Round Square is a worldwide association of schools espousing the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn, emphasising personal development and responsibility, service, challenge, and international understanding, along with academic excellence.   The International Executive Coordinator of Round Square offers this description of the program:

What is Round Square?

 

Educators internationally understand the need to prepare young men and women for an ever changing world. They recognise that academic pursuit, whilst vital, is no longer sufficient to prepare the youth of today to be the adults of tomorrow. This is not a new notion and there has been volumes written on this subject. Indeed it is from such a challenge that the Round Square Schools Organisation has its origins. The search for a common understanding and approach to this situation is no without difficulty. If one were to compare schools on a global scale, one would discover as many as many differences as similarities and uniting such diverse communities into a common purpose would be challenging indeed. However, Round Square as an organisation actively addresses this issue.

 

Round Square has its foundation in the theories of the experiential educational philosopher Kurt Hahn who believed that schools should have a greater purpose beyond preparing young people for College and University. Hahn believed that it was crucial for students to prepare for life by having them face it head on and experience it in ways that would demand courage, generosity, imagination, principle and resolution. As a result, he felt that young people would become empowered and develop the skills and abilities to be the leaders and guardians of tomorrow's world. He believed that given the appropriate set of circumstances and the correct attitude, young men and women could discovery their own inner strength and an understanding of the physical and social world around them.

 

Currently there are almost seventy member schools worldwide who actively subscribe to Hahn’s philosophy believing that the pillars of his insight are the ideals on which our future is built. These broad fundamentals cover a wide spectrum of social, political and economic environments and are:

• an international understanding and tolerance of others,
• democratic governance and justice,
• environmental stewardship,
• self discovery through adventure,
• leadership and
• service to others.

 

The implementation of the Round Square ideals occurs through a number of planned activities that occurs on many different levels. Such activities occur  within member schools, between member schools and across domestic and international boundaries. They include local and international Student Exchanges, Round Square International Service Projects that change the lives of underprivileged communities or assist  threatened environments, Regional Projects; which are smaller scale international projects, and Conferences which are presented both nationally and internationally that allow student delegates to meet from many dissimilar localities and share cultural differences.

 

Round Square is a global association of schools which share a commitment, beyond academic merit, to personal growth, and responsibility through service, challenge, adventure and international understanding which ultimately seeks to empower students to become leaders and guardians of tomorrow’s world.

  

Brian Dawson

International Executive Coordinator

Link:

This website is for Round Square programs worldwide.  Find out about philosophy and ideals, and contact regional representatives.

http://www.roundsquare.org/