An Inspiring MYP Community Project: Terry Fox Run at IGB International School

Written by Sarah and Zara, members of the IGBIS Editorial Team

On 19 February 2023, IGB International School (IGBIS) hosted its first Terry Fox Run with around 130 participants, organised by 14-year-old Maloé Bourquenez and Tan Wen Yi of Grade 8. The duo managed to raise over RM9,000 for Cancer Research Malaysia after 4 months of meticulous planning and a little help from their supervisor, Mr McBride.

The Terry Fox Run can be traced back to 1980 when Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete diagnosed with cancer at just 19 years old, began the Marathon of Hope, running the equivalent of a full marathon everyday to raise funds and awareness for cancer research despite having his right leg amputated. 

Over the course of 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, he managed to raise $1.7 million before finally succumbing to his illness at the age of 22 in 1981. Since then, the Terry Fox Run has been an annual fundraising event involving millions of people from 60 countries, raising over $850 million for cancer research.

After learning about Terry Fox’s inspiring back story and the Terry Fox Foundation, Maloé and Wen Yi were inspired to organise a Terry Fox Run of their own for their Grade 8 Community Project, part of the curriculum of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) that encourages students to explore ways of serving their community through action. 

“We heard about the Terry Fox Foundation in our previous grades, and we thought that it wasn’t really talked about a lot compared to other countries. That said, we decided that we wanted to focus on this foundation and spread more awareness about cancer.” – Maloé.

They contacted the Terry Fox Foundation and sought information on hosting a Terry Fox Run in school. It followed weeks of organising facilities, carrying out administrative tasks, and promoting the event. Designing posters, ordering t-shirts, collecting donations, and gathering equipment was just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing:

“At times, there were problems with the posters. Some people wanted to have words on the poster which was against the rules and regulations the Terry Fox Foundation had set up for us. Also, some emails weren’t double-checked and links were redirected to a different page than we had hoped.” – Wen Yi

Despite this, Maloé and Wen Yi never considered abandoning their project. With some creative problem-solving, like using a QR code rather than text to give participants the necessary information, they were met with an extremely positive response from the school community, receiving plenty of sign-ups and donations. The run was held at the IGBIS school field, where all 140 participants had a great time hanging out with friends and family while contributing to a greater cause. 

When asked what the fun parts of their project were, Maloé thought that “it was really fun to meet new people and experience things that we wouldn’t have if it weren’t for this community project,” while Wen Yi was happy that they were “able to do something that means a lot to many people.” 

“What you’re doing is for a great cause, and could possibly help many people. By supporting this run, you are spreading awareness on cancer research, donating money for Malaysia Cancer Research, and making the Terry Fox Foundation more well-known in IGBIS” – Wen Yi

“If you want to make something similar to this, know that you should make something that you are passionate about and know that what you are doing will help a lot of people. Even if it’s animals or humans you are helping and making their lives better.” – Maloé

Overall, the Terry Fox Run Community Project was a great success. If you would like to donate to the Terry Fox Foundation or Cancer Research Malaysia, please follow the links below:

Terry Fox Foundation: https://give.terryfox.ca/3733/donate

Cancer Research Malaysia: https://www.cancerresearch.my/get-involved/how-to-donate/

The Grade 8 Community Project is an interdisciplinary project in the IB MYP programme that allows students to explore real-world issues or problems in their chosen local community. In this project, students are able to develop their research, critical thinking and communication skills while fostering a sense of civic responsibility and community involvement. The Community Project provides students with opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills through self-directed learning activities. They choose their project topic, assess their knowledge, and identify what they need to learn with their outcome evaluated allowing them to reflect on their learning throughout the process. The community project is closely tied to the development of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, which are a core component of the IB learner profile which include such as communication, self-management and collaboration. They also help foster the development of IB learners as lifelong learners. Through the projects, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning and to develop skills and attitudes that will serve them throughout their lives. 

For any further inquiries, you may contact us at +603 6145 4688 or email us at enquiries@igbis.edu.my. Also, follow our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn pages to stay updated on our activities and on-goings at or related to our school.