This year, SABIS® member schools in Germany — ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main and ISR Internationale Schule am Rhein in Neuss — co-hosted the SABIS® Worldwide Student Life Training Camp, which brought together 100 participants selected from 31 SABIS® member schools in North America, Europe, North Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. From July 17-26, 2013, students participated in the camp, which sought to teach them valuable leadership, motivational, and organizational skills.
“In Germany, there are two SABIS® member schools, ISR and ISF,” explained Mr. Roger Soweid, SABIS® Corporate Director – Student Life and Student Management. “We decided to take advantage of the situation to introduce camp participants to both schools. So we divided our time between Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, taking advantage of what each city had to offer.”
Two students from each SABIS® member school are identified through a rigorous application process to attend the annual camp free of charge. Students are selected based on a number of criteria including strong academic performance, involvement in SLO®, and a willingness to share what they learn with others upon their return from the camp. Participants in the camp also include Student Life Coordinators from each school.
During the camp, students participated in discussions on strategies for improving their school’s Student Life program as well as brainstorming sessions aimed at coming up with new and exciting ideas that can be implemented in SABIS® member schools. In addition, students participated in leadership and team building training and attended sessions on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens as well as positive attitude training.
With over 14 different countries and 25 different nationalities represented among this year’s participants, the worldwide camp was a truly international event. The Student Life Training Camp is one of many opportunities that SABIS® students have to be able to learn about living and working in a multi-cultural environment. All participants were tasked with taking back the knowledge and skills they acquired from the camp to their schools and sharing their experience with others in their school.
Camp participants were very enthusiastic about their experience.
“It was such an amazing experience! I learned so much. I think more positively now and I believe in myself a lot more. Now I know I can accomplish the impossible!”
— Raya Tabbalat (Student at ISC-Amman, JORDAN)
“The camp brought together people from all over the world who came together to learn how to make the world a better place.”
— Wadih Abou Aziz (Student Life Coordinator at ISC-RAK, U.A.E.)
"This camp has been an amazing experience. It changed my life.”
— Stefenie Banks (Student at IAF, U.S.)
“The enthusiasm in the people I met was contagious and the lessons I learned were life-changing. This camp made my life a lot more colorful. It taught me that no matter who you are, you can make a difference in the world. This ‘difference’ need not have a size. Whether you start a charity business helping millions of people all over the world or simply put a smile on someone's face, it's a difference. You can change the world one step at a time.”
— Anjini Gupta (Student at ISC-Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.)
“I have learned that life isn't about what happens to us; it is about how we react to what happens to us. I am more convinced now by the power of kindness, how a smile can make someone’s day. I have learned to choose my attitude and the way I react to every situation. I have learned that in a team, every member is equally important, and that the true leader is the one who maintains 100% integrity and does the right thing no matter what. I will definitely carry all this back to my home and my school as well. I will do my best to spread the positive energy around and strive to make a positive difference.”
— Adham Fayyad (Student Life Coordinator at ISC-Erbil, KURDISTAN-IRAQ)
“I always strive to apply all of the presentations from the camp to our school and SLO® program. These are positive ways to make an impact on your school community.”
— Angel Coriano (Student Life Coordinator at HCCS, U.S.)