Serve & Observe is back.
101 high school students from 4 different cities have come to Hamilton in the past month and a half for 2-3 days of learning and service in the city. These trips take students into places they might not naturally find themselves – giving lunches to people living on the street with Gore Park Food Outreach, sorting clothing donations with Helping Hands, digging into a community garden with a local church or painting new tenant’s homes with Indwell. These experiences aren’t just about the hands-on experience though. Students are introduced to Indwell’s model of support, hear about the valuable work of Eva Rothwell in empowering families living in poverty, sit and eat with friends from L’arche and talk about the newcomer experience with Micah House.
What is Serve & Observe?
Serve & Observe trips with Act Five offer high school students a meaningful 2–3 day experience of service, learning, and reflection in the city of Hamilton. Designed for high school and church youth groups, these trips aim to inspire youth and their leaders to serve others, deepen their character, and explore how faith connects to everyday life and justice.
The Serve & Observe model emphasizes a posture of both action and attentiveness. Participants are invited not only to do but also to notice—to listen deeply to the people, places, and stories they encounter.
Rooted in the biblical call of Genesis 2:15—to abad (serve, cultivate) and shamar (keep, observe, protect)—these experiences are designed not only for doing, but for noticing. We hope participants can step into these communities and contexts with open hands and open eyes: offering themselves in service while learning to see, listen, and receive the stories, strengths, and needs of the people and places they encounter.
This model resists the temptation to “fix” or “solve,” and instead cultivates a humble presence—one that seeks to learn from and alongside others, in relationship. Serve & Observe reminds us that service is not just about activity, but about formation: this can be the formation of our character, our understanding of justice, our communities, and even our perception of what we have in common with others who are different from us.
Through Serve & Observe trips, students are encouraged to think about how God is working outside of the communities that they are familiar with. They are pushed out of their comfort zone and introduced to a city that is messy, but filled with God’s grace – made visible by the many organizations serving our neighbours on the margins of society.
Maranatha Church’s Serve & Observe
“We had an amazing weekend taking six Gr. 11s from our youth group on a Serve & Observe with Act Five. This was our second year going and both times made such an impact. The downtown outreach opportunities were very eye-opening, inspiring, and fun to be a part of. A visit to Catholic mass, city walk, worship night, jam sessions, hang-out times, and a hike rounded out the experience! The discussions and debriefs with Madi challenged the youth to observe people around them and be open to what God might show them about themselves, the world and their place in it. Each one came away with strengthened friendships, a greater understanding of what others go through, gratitude for the many blessings they have, and a passion to make a difference. Thank you, Act Five team, for a well-thought out and organized experience we could step into with complete confidence!”
-Deborah, Maranatha Church Youth Leader
