One of the most important characteristics of our principles at YCIS Beijing is we believe that the core purpose of education is character formation, and it is the most important shared responsibility of the school and home. Within the school, there are designated programmes which are aimed at teaching students about charity, environmental responsibility, and most importantly develop compassion for others while having a strong sense of self. These contribute to our holistic approach to education in preparation for a life post-school.

Events that Foster Character FormationGillian Wong, YCIS Beijing Secondary Coordinator describes character formation as "the exploration of the whole person for holistic learning. It is aimed at promoting a student's moral, social, emotional and cultural development."

Through students' daily interactions with their teachers and classmates, aspects of character formation are explored in several ways;

Weekly assemblies play a key role to enhance and support learner disposition. Tutor time offers an opportunity to encourage, discuss and reflect on the character traits and develop strong pastoral and relationship between tutor and tutee.Study strategies and self-study lessons are also a key element to character education as they prepare and equip students with skills for how to learn best and encourage students to be reflective on their strengths and weakness

Events also form a crucial part of the character formation as they encourage to participate in wide-ranging charitable events that stand to benefit the community. Some of the events which were organized by both the school, our Parent Organisation and students themselves are the Christmas Wish Tree Project where YCIS Beijing Primary students gift students who belong to the Migrant Children's Foundation with Christmas presents. Another event is the 30 Hour Famine "where Years 12 and 13 students organize a day and stay over the night with simple activities while going experiencing what is like go without food for 30 hours". said Ms Wong"The Annual Philippines Trip is another great example of a project that forms part of the character education programme. Students will volunteer and spend a week to help build a school within an urban poor area outside the city of Manila. These students will offer a service and experience life alongside local Filipinos"

The Seeds of Hope Concert and numerous student-led CAS clubs also contribute to the development of students in this regard.

The BenefitsCharacter formation is an extension of the academic excellence we strive for because it benefits students in the following ways;

• It prepares students to participate fully and responsibly in a multicultural and diverse society.• It develops  an appreciation for good character traits such as kindness, diligence, and responsibility• It encourages students to consistently demonstrate positive behaviour and attitudes• It gives students the skillset to manage a wider range of interactions and challenges• It focuses on embracing diversity and respect to truly become global citizens.

The recently introduced Life Skills Programme is another way we are developing students academically, emotionally and socially. Click here to learn more about the programme.