Summer is all about long sunny days, the freedom of outside and the space to get healthy while loving your active life. Summer is even better when it is shared with a great team of like-minded people.
That is Summer Camp in Switzerland. You will be racing across meadows, scrambling over rocks and swimming in lakes. There is climbing and tennis and kayaking and sports and games you might never have tried.
The tonic for your mental health that accompanies all this physical activity is extraordinary. That old phrase mens sana in corpere sano might be over-used but it is true. Your active summer will bring clarity of thought and new priorities. It is a state of mind when even life’s challenges can find positive solutions. As the days grow shorter and the summer ends, you will carry with you the glow of sunny days and fresh air.
Summer camp is about learning, but this learning is different. It is unlike studying to pass exams and earn diplomas. It is project based and collaborative, it inspires curiosity and creativity, it is problem solving and solution finding in action. You are guided by enthusiastic mentors to acquire skills that are going to be really useful to you, you expand your mind and experience the joy there is to be found in learning.
This is a precious opportunity to venture into new areas and discover passions and talents you had never previously explored. It could be life changing.
You are away from your family, which can be daunting but it’s a chance to taste a bit of freedom in a friendly environment where you can feel secure. What a way to test yourself out and to grow into the adult you hope to become. Because you are supported and cared for, you will build your confidence while keeping your warm heart. You will develop strength, independence and resilience and you will find your inner smile.
Switzerland is more than a land of chocolate, cheese and cuckoo clocks. And in Switzerland, Summer Camp is more than a Camp. You will find mountains and lakes, forests and meadows, and a healthy approach to life. But in Switzerland, you also find a safe and stable environment where the infrastructure runs smoothly, and you will marvel at the blend of cultures with four official languages.
At Summer camp in Switzerland, you will be in the heart of Europe. Not only will you gaze across to snow-capped peaks, but you will be wandering cobbled streets lined by traditional buildings. Not only will you breathe invigorating alpine air, but you are surrounded by some of the most innovative tech companies in the world. And you’ll get to enjoy some delicious chocolate.
Summer Camp is special because of the people. They are your family and your friends at the same time. It is a shared experience that will build connections, with your fellow students and with the staff who are there to support you, care for you, and make it all happen. They come from all over the world and every one of them has their own story to tell, including you.
Summer Camp will give you more than memories; it builds fantastic friendships that you will cherish. Which leads us to -
Two years ago, you had no idea about the impact a global pandemic would have on your life. Now you need something that is mind-expanding, healthy and fun and also safe. That is Summer Camp in Switzerland. As well as inspiring activities and physical exercise, there is fun, laughter and friendship.
Restrictions on social interactions have been difficult for many, and we all recognise the importance of friendship groups for teenagers. Summer Camp is a secure environment to revitalise precious social skills, enjoy teamwork and the benefits of collaboration, and to laugh a lot.
At Institut Montana on the Zugerberg just outside the city of Zug, the prospect of Summer Camp is causing a buzz of excitement. The campus of this Day and Boarding School is perfect. Although easily accessible from the international hub of Zurich, by the time you have ridden the funicular railway up to its site overlooking Zug, you are in another world. Peace and clean air, forests and meadows and an abundance of outdoor activities on the doorstep. And yet it is a short hop to the historic streets of Luzern or the bustle of the city of Zug.
Student numbers are limited so that this enriching experience is personalised towards each individual. Morning language classes in English or German are intensive, structured and effective. They will target just what you need to know to end up confident about communicating in whichever language you choose to study. Then the afternoon explodes (sometimes literally!) into activity, with workshops in Science and Technology, Business and Leadership and Creativity and the Arts. Graduates of the school often come back to run sessions, such as awarded film director Fariba Bucheim, who shows students how to make their own movies.
The school campus looks down across the lake of Zug. Each evening, the sun sets behind mountains the other side of the lake, turning its waters pink and orange. Summer Sessions students might be sitting around a campfire in a glade as the sky glows, with their cosy beds just down the hill, very happy that they made the choice to come to Summer Camp in Switzerland.
This summer, do yourself some good!