Written by Laura Earwood
Ms. Earwood is the residential programme coordinator at UWC ISAK Japan. She also teaches Theory of Knowledge.
This year we implemented changes to the residential programme by introducing a house mentor system. The aim of the changes is to create a more supportive and comfortable living environment for all our students. All of the changes to the residential programme were student-driven initiatives meant to address the needs of our community at large.
With house mentors, each house will now have a member of the faculty living on campus (usually in the unit directly opposite their own!) who will help promote the implementation of our leadership practice into the daily lives of our students. They look out for the wellbeing of the students in the houses, ensuring that our students receive the utmost care and guidance as part of our residential program. They also help run our Life Skills Programme together with some students. The Life Skills Programme is meant to equip our students with important skills they need to navigate their lives not just here at UWC ISAK Japan but beyond, including practical skills such as cooking, coping with stress and others. These topics were chosen by our students during a survey they completed at the close of our previous academic year.
We are confident that with the House Mentors system, our students will be better cared for within our environment, and better equipped to take on the world beyond.
