Want your child to have so much fun they don’t realise they’re picking up valuable skills for life? Two weeks at the Swiss International Leadership Camp (SILC) & Academy will positively impact your child’s outlook. Focused on creating a foundation of life skills, SILC believes a summer with them will empower every student to fulfil their potential. ‘Our mission is to make a lasting difference. We want to have a cognitive effect on the students,’ they say.
With three locations in Europe, the settings are amazing. There’s a picturesque campus in the Gstaad Valley surrounded by the Swiss Alps, a yacht adventure that sets sail around Corsica, and a 19th Century French Riviera mansion in Cannes, ripe for day trips along the French Riviera. Numbers are kept deliberately small to ensure pupils receive a properly bespoke, hands-on experience, and there’s no traditional classroom learning here – instead, it’s all about getting outdoors.
Students flock here from all over the world (all courses are run in English, so a basic grasp of the language is essential). Each camp has experienced year-round trainers that provide personalised mentorship throughout the course and guide students through the various activities. There’s a real focus on outdoorsy pursuits designed to ping attendees out of their comfort zone – think glacier expeditions, coasteering, snorkelling and abseiling. If you’re looking for experiences in entrepreneurship, photography, and filmmaking, with trips to cultural hotspots such as Grasse and Gruyères, have a look at their camp in Cannes, France.
Best of all, it’s not all over when the camp comes to an end. All students leave with a personal action plan, meaning they head home with much more than just memories and new friendships. They also provide follow up one-on-one meetings one month later to see how your child can continue growing now that they are back in their daily environment. With up to 65 per cent returning students the following year, it’s clear that SILC is doing something very right. ‘The mindset, the way of thinking and the new perspective that I have gained has helped me a lot – and I think it will be game changing for my life later’, says one happy student.