NLCS Jeju

Beyond the Curriculum: The ripple effect of NLCS Jeju's community service programmes

NLCS Jeju, an independent international boarding school offering a British Education located on the UNESCO world heritage site of Jeju, Republic of Korea, has created a ripple of positive change for both the students and the island community through its “Beyond the Curriculum” programmes that benefit society. With 16 active projects and over 1,300 students involved since 2017, the programmes have built trust and strengthened relationships, all of which promote a culture of collaboration and social responsibility.

Since the school's inception in 2011, NLCS Jeju has taken a proactive approach to community service. The school recognised the value of co-curricular activities (CCAs) in the holistic development of its students and made it mandatory for all students to participate in after-school and Saturday morning activities. This ensured that students had the opportunity to engage with the community outside of the classroom and develop empathy and a sense of responsibility towards their surroundings.

The "Beyond the Curriculum" team liaises with the local community to create projects that are designed to benefit society. The service projects have tackled a range of issues, from supporting local children's centres and senior homes to cleaning up local hiking trails and promoting environmental conservation. The students themselves also initiate school projects, which creates a sense of relevancy, engagement, and ownership.

Growing interest from the media and other schools around the country are clear marks of success, as is the high level of engagement from the school community in its fundraising projects. Still, for NLCS Jeju, it is the school’s acceptance and recognition by the local community that is its greatest measure of success.

If NLCS Jeju wins the World's Best School Prize for Community Collaboration, the school intends to use the prize money to expand its existing community service projects and create new initiatives that will enable students to continue making a positive impact on Jeju.