World School International Forum
It is exciting to update you on the latest information about St Paul’s School hosting the World School International Forum 2017 between 16 – 28 October. It is an honour, as the only Australian institution represented at World School, to host so many nations and cast a spotlight on our community.
This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of a special relationship between 22 member schools from around the world, who share a commitment to developing international understanding, democratic ideals, community-building and future-oriented education – things which sit close to our own St Paul’s ideals. An official welcome and further historical information of the forum can be found here.
At this point in history where we see and experiencing significant social change, political unrest, economic uncertainty and environmental concern, the opportunity to learn with, spend time with and interact with so many international guests (staff and students) presents a special opportunity for our community to benefit from.
This year the forum is tackling the topic of possible futures for food and water supply and quality. These two resources are vital to human survival and form part of many cultures beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, transport and power. Food and water are vulnerable to commercial mishandling, political tussles and environmental change. Delegates have already provided us with their unique circumstances and issues regarding food and water and some very definite global challenges are emerging. During the two weeks, this forum will use Design Thinking (one of our five Learning Realms) to consider ways to meet these challenges head-on and identify solutions.
Such an event is an act of community and we are delighted to announce that thus far we have seen very generous contributions of time and resources from a variety of people and groups within and beyond the school. However, we are still looking for some families or individuals to billet 12 delegates, staff and students. Of note is that the remaining delegates have specifically requested arrangements with outdoor pets or no pets due to allergies. If you feel you could assist us with this, please contact Lisa Dekkers as soon as possible at [email protected]. More information can be found here.
We look forward to any assistance you can offer and will keep the community informed of daily events in the lead-up to, and during World School via the website and social media.
Mr Jon Andrews
Executive Director of Teaching and Learning
