Global Debates for a Global Future

Students from Yew Chung International of Beijing have been getting their political minds in gear through involvement in a year-long initiative held by the United Nations Foundation. The UNF Global Debates have challenged the Year 10 and 11 students on current world issues that many young people may be presently unaware of. The scheme has been giving high school students and their teachers an opportunity to participate and initiate public discussion specifically around critical international matters. Students have finally had the chance to put their arguments to the test, focussing on the plight of migrants and whether "Nations of the world should increase protection for migrant’s economic and social rights."

With only a few hours before the debate, the students were given the angle which they needed to argue against. At the forefront of the heated debate are Year 10 students Annabelle McCombe and Jun Ting Yeung debating against Year 11’s Anthony Guo and Gemma Golding-Duffy who are in support of migrant rights.

The students are using a specific ‘migrant’ case study to focus on their debate - the migrant situation in Yemen. YCIS Beijing students have extensively researched into Sudanese refugees fleeing to this country and the fact that many refugees who lost their rights are displaced internally or have to migrate to another country...

Read on: Global Debates for a Global Future- Littlestar Mag

The School of Rock

Whilst glorious carols are still on the agenda for this Christmas, students from across Beijing international schools have been swapping Père Noël for Pink Floyd. Carefully positioning their orchestral instruments back in the music rooms, a number of students have gathered together to revive the era of rock, punk and funk for a new generation.


If it wasn’t John, Paul, Ringo and George sitting in a classroom some fifty years ago strumming on guitars, forming what we now recognise as The Beatles, it would have been hundreds of other legendary artists playing hand-me-down instruments trying to make it happen. At this moment, teenagers in school auditoriums have been striking a chord with their musical predecessors by reforming the ‘student band.’

Dan Albar has been exercising his bass guitar skills for the last six months in one of these student bands. “You get to accomplish more if you play your own music, because it allows you to be creative and you can be proud of the result.” Guillaume’s Band, (as the three-piece are currently known,) is Harrow International School Beijing’s resident funk and classic rock group, and they aren’t afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to music. Inspired by the improvised sixties stylings of BB King and Buddy Rich, the group differs immensely from some of the other bands also taking to the stage...

Read on: The School of Rock- Littlestar Mag

Classes for Parents

"I always wanted to try to make a mosaic, and the class is nice because it’s informal," says Jo Kaine, a parent of Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS), who has been participating in YCIS parent art studies class for around one year to awaken her own handicraft abilities. 

"We talk about all sorts of things; it’s like therapy, but art therapy,” said Kaine, adding that having small children at home makes it difficult for many parents to undertake such creative activities. Jo Kaine is very happy that she is able to continue the course this year. Nowadays, approximately 30 parents are attending YCIS Beijing’s art classes each month.
 
The art class has been in action since June 2010 with the help of Judy Chick, the other YCIS parent who serves as the teacher to offer tips to parents in the class. "We are doing a different project each course from decorating a coffee table, platters and also photo frames. Class parents will first think of a pattern or design they would like to do for that project. They can then get inspiration from the mosaic books we provide or they can choose some ready- made pattern that they like which will be prepared for them,” said Chick.

The classes have even garnered interest amongst the school children in Year 3 that have been studying the Romans. The teacher asked if they can show [the parent's] mosaics as an example of commonly used art. "One student even came in [to the parent class] and helped her mother stick on tiles,” added Kaine...

Read on: Classes for Parents- Littlestar Mag