Dates: July 16th–August 2nd, 2025 (Students will arrive on July 20th and depart August 1st)
Position: Volunteer counselor
Deadline*: January 13th, 2024 23:59 (JST) – Click here for the 2025 application form
Volunteer Benefits: Transportation cost to Japan and the UWC ISAK campus. Room & Board for the entire stay on campus (housing, meals).
UWC ISAK Japan offers a unique volunteer experience for adults (must have at least graduated high school by July 2024) who enjoy working with children in a diverse school setting. Our short course (“ISAK Summer School”) focuses on three core components: “Leadership”, “Design” and “Diversity”. Summer School brings in middle school students with a diverse background and is seeking energetic volunteers who can work with the students during our 13-day summer program held at our beautiful campus in Karuizawa, Japan.
As a counselor, you will have the opportunity to assist with various tasks throughout the program and work closely with students and teachers:
All employees must adhere to and ensure compliance with the School’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy at all times. If, in the course of carrying out their duties, a teacher becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the School, they must report those concerns to the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) or DDSL (Deputy Designated safeguarding Lead) immediately.
| Participants will Practice | Participants will Experience |
| Bringing attention to what is important for themselves and for others | Learning new things about themselves, and connecting with others |
| Taking action, independently and collaboratively, based on what’s important | Accomplishment, large and small, and feeling empowered to do more |
| Approaching others with empathy, seeking understanding in their environment and community members | Creating a diverse environment that acknowledges and understands different values and opinions |
| Applying design thinking and leadership principles to create change in themselves and their communities | Being innovators who can bring tangible growth for themselves and others based on what is important and needed |
All dates JST, all deadlines 23:59 PM JST on specified date
** We are currently planning to hold Summer School on the UWC ISAK Japan campus in Karuizawa. We will work closely with local health authorities to ensure we are taking the utmost caution and employing virus prevention best practices. Our final safety measures will be determined by the up-to-date circumstances as we approach the start of Summer School in July.
***We are committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive UWC ISAK Japan Summer School Team. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas at UWC ISAK Japan to apply.
UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
At UWC ISAK Japan, we empower each other to be transformational leaders who explore new frontiers and make a positive impact today and in the future.
We believe not only in the power of education, but also in the power of young people to become catalysts for positive change. We aim to create an environment where students learn to understand and appreciate different perspectives, challenge themselves academically and emotionally, and develop their innate potential as change-makers who can identify what is most important and needed, take action in the face of discomfort, use diversity as a strength, and support others in this practice.
Our school motto reflects our hopes for and dedication to all UWC ISAK Japan students as they journey through one of the most important and exciting times of their lives.
One Life. Realize Your Potential. Be a Catalyst for Positive Change.
At UWC ISAK Japan, we empower each other to be transformational leaders who explore new frontiers and make a positive impact today and in the future.
We believe not only in the power of education, but also in the power of young people to become catalysts for positive change. We aim to create an environment where students learn to understand and appreciate different perspectives, challenge themselves academically and emotionally, and develop their innate potential as change-makers who can identify what is most important and needed, take action in the face of discomfort, use diversity as a strength, and support others in this practice.
A transformational leader is someone who consistently identifies what is most important and what is needed, takes action in the face of discomfort, uses diversity as a strength, and supports others in this practice. With continuous practice, a transformational leader creates positive change within self and the community at large.
A transformational leader consistently applies these foundational skills of leadership:
Leadership is not a position or status that a selective group of people earn, whether by the virtue of their economic or social position in society or their innate demeanor or personality. At UWC ISAK Japan, we believe that leadership is a practice. This practice is integrated into our curriculum, and we believe that with practice, individuals can grow and integrate the essential skills of leadership.
Founded in 1962, UWC (United World Colleges) is a global education movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. UWC is comprised of schools and colleges in 18 countries, with national committees and selection contacts in more than 155 countries. UWC fosters a lifelong commitment to social responsibility, and to date has inspired a network of 60,000 alumni who believe it is possible to work for positive change.
The majority of students attending UWCs are selected by UWC national committees. In support of the belief that education should be independent of a student’s ability to pay, 70% of national committee selected IB Diploma students receive full scholarships. The UWC movement places a high value on experiential learning, outdoor education, service and other cultural understanding, alongside the academically challenging International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
UWC ISAK Japan is Japan’s only full-boarding international high school and the newest member of the United World Colleges movement. Following the Japanese school system, UWC ISAK is a three-year high school, with all students in grades 11 and 12 following the IB Diploma Programme curriculum. The school is accredited by the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) and all graduates receive a Japanese high school diploma. Currently approximately 200 students from nearly 80 countries attend UWC ISAK Japan, with 70% of students receiving full or partial need-based scholarship support. 30% of enrolled students are Japanese, with the remaining 70% coming from homes outside of Japan.
Karuizawa is located in Nagano Prefecture, home to the 1998 Winter Olympics and fondly referred to as the “Roof of Japan.” Karuizawa has been attracting an international mix of visitors since the late nineteenth century. The mountainous climate keeps Kaurizawa cool and comfortable during Japan’s summer months, making it a popular escape from Tokyo’s heat and humidity. Karuizawa experiences four seasons with regular snow in the winter which generally lasts from early December through February. Monthly temperatures average between 21 and -5 throughout the year.
While the full-time population of Karuizawa is around 20,000, the population of the town increases dramatically during the summer tourist season. From Tokyo, it takes approximately 70 minutes to reach Karuizawa station on the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train).
Karuizawa is a favorite destination for outdoor enthusiasts and offers year-round recreation including hiking, cycling, tennis, golf and skiing. In addition, a vibrant arts & crafts scene includes art galleries and museums, a performing arts center, a symphony hall, and a community symphony. There are also many good restaurants with wide ranging cuisines, a large upscale outlet mall with designer shops, a variety of onsen hot springs and a local volcano, Mt. Asama.
UWC ISAK Japan is located on the outskirts of Karuizawa, in a quiet residential community and the school is not within easy walking distance to a train station or a large supermarket. Schooling options for faculty children are limited to the local public schools where all instruction and communication is in Japanese. We are not able to guarantee admission to UWC ISAK for faculty children in grades 10-12 or to guarantee scholarships if faculty children are admitted.
For more information about the town of Karuizawa, please go to the following website:
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/karuizawa-guide
