Every summer the SABIS Student Life Organization^® (SLO^®) holds an annual Student Life Training Conference (SLTC) that brings together selected prefects from SABIS^® schools around the world. This year, 96 prefects from 34 SABIS^® schools were chosen to attend the 9-day conference held in Athens, Greece.

From July 10-19, 2017, the students, along with 32 Student Life Coordinators, participated in a program designed to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to improve the SLO^® and their schools and make a positive impact in the lives of students and their communities. They took part in workshops and brainstorming sessions on how they could improve their SLO^®. They also learned about the importance of cooperation, communication, leadership, and accountability through presentations and team-building activities.

Of course, no SLTC would be complete without special time dedicated to community projects in the host city. This year participants were divided into three groups: The first group visited The Smile of a Child, a local NGO that addresses the growing needs of homeless and orphaned children on the streets of Athens, and brought gifts and toys. The second group visited a children’s cancer center where they met the young patients and gave them motivational posters made especially for them. The third group went to a nursing home where they met with senior citizens of Athens and even entertained them with some singing!

To round off the agenda, students also enjoyed trips to historical and touristic sites including the Botanical Gardens and the Acropolis, in addition to going on a ferry cruise and a treasure hunt.

Feedback was extremely positive and participants were eager to go back to their schools and share what they had learned. “Thanks to the team-building activities and sessions, I was able to increase my confidence and public-speaking skills. Additionally, I have some amazing and innovative ideas that I hope I can include in SLO^® this upcoming academic year,” said one participant.

"My battery is fully recharged and I am ready to tackle the upcoming academic year. I look forward to throwing in some new ideas which I picked up at the SLTC for our SLO^® leadership team!"
–— SLTC Participant

If you would like to read more about the Student Life Training Conference and see more photos taken during the camp, visit sltc.sabis.net.