The Social Action Program was formed in 1974 when YCAP (Youth Civic Action Program) was mandated by the Department of Education to be part of the High School Education Program. The students were required to render community work in depressed communities.

The YCAP Coordinator pioneered in establishing links with different social institutions, organizations and communities such as White Cross, Hospicio de San Jose, Paco settlement and others. One of the non-government organizations is ERDA (Educational Research Development Assistance) which became the active partner of San Beda in serving the communities.

Later, YCAP was abolished but the High School Principal decided to retain the Community Outreach Program as an integral part of Benedictine Education. It was later renamed as Social Action Program (SAP). The students’ fee collected for YCAP was retained and the amount was used for the operational expenses of the program such as bus fare, honoraria of teachers, community projects and the like.

To further improve the program, a SAP Coordinator per year level was assigned to help the Head of the SAP to coordinate the activities and properly implement the program.

To deepen the awareness of the fourth year high school students, the Immersion Program was introduced in 1987. As part of the requirements for graduation, the students were required to stay with their foster parents for three days and two nights in a fisherman’s village in Isla Puting Bato and later in Cardona and Binangonan, Rizal.

In 1988, the SAP staff divided the program into four phases namely: Awakening Period, Social Interaction Stage, Formation and Response and Development of a Sense of Mission. These various phases are geared towards intensifying the graduated social exposures to the different areas.

1. To continuously expose students, faculty and parents to community service, through graduated campus activities and actual field exposure; likewise, to respond to the needs of the partner communities and institution thru implementing sustainable educational and livelihood activities.
2. To integrate the values of social and civic consciousness and social responsibility in the development of these communities.

Grade Six - Caring for Abandoned & Neglected Children

• Raise the level of awareness on the issues affecting the abandoned and neglected children and develop values of respect and concern for the abandoned and neglected children; thru the concept of “community” as one of the Benedictine Hallmarks of SBC.

Grade Seven – Caring for the Elderly

• Raise the level of awareness on the issues confronting the elderly & destitute and develop values of respect and love for the elderly; thru the concept of “obedience” as one of the Benedictine Hallmarks of SBC.

Grade Eight – Caring for Person’s with Disability

• Raise the level of awareness on the realities confronting the persons with disability and develop the value of self-appreciation for the persons with disability; thru the concept of “humility” as one of the Benedictine Hallmarks of SBC.

Grade Nine - Tutorial Service for Students in the Partner Community

• Provide the students with different learning experience and environment by the way of the tutorial activities implemented in partner community and determine the importance of education through exposure in the community where there is high prevalence of out-of-school children/youth.

Grade Ten - Career- Based Community Involvement Program

• The career- based community involvement program aims to form students to become proactive leaders of social responsibility in their respective fields of study and to gain a deeper understanding of societal issues and cases which need immediate attention.

Grade Eleven - Community Immersion: Experiencing Life in a Community

• The social action program for the 11th grade focuses on integrating students with the life in rural communities to gain a deeper understanding of the situation of livelihood, community living, and other culture and norms of rural communities and appreciate life in rural areas and take part in their day-to-day living.

Grade Twelve - Contributing to Responsible Nation-Building

• The social action program for the 12th grade focuses on integrating the curriculum and research in the act of social welfare to address the needs of selected partner communities. To interact with the people of the community, acquire the experience in social welfare and apply their knowledge in their respective field of strand and propose solutions for the community in building a healthy working relationship with the members of the partner communities.

IBED Administrators and Faculty Social Action Program Activity

• The social action program of the administrators, faculty members and staff focuses on the selfless service they rendered not just for the Bedans but also to the community through volunteerism and increase their level of involvement to the partner institutions.