This is a world in which Surval girls will have immense responsibility, one in which they will be role models to their communities and guardians of their environments. We are proud to be educating young women to be skilled and passionate leaders of the future and we celebrate internationalism – in terms of our international family and international travel, with the advantage of our focus on international relations, involvement in UN and other opportunities locally from our prime Geneva location.
To develop this, all Surval girls study our Global Perspectives course and can join the school’s Model United Nations Club and Sustainability Society.
Our ground-breaking and stimulating Global Perspectives programme stretches across traditional subject boundaries, developing transferrable skills and inspiring students to be independent and critical thinkers. Girls explore different viewpoints on global issues with topics such as world population increase and distribution; healthcare, prevention and cure in less developed countries; water shortage; and endangered species. Students undertake extensive research, plan and deliver presentations, write discursive essays and join in formal debates.
MUN Club teaches students about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations itself. Participants often hold very different views on an issue to their MUN role, honing their ability to engage critically with a divisive topic. Developing skills in public speaking, structuring arguments, tact, diplomacy and persuasion, tolerance and understanding.
Persuasion is at the heart of Surval’s successful Sustainability Society, making our community more aware and inspiring meaningful changes to our lives to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Society members research and think critically about relevant issues and come up with creative and successful solutions, writing blogs to inspire others. The Society works hard to try and make our lives and school more sustainable, encouraging us to take small and big steps. They have become the proud guardians of their own student garden and we celebrate the national initiative of World Environment Day to raise awareness and promote change. Our student-led Sustainability Programme impacts the way the school operates. Plastic bottled water has been replaced by our own reusable glass bottles with water from the local natural spring. The Society has also forged a connection with the Swiss branch of Protect our Winter, planning fundraising activities to support this important organisation.
Surval enjoys the most wonderful surrounding environment and none of us take this for granted. It is important to educate our girls as to how they can influence change. Change can happen quickly; and this is just the start.