Garden International School recently held a two-day Personal Skills Development Conference focused on personal skills development and well-being for Year 11 to Year 13 students and their parents. The conference allowed students to choose workshops based on their specific needs and also provided opportunities for students to work together, thus encouraging the formation of new skills and new friendships.

One workshop session, for example, showcased Tibetan Singing Bowls. Used in Sound Healing, the Tibetan Singing Bowls are bowl-shaped bells crafted from different metals. Each bowl is a hand-made, hand-hammered musical instrument that helps people to connect with their own body and mind. The Music and Mindfulness session just one of the 26 workshops offered on a diverse range of topics from drawing therapy and relaxation to conflict resolution and ethical leadership. These workshops were facilitated by invited speakers and GIS teachers.

“The ethos of the conference was student well-being.We truly believe that if students’ well-being is high, then they will flourish at GIS,” said Assistant Secondary Headteacher Laura McGregor.

The School also invited three other experienced international speakers to share their expertise with students of Year 11 to Year 13 and parents. Dannielle Miller and Ben Barber gave a talk to parents and visitors highlighting the challenges of raising teens while Clive Leach focused his presentation on mental toughness.

This article was originally published in The Expat magazine (November 2016) which is available online or in print via a free subscription.