Senior Head's Blog: Global Community
One of the many special things about Felsted, in my view, is the global experience that is available to our young people. In a shrinking world, developing a good understanding of different cultures and nations is so important, and the reality is that the workplace for the next generation is going to be more global than ever before.
The second half of this term will be particularly full of key events in our international calendar and I would urge all of the students to seek to get involved in one way or another. On the first weekend of the second half of term, we will be holding our latest Model United Nations Conference. For those unfamiliar with the MUN, this is a largely student led conference, at which delegates get to represent countries from around the world, debating important global issues. As well as enabling experience in public speaking, this also helps to teach team work, commitment and greater understanding of global politics. The conference will run on Sunday 2 March and Monday 3 March, and we will be joined be delegations from more than twenty other schools. It is a fantastic opportunity, and even for those who are not taking part, I would encourage them to take an interest and try to watch at least one debate over the two days.
On Saturday 16 March, we will be celebrating Internationalism at Felsted, with our annual dinner. This will be an opportunity for our students to celebrate their nation among their peers, and recognise the commitment that they have shown in coming to Felsted for their education, while also marking the value that they add to the experience of all of our students. As well as students who come to Felsted from overseas, we will also be recognising those students who have fully embraced internationalism as part of their time at Felsted.
Meanwhile, we are also in the process of exploring possible Round Square exchanges for students who expressed an interest earlier in the year. We hope to be able to send some of our students to schools around the world, carrying the flag for Felsted, but also broadening their own educational and cultural experience in the process. Building on our two visitors from King's College, New Zealand before Christmas, we are also looking at the possibility of hosting students here at Felsted. Please also keep your eyes open for future opportunities, including a very exciting International Service Project, and a Global Conference. These will be advertised through the newsletter, as well as in assemblies and via houses.
Finally, for the next Exeat Weekend (Friday 8 March - Sunday 10 March), we are calling on our local families to reach out and host our international students, who would otherwise be spending their exeat at school. As well as giving these young people the opportunity to experience a weekend in an English family setting, this could also help to establish great friendships, and who knows? There might even be an invitation to go somewhere exciting as a result! We all recognise that it takes real courage to travel overseas for education, and it could make for special memories and a really good experience for all to be able to visit a friend for the weekend. If you would be interested in hosting someone, please do reach out to the relevant HM in the first instance.
Meanwhile, as some of us will be looking forward to international trips over the half term break, please do not forget to celebrate the international opportunities that are available here at Felsted and think about how you can make the most of them.
Chris