The Gulf English School (GES) has launched its Week Without Walls programme 2014, which for the first time will include the involvement of every student in the school, from infants up to 18-year-olds. During the week, pupils get involved in a host of activities outside their classroom, which encourages teamwork, leadership skills, technical skills and crafts, taking risks, community involvement and personal and group challenges, in Doha and abroad.
From April 27 for one week, primary pupils at GES will take part in a range of activities in the school and across Doha — from needlework to healthy-living workshops, kayaking, sailing, cookery lessons, environmental trips such as beach clean-ups, an overnight camp on a farm outside Doha where students will learn about Qatar’s culture and history, and an adventure holiday to Manchester in the UK. Options for secondary school pupils include international excursions such a trips to Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, an Umrah trip, a cultural visit to London, participation in a Model United Nations event and a trekking adventure in Malaysia.
Melvin Jones, Head of Secondary at GES, said: “We have always had strong participation in our Community Action Service (CAS) initiatives throughout the school but this is the first time we have united the whole school in a Week Without Walls.”
The launch of Week Without Walls coincides with the recent return of 20 Year 12 students from an 11-day trip to Malaysia, where the students planned and executed every aspect of their trip – being responsible for their budget, logistics, transport, accommodation and communications. The group, led by teachers Graeme Webster and Sarah Williams, trekked and white water rafted in the Cameron Highlands before volunteering at an orphanage for disabled and underprivileged children, repainting the centre and its play area and finding out more about the lives of the children there.
Year 12 student Khalid Al Musleh was transportation coordinator for the student group on the trip. He said: “It was the trip of a lifetime. It taught us about what other people don’t have, how we can contribute and what we can practically do to help them. We learned a lot – it was truly a privilege to take part.”
He added: “We didn’t stay in five-star hotels – we were in hostels, basic accommodation. We saw how simply other people live. Coming back home, I felt like a king.”
Dareen Al Awfey, also from Year 12, was the student group leader. She said: “This is an experience we will so rarely have in our lives. I was outside my comfort zone, and outside of my parents’ protection with people I didn’t know. The Malaysia trip was an experience which has helped me to become more independent and to understand myself better. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Teacher Sarah Williams, Community Action Service coordinator at GES, who accompanied the students on the trip, said: “Students gain a better understanding of the world they live in. It really broadens their minds academically but also socially.”
The Peninsula
