Senior School Student Leadership Programme

Student Leadership

In the Senior School, students are offered a variety of meaningful opportunities to express their voice, and actively engage with important issues, all of which align with our Guiding Statements.

As advocates for change, all students are supported to become ‘Changemakers’, with opportunities to lead or contribute to projects under the guidance of teacher mentors.

Our student voice forums (‘Dulwich Discussions’ and ‘Student Forums’) are led by our IB Head Students and serve as important channels of communication between the student body, staff, and the wider College community.

Leadership within the House system is also a valued aspect of Senior School life. Each House is led by an IB House Captain, supported by year-group House Representatives and guided by our Staff Houses Coordinator.

DCSG Changemakers

Vision  

We empower our students to become the changemakers of tomorrow by nurturing their passions and developing their leadership skills. DCSG Changemakers engage thoughtfully with global issues and take informed action through purposeful projects that align with our Guiding Statements.

Dulwich College (Singapore) students are incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful and driven individuals, so our role is to provide them with the tools and guidance which enable them to have the greatest impact possible with their projects, both now and into the future.

In 2021, student leaders chose this name for the student leadership programme at DCSG and Mana Yamazaki (a Year 10 student at the time) designed our logo.

Timeline

Our programme follows the calendar year, allowing students time to settle into school during the first half term before taking on a leadership role. This structure enables thoughtful planning during the Lent and Trinity terms, while still allowing students to deliver impactful projects during the busy Michaelmas term.

The calendar-year model also aligns with other EiM schools globally, supporting opportunities for collaboration across our international family of schools. Students apply to the programme between October and December, with roles commencing in January.

Roles

DCSG Changemakers is made up of students with the following roles:

Head Students: although they work collaboratively as a team, each of the four Head Students takes the lead on a specific area of school life: Academics, Community Action, Houses, Student Voice, and Wellbeing. In these roles, they work closely with both staff and students to drive progress and support meaningful development across their focus areas. In addition, the Head Students chair ‘Dulwich Discussions’ and ‘Student Forums’, meet weekly with the Assistant Headteacher (Student Experience), and have regular meetings with the Head of School. They also collaborate with other Changemakers to lead project work and drive positive impact across the school community.

The Head Students also attend the annual EIM Student Leadership Conference, which brings together student leaders from across the globe. This has previously taken place in cities such as Xi’an and Seoul. The purpose of these conferences are for students to work collaboratively across the network to create impactful action plans within their own educational setting.

Changemaker Projects Teams:

Students from across the Senior School are encouraged to propose or support Changemaker projects that align with our Guiding Statements. They are empowered to explore ideas they feel passionate about and wish to advocate for. Once a proposal is accepted, students are paired with a teacher mentor who provides guidance and support in developing and implementing their projects effectively. Previously, this has included projects based on food drives, composting and even developing reading programmes with DUCKS students!

These students are also invited to attend Dulwich Discussions and Student Forums, in order to share their voice and experience with the school body.

Funding is also available to support projects, where appropriate.

Houses

House Captains: These four IB students each lead one of the College’s Houses- Earhart, Lee, Mandela, and Shackleton. They work closely with the Head Student (Houses), House Representatives and the Staff House Coordinator to foster House spirit and a strong sense of belonging across the College community. Their responsibilities include organising House-based events and maintaining regular communication with House members- both students and staff.

House Representatives: each year group has one representative per House. These students meet regularly with the House Captains to support in planning events, and to ensure that they are gauging student voice around belonging within their year group.

Student Forums

Students Forums offer students a meaningful platform for their voices to be heard on important issues to the school community, and this may feed into students’ own projects as well as decision making within the Senior School and College. This is chaired by the Head Students and feedback is gathered by attending representatives for each year group. These representatives then work with their peers to gather community voice and close the feedback loop by communicating what is being done with ideas and suggestions put forward. Agendas for Student Forums may be decided upon by students or feedback may be requested from staff.

Dulwich Discussions

Dulwich Discussions take place one to two times per half term and offer an open platform for all Senior School students to share their voices. Chaired by the Head Students, these sessions provide valuable insight into student leadership in action. Feedback gathered from these discussions is shared with the Senior School Leadership Team (SSLT) to help inform future decisions and initiatives.

Global Citizenship  

The Student Leadership Programme supports students’ engagement with Global Citizenship. We believe that Student Leadership is an important way in which we can foster a proactive community of compassionate individuals who have the skills and motivation to make a positive difference in the world. Students are therefore guided to consider a project which aligns with one of the strands of our Guiding Statements: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Intercultural Understanding,