A Community Minded Boarding School
A Welcoming Boarding School Community in Switzerland
The Ecole d’Humanité is a progressive, international school, and community is at the very heart of our values. The Ecole d’Humanité is a supportive, multi-generational group of learners and educators who come from many different cultures and a wide variety of backgrounds. We prioritize spending time together and having fun, fostering a sense of community and belonging. Students play an active role in shaping the rhythms and ethos of our community. We encourage a democratic approach to living together where all voices are valued, and active participation in our community is encouraged.
Community + Communication Skills
The Ecole d’Humanité supports students in learning to express themselves, in advocating for their needs, and in communicating their points of view. We teach students to raise issues respectfully, confront conflicts, and work together to find creative solutions. This happens both informally within the Ecole Families, and more systematically within our community and student-led school assemblies. All teachers at the Ecole are trained in Theme Centered Interaction and the elements of TCI help guide our communications.
The Ecole has two key student groups which play a major role in school political and social life: Polygon (Student Council) and Vertrauensrat (Peer Counseling Group). Polygon meets regularly to discuss initiatives and plan activities. Students involved in Polygon field concerns from the student body and work to bring positive change to school policy.
Schulgemeinde (School Assembly) is a student-led gathering that provides a forum for whole-school discussion. Here, important issues are discussed, concerns are addressed, and questions may be raised. In this forum, all students are encouraged to participate actively. Ecolianers learn to stand bravely before a group of their peers, discussing issues important to our community.
Student-Led Community Groups
Students at the Ecole are enterprising and resourceful community leaders. Our students are encouraged to create student-run community groups, offer weekend activities, or even lead a course as part of our co-curricular offerings.
Through initiatives such as student-led support groups, advocacy groups, and peer counseling, our students come together to encourage one another, provide a listening ear, or even work to enact positive change and help our community grow. Student-led community groups provide leandership opportunities, enhance communication abilities, and allow young people to learn advocacy skills that they will carry with them long after their time at the Ecole.
A Place for Everyone
The Ecole d’Humanité is a remarkably warm and welcoming school campus. We celebrate differences, encourage self-expression, and see value in all ways of being. We are a school that honors diversity of all sorts, from diversity of ethnicity and background to diversity of gender identity. At the Ecole d’Humanité, there’s a place for everyone, and everyone finds a place. Many students remark on how easy it is to make friends at our school, and alumni attest that these friendships last a lifetime.
Community Service
Each student at the Ecole d’Humanité gives at least 30 hours per year in support of our school and the community around us. In the Community Service Groups, students actively contribute to improving school life and get involved in causes that lie beyond our campus.
Every student joins at least one group, and some choose to be involved in several. Many of the meetings are independently organized and led by students. All promote social learning, the experience of responsibility toward one's society, and the importance of doing for others.
