Person, The Whole Point. We see our role as educators as ensuring children have the soft skills to thrive in the world beyond school. Charity work is a cornerstone in students’ holistic development, offering invaluable lessons in empathy, altruism, and social responsibility. As the world faces myriad challenges, from socio-economic disparities to environmental degradation, the role of education in nurturing compassionate leaders equipped to make positive change has never been more vital.
RST Make A Difference (fondly referred to as ‘RST MAD’) is our student-led charity outreach initiative and has become a beating heart of the Rugby School Thailand community. It gives our students empowerment through meaningful intervention and immerses those involved in a trinity of positive change:
- Making a difference to others.
- Making a difference to the student, by developing their sense of purpose and ability to effect change.
- Making a difference to the wider student body, by educating them about a diverse range of needs, inside and outside our community.
The values and beliefs of our whole School student body are being shaped through RST MAD’s encounters with the challenges and triumphs of those in need. The unrivalled generosity of our school community has created a culture of compassion across the School. For example, our RST MAD students have developed global-mindedness and empathy as they:
- Step into the shoes of an 8-year-old who once woke up to find his parents had abandoned him.
- Distribute mosquito nets and sacks of rice to nearby slums.
- Stand alongside a surgeon as he repairs cleft palates and chronic skin burns in young, impoverished children.
- Support a 70-year-old man who dedicated his life savings to establishing a shelter for 80 stray dogs.
- See the changing world of a former bar girl who found a new life and means of existence, along with her 10-year-old fatherless daughter.
- Toil next to the ranger of a mangrove restoration project.
Since its inception in 2020, RST MAD has raised approximately 1.5 million baht for charity partners. And the passion behind it is so infectious, that we have expanded it from a Senior School initiative to all areas of the school, with a ‘MAD Junior’ team in Pre-Prep (ages 2-7) and ‘MAD Reps’ in Prep (ages 7-13).
Our School ethos serves to educate “the whole person” – mind, body and spirit. This means that softer skills, personal values and characteristics are considered equally important to academic success. We want every student to leave RST as a well-rounded individual with the human skills they need to thrive in the world. RST MAD takes this idea and runs with it, creating opportunities for all students to develop a suite of skills that allow them to make a tangible positive impact in their local communities.
Rugby School Thailand is an international school for ages 2-18, with boarding from age 10+. It follows the British curriculum with students taking IGCSE and A Level examinations, the gold standard for university entrance worldwide.
