Well, they weren't quite Ant & Dec ... but the presenters of the Round Square's Got Talent show promised us a veritable smorgasbord of cultural diversity and we were not disappointed. There is something both special and surprising about watching students from other countries show us what they can do.
Creativity is not one of the six IDEALS but it sure as hell should be.
We had singers and pianists and rock bands and violinists and film makers and karate experts and dancers ... and dancers ... and the dancers just kept on coming ...
What is it about the dance that so perfectly captures the essence of a culture? Perhaps it is the fact that without words, there is no language barrier? Perhaps it is the naturalism of the body language, movements and physical expressions of the performers? But above all, the colourful, exotic, exciting costumes! We are used to the idea in British drama that we dress up to be what we are not, but tonight's dancers were dressing up to be who they are ... And they were so proud of it.
The talent within the Round Square family is clearly immeasurable but not just in terms of the performances themselves. Ant & Dec they weren't, but the presenters kept us thoroughly entertained throughout and managed the changeovers with panache and style. Surely these confident and articulate showmen and showwomen were not the same shy and gangly teenagers who had introduced themselves with a nervous giggle and cocked up their lines earlier in the week? Round Square's real talent is in providing the circumstances and situations for blossoming transformations that any butterfly would be proud of.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
#notaholiday
I suppose it is inevitable that if one is going to a conference in Florida in term time one will hear the phrase 'enjoy your holiday' once or twice before one leaves. But what have our intrepid students actually been up to since they arrived? TJV caught up with five of the six this morning.
WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU MOST SO FAR AND WHY?
HUGH: The leadership talk from Mike Weber was really interesting, especially as it was like the guy was preaching the gospel!
EMIL: It has inspired me a lot meeting so many new people across the globe, and getting to know different cultures is enjoyable and fun. I have been inspired by the speakers and the talks we were given during the conference. A large inspiration to me was to see that you can even be an entrepreneur at a very young age, if you believe in yourself and believe in your idea.
SHONA: The adventure trip out and the leadership talk have inspired me the most as it has made me see that everyone can be a leader and can persuade people to do a lot of things they usually wouldn't. The adventure day showed me the importance of teamwork and that no matter the situation you can normally get through it.
CHLOE: The service day has shown me how important it is to be able to give back to the community and it also taught us teamwork skills because we had to work together in order to clean up the beach without it taking too long.
ANTHONY: The talk by the leader of Pencils of Promise, who had been building schools for those who do not have access to education, was really inspirational!
SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE ALL HAD A RANGE OF INSPIRATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND ESPECIALLY LEARNT THE VALUE OF WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE. WHO IS THE MOST INTERESTING PERSON YOU HAVE MET OR SEEN SO FAR?
HUGH: Danish is in my Baraza group : he is OBSESSED with cats and beyond, and he cried when I showed him a photo of my cat!
EMIL: Madeleine, because she was that girl who sticks out of the crowd, her smile enlightens even the darkest corners in the school. This was due to her engagement and willingness to change lives of the less fortunate people in this world.
SHONA: So far the most I interesting person I have met has been the lecturer from the leadership talk: he has shown me how easy it is to persuade people and how all it takes to be a leader is to be influential and believe in what you want.
CHLOE: For me it's also been the man who gave us a lecture on leadership because he interacted with us and he made the talk fun and interesting, and I feel that I listened the most to him because what he had to say was interesting.
WHAT HAS THE CONFERENCE MADE YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND DO IN THE FUTURE?
HUGH: I was really inspired by the service trip, which opened my eyes to nature's need for maintenance.
EMIL: It has showed me that when you become an entrepreneur, you should not just focus on the success of the company, as this is only a product of the actions your business takes. Your business should be set out to help the people in the world.
SHONA: it has made me in the future want to go out to meet more new people from different places and help those who are less fortunate then I am.
CHLOE: It's made me want to travel more and to go out and help other children who are less fortunate than me.
ANTHONY: It has made me want to do a Round Square service project in the future and make a difference in the world.
GREAT TO KNOW THAT THE CONFERENCE SO FAR HAS MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO YOU? BUT WERE THERE ANY ASPECTS THAT YOU FEEL COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED?
HUGH: The opening ceremony took nine thousand hours and, apart from the keynote, seemed slightly uninspiring.
EMIL: The long waiting times in the morning dragged on a bit, even though I had nice conversations.
SHONA: Some of the talks we have been in haven't been really engaging and loud so it is easy to lose interest. Also in the Baraza meetings not all the wave makers [the student leaders] know what they are talking about and so it becomes less interesting.
CHLOE: We've had a lot of lectures so far that aren't interactive and so they don't really capture our attention in the way that the speaker hoped, and since we're all very tired it makes it harder to concentrate.
ANTHONY: The opening ceremony as a whole was very long and had lots of people speaking for half an hour saying the same thing as the person before them.
SO IT SEEMS OUR STUDENTS PREFER THE MORE INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS OF THE CONFERENCE BUT ARE MANAGING TO TAKE THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH. GOOD LUCK FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK, GUYS!
WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU MOST SO FAR AND WHY?
HUGH: The leadership talk from Mike Weber was really interesting, especially as it was like the guy was preaching the gospel!
EMIL: It has inspired me a lot meeting so many new people across the globe, and getting to know different cultures is enjoyable and fun. I have been inspired by the speakers and the talks we were given during the conference. A large inspiration to me was to see that you can even be an entrepreneur at a very young age, if you believe in yourself and believe in your idea.
SHONA: The adventure trip out and the leadership talk have inspired me the most as it has made me see that everyone can be a leader and can persuade people to do a lot of things they usually wouldn't. The adventure day showed me the importance of teamwork and that no matter the situation you can normally get through it.
CHLOE: The service day has shown me how important it is to be able to give back to the community and it also taught us teamwork skills because we had to work together in order to clean up the beach without it taking too long.
ANTHONY: The talk by the leader of Pencils of Promise, who had been building schools for those who do not have access to education, was really inspirational!
SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE ALL HAD A RANGE OF INSPIRATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND ESPECIALLY LEARNT THE VALUE OF WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE. WHO IS THE MOST INTERESTING PERSON YOU HAVE MET OR SEEN SO FAR?
HUGH: Danish is in my Baraza group : he is OBSESSED with cats and beyond, and he cried when I showed him a photo of my cat!
EMIL: Madeleine, because she was that girl who sticks out of the crowd, her smile enlightens even the darkest corners in the school. This was due to her engagement and willingness to change lives of the less fortunate people in this world.
SHONA: So far the most I interesting person I have met has been the lecturer from the leadership talk: he has shown me how easy it is to persuade people and how all it takes to be a leader is to be influential and believe in what you want.
CHLOE: For me it's also been the man who gave us a lecture on leadership because he interacted with us and he made the talk fun and interesting, and I feel that I listened the most to him because what he had to say was interesting.
WHAT HAS THE CONFERENCE MADE YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND DO IN THE FUTURE?
HUGH: I was really inspired by the service trip, which opened my eyes to nature's need for maintenance.
EMIL: It has showed me that when you become an entrepreneur, you should not just focus on the success of the company, as this is only a product of the actions your business takes. Your business should be set out to help the people in the world.
SHONA: it has made me in the future want to go out to meet more new people from different places and help those who are less fortunate then I am.
CHLOE: It's made me want to travel more and to go out and help other children who are less fortunate than me.
ANTHONY: It has made me want to do a Round Square service project in the future and make a difference in the world.
GREAT TO KNOW THAT THE CONFERENCE SO FAR HAS MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO YOU? BUT WERE THERE ANY ASPECTS THAT YOU FEEL COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED?
HUGH: The opening ceremony took nine thousand hours and, apart from the keynote, seemed slightly uninspiring.
EMIL: The long waiting times in the morning dragged on a bit, even though I had nice conversations.
SHONA: Some of the talks we have been in haven't been really engaging and loud so it is easy to lose interest. Also in the Baraza meetings not all the wave makers [the student leaders] know what they are talking about and so it becomes less interesting.
CHLOE: We've had a lot of lectures so far that aren't interactive and so they don't really capture our attention in the way that the speaker hoped, and since we're all very tired it makes it harder to concentrate.
ANTHONY: The opening ceremony as a whole was very long and had lots of people speaking for half an hour saying the same thing as the person before them.
SO IT SEEMS OUR STUDENTS PREFER THE MORE INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS OF THE CONFERENCE BUT ARE MANAGING TO TAKE THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH. GOOD LUCK FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK, GUYS!
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
IDEAS & IDEALS
Round Square was started in 1966 by a group of five like-minded schools as a means of sharing good ideas, through conferences, exchanges, service projects and other worthwhile collaborations. Today, the organisation has changed beyond all recognition: with around 100 global members and many more additional regional members, the organisation is approaching the moment when it will need to reinvent its structure and purpose if it is to continue to provide quality and equality of opportunities for its members. For the adult delegates, most of Tuesday was spent pushing around ideas about how Round Square can modernise itself.
There is a growing recognition now that the Round Square needs to be about a lot more than just conferences (which are now unmanageably large and prohibitively expensive), exchanges (which can only ever be the exception not the norm) and service projects (where again restrictions on numbers and high costs make them inaccessible to all but a very few lucky students).
An increasing number of Round Square schools are now recognising that if Round Square is to be truly meaningful, it needs to be inclusive of all students, rather than an exclusive club for the lucky few. For that to occur, it has to be all about the ethos of the IDEALS - Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership & Service - permeating the whole school culture, rather than about specifically branded 'Round Square activities' that can only ever be accessed by the minority.
The Round Square Board and member schools have been scratching their heads for some time as to how exactly the inclusion of all students in Round Square can be achieved. This is where you heard it first, so whisper it softly ... but it seems that the Felsted Diploma or something like it may just turn out to be a very important part of this process! As part of Tuesday's programme, TJV was asked to give an 8 minute presentation to the conference on how the Diploma has been developed at Felsted. The response to this presentation has been overwhelmingly positive: when one hears phrases like 'solution to all our problems', 'it's now clear what we have to do' and 'I learnt so much' floating around, one cannot fail to be proud of what one has created.
Those of you who were here five years ago when MJW first arrived may remember his extravagant statement that he wished Felsted to be viewed not only as an outstanding centre of excellence and innovation in the UK, but also internationally. Expect, now, an increase to the already existing stream of adult visitors to Felsted from other Round Square schools, wanting to see what we are doing. Expect, now, a further upsurge in interest in Felsted from students in other schools. Another mad and impossible plan that turned out to be not so mad after all ... Be proud, Felsted! What you do is very special.
Follow us on twitter: @FelstedRSIC
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Monday, 7 October 2013
HATCHING MAD PLANS
There is something incredibly special about meeting people you already know in a completely different setting, and this is one of the premises on which Round Square is founded. For the teachers, this is often about renewing contact with colleagues with whom one has previously collaborated, as well as hatching mad plans for new projects. Round Square itself started as a hatched mad plan!
For the students, it is equally special to renew friendships, especially when you find yourself meeting someone you didn't expect to see again. Emil found himself unexpectedly bumping into a student whom he had helped to host in Elwyn's House for last year's MUN. For Luise, the meetings and greetings started before we had even left England, finding that a number of students from her previous school were on the same plane!
Never underestimate the difference that you can make just by welcoming and hosting people. There is a school in Morocco called El Araki, who have just been admitted as Global members of Round Square: in their presentation to the conference, there were pictures of Felsted MUN. When I thanked their teacher, Mr Firdaous, for including these he said that we were the very first Round Square school to host them as visitors. El Araki now have their own MUN club, all as a result of a mad plan hatched between BJLC and Mr Firdaous a few years ago.
A few minutes later, we were listening to Adam Braun, the CEO of the charity Pencils of Promise. When in India five years ago, he asked a street child what he wanted most in the world and the boy said: ... a pencil! Not a car, not an I phone, not smart clothes ... A pencil, an education, the chance to do things for himself ... Humbled by the experience, Adam vowed to make a difference and hatched a mad plan to build a school and name it after his grandmother, a holocaust survivor. It turned out that this was just the start: his plan, mad even by his own standards, is to build 100 schools in the developing world in 2014. That's one every 3.64 days ... but don't bet against him achieving this! His message to the Round Square student delegates: go out and do it NOW before you are old enough to know what is impossible. Only those mad enough to think they can change the world actually succeed in doing so.
Check out http://www.pencilsofpromise.org/ for more information about this inspirational charity who are literally changing children's whole worlds, every single day.
Follow us on twitter: @FelstedRSIC
Saturday, 5 October 2013
HOPES & EXPECTATIONS
DAY ONE: HOPES & EXPECTATIONS
As we set off across the Atlantic on Virgin Airlines VS005, our intrepid students are asked to reflect on the trip ahead.
SO, TEAM, WHAT WERE YOUR MOTIVATIONS FOR WANTING TO GO TO THE GLOBAL ROUND SQUARE CONFERENCE IN FLORIDA?
HUGH: I went to the European conference a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it. I felt it wanted to 'upgrade' to the international conference in order to push myself further than I have done before. I also enjoyed making loads of good friends last time, and there will be even more scope for it this year.
LUISE: Having been on a Round Square Conference two years ago, I had an idea of what I was expecting when applying for this year's conference. RSICs are always a week packed full of fun activities, inspiring and challenging speeches and meeting people from all over the world who you will connect to very quickly and make strong friendships with.
EMIL: Having never travelled out of Europe before, this trip sounded very appealing to me. Also because I wanted to see the different culture and get to know Florida. Meeting up with other round square students and talk about their experience, seemed very interesting and joyful.
CHLOE:- I really enjoyed myself on last years conference and found that it was a fun experience which enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and do things I wouldn't usually do. I wanted to have another opportunity to be able to step out of my comfort zone and meet new people from around the world.
SHONA: After experiencing the South Africa trip and enjoying the different challenges which round square has to offer I decided to challenge myself further and go on the Florida trip. Which I knew would take me more out of my comfort zone as I would be staying with someone completely new to me without any company of my Felsted companions, other then when I see them in the day and so I decided it would be a great opportunity
ANTHONY: I was inspired by the speech that the previous people who went on the conference gave and I wanted to take part in a conference that had effects beyond the Felsted bubble. When I heard that the conference was in Florida it confirmed my desire to go on this trip as I have wanted to go to Florida since I was a little child.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?
HUGH: I'm really looking forward to spending time in Florida, and meeting new people.
LUISE: - probably meeting the people and being made to take a step out of my comfort zone. Also living with the host family.
EMIL: I'm looking forward to seeing Miami, spending time with my host family, and getting to know Saint Andrew's school.
CHLOE: Meeting my host family and spending time in Florida, as well as trying something new.
SHONA: Meeting new people and enjoying the experiences which Florida has to offer.
ANTHONY: I'm looking forward to staying with strangers and meeting new people.
LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE IS AGREED THAT MAKING NEW FRIENDS WILL BE A HIGHLIGHT BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU?
HUGH: To be able to really get the most out of my time with hosts as well as at the conference.
LUISE: To go there without any too high expectations and not compare the other conferences I have been on and helped to organise.
EMIL: Not to gain an American accent!
CHLOE: To ensure that I do step out of my comfort zone and make the most of this opportunity.
SHONA: Not to be shy when I am staying at my hosts so I can get the most out of it.
SOUNDS LIKE THE TEAM REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT YET: ROUND SQUARE CONFERENCES ARE ALWAYS FULL OF SURPRISES! ARE YOU ALL ENJOYING THE FLIGHT?
HUGH: The flight is too long!
LUISE: We are a good travel group and had fun so far especially my seating companions.
CHLOE: I've enjoyed the company of Luise and Shona sitting next to me on the plane, however the people in front have managed to steal my leg room :(
SHONA: I've enjoyed the rather chatty company of Luise and Chloe even though the cramped leg space made us feel like mouses in a cage.
ANTHONY: The flight is boring, I was without in flight entertainment for 2 hours!!! 2 hours!!!!!
WELL IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TEAM WILL BE PLEASED WHEN WE FINALLY GET THERE! WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES...
Friday, 4 October 2013
Global Round Square Conference at St Andrew's School, Boca Raton
On Saturday the 5th of October, an intrepid group of six students will be braving the hurricane warnings to travel to Florida for the Global Round Square Conference at St Andrew's School in Boca Raton. For the next week, L Bendfeldt, H Evans, E Benz, A Hickling - and veterans of last year's conference in South Africa, S Glover and C Ducrey will be sending home their details and photos of their adventures via this Round Square blog.
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