From July 10-July 14, the first Worldwide Conference for Student Life Coordinators (SLCs) was held in Lebanon. SLCs are members of SABIS^® schools’ administrative teams and are responsible for managing and overseeing the SABIS Student Life Organization^® (SLO^®). SLCs are entrusted with improving the school environment and raising academic standards by motivating, mentoring, coaching, and empowering students. 

Over the course of a five-day training, 35 SLCs from 34 SABIS^® schools around the world attended the conference, which sought to improve their leadership, knowledge, and team building skills. The agenda included in-depth academic training and interactive workshops on a number of topics such as leadership, proper use of IT tools, and goal-setting. SLCs also participated in brainstorming sessions to resolve common issues that schools experience.  

Throughout the conference, SLCs  expanded their understanding of IT tools such as PrepList and report generation. Using these tools efficiently helps SLCs analyze and identify issues students may be facing on both the academic and behavioral level and prepares them to deal with these issues in an organized and efficient manner. 

During the conference, SLCs also had the opportunity to network with each other and engage in conversations in which they shared their personal experiences and discussed the different situations they faced at school every day. They were asked to set action plans for the new academic year and to brainstorm ideas on how to improve the SLO^®. 

“It is important for us to provide SLCs with support through these kinds of trainings,” said Roger Soweid,  SABIS^® Corporate Director – Student Life and Student Management.  “Bringing them together to share experiences, learn from us, and from each other has had a positive impact on the way they run SLO^® operations and how they deal with daily issues. All the skills and knowledge they acquired will be put to good use when they go back to their respective schools.” Participants also got a chance to visit the SABIS^® headquarters and travel to some of the country’s places of historical significance.  

“The conference was very inspiring. It was a great opportunity to share ideas with other SLCs and to meet new ones. Attending the conference helped me see things differently. I learned to seize the opportunities and take new initiatives that would guide my SLO^® team to make a difference in our school community.” 
– Riham Ismail, SLC, International School of Choueifat – Cairo.

“The conference allowed me to pinpoint all the major aspects that define true leadership, reflect upon my work in the previous year, and envision how I could improve, all the while taking into consideration the perspective of others. I learned that leadership is teamwork, and everyone should be involved in the process. The information conveyed to me during the conference has definitely resonated with me, and will be a huge factor in impacting the way I work.” 
– Christina Bouri, SLC, SABIS^® International School – Adma.

SABIS^® continuously seeks ways to empower its schools. Through conferences such as this one, SLCs are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to support the SLO^® and empower students to get the most out of their education. 
If you would like to know more about the SLO^®, visit our website sabis.net or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.