The week before the start of term, Lancing hosted the annual EYLA Summer Camp for 26 students aged 11-15 years. Eastside Young Leaders Academy’s aim is to create leaders of character and purpose for tomorrow’s world, drawn from those most in need in grassroots communities. The students who participated in this year’s camp showed those qualities in abundance.
EYLA has been a key partner in Lancing’s Foundationer programme since it began in 2017, and this is the seventh year we’ve hosted this fabulous camp. To date, 11 Eastside students have become OLs and three new students will be joining Lancing this year.
The summer camp was initially developed to help young EYLA students in the immediate post-covid year but it’s now a fixed part of the partnership calendar. The week is greatly anticipated by staff (of both schools!) and students alike. The programme is designed to inspire students with academic lessons, give them a chance to try out new activities, to spend time outdoors in the spaciousness of the Lancing campus and to experience boarding school.
Students experienced a wide range of activities and lessons across the week (including a Biology lesson with the Head Master) :
- Reading for pleasure
- Debating
- Rocket building
- Foraging and cooking
- Languages
- Art
- Electronics
- Drama and Dance
- An introduction to Philosophy
- Walking to the beach
- A cinema trip
- Barbecues, picnics and firepits
- A formal dinner
The students were accommodated in Handford and Second’s Houses and the week reinforced current friendships and forged new ones. The students were a wonderfully engaged and engaging group and all staff who participated loved their company, openness to new ideas and intellectual curiosity. It was a terrific prelude to the start of the new academic year.
Every year we look forward to welcoming students and staff from EYLA to our four day “boarding school experience” at Lancing. Students hoping to apply to our boarding school or others can have a taste of boarding life. We incorporate some of the traits of life in a boarding house into the week and also have fabulous sessions organised by our Lancing staff. We had more staff than ever volunteer to be involved in this year’s camp and that is testament to how much staff have talked about the positive, engaged and engaging students who join this summer group each year. As ever conversations and classes were spirited and involved intellectually challenging subject matter and the students showed their enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and eagerness to learn. It was another fabulous camp.
MS ANNE MCKANE, HEAD OF FOUNDATIONERS
