The IB Community Project is a major activity for students to complete in their third year, their 8th Grade year, at West Millbrook Magnet Middle School. WMMMS is an authorized middle years programme (MYP)  international baccalaureate (IB) school. Schools where the MYP finishes in their third or fourth year of MYP require their year 3 students to complete the community project.

The community project focuses on community and service, encouraging students to explore their right and responsibility to implement service as action in the community. The community project gives students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various communities and address those needs through service learning. The community project can completed individually or collaboratively in groups of a maximum of three students. The choice of the goal or topic for the project is made in consultation with their Supervisor teacher, who has the responsibility of supervising the development of the project according to the MYP Community Project Assessment Criteria (rubrics can be found on the project resources bar) and International Baccalaureate Organization guidelines.

MYP projects involve students in a wide range of activities to extend their knowledge and understanding and to develop their skills and attitudes.

These student-planned learning activities include:

• deciding what they want to learn about, identifying what they already know, and discovering what they will need to know to complete the project

• creating proposals or criteria for their project, planning their time and materials, and recording developments of the project

• making decisions, developing understandings and solving problems, communicating with their supervisor and others, and creating a product or developing an outcome evaluating the product/outcome and reflecting on their project and their learning.

As students become involved in the self-initiated and self-directed learning process, they will find it easier to construct in-depth knowledge on their topic, and develop an understanding of themselves as learners.

Students in every grade-level at West Millbrook participate in their Be IB class before or after their lunch period. During this time, they learn about the power of attending an IB World School, the United Nations Sustainability Goals, and global citizenship. Year 1 and Year 2 Be IB build the capacity for students to find topics they are passionate about so that Year 3 students are able to complete their service as action during their 5th period Be IB class. Students are supported by their Be IB teacher and another teacher who will serve as their supervisor. The community project topics relate to the Sustainable Development Goals and students go through 4 criteria in their process journal to complete their service learning project.