Columbia recognizes that young students will be spending years of studies and growing up away from home. We are therefore committed to providing a pastoral environment where these young students will build on the essential values and skills learnt at home and also cultivate new ones. While the young student is studying with us, they will learn:
| Values | Skills | |
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- Through morning assembly and in their classes on weekdays
- By participating in an exceptional choice of activities during weekends
- By touring cultural and educational sites within Canada
- By visiting Columbia International College's Bark Lake Leadership Training Centre
At Bark Lake, we offer a range of activities designed to stretch and challenge the junior high student's capabilities and talents. While our junior high students are at Bark Lake, they will take part in a broad range of exciting team and leadership activities including:
| Winter | Summer and Fall | |
| Cross-country skiing | Archery | |
| Ice-fishing | Canoeing | |
| Snowshoeing | Low Ropes | |
| High Ropes | Kayaking | |
| Low Ropes | Beach Volleyball | |
| Igloo building | High Ropes | |
| Winter Survival Skills | Swimming | |
| Indoor Bouldering Cave |
These fun activities require our young students to work in teams with their peers and solve mysteries, puzzles or assigned group tasks. As they participate in these games and interact with their peers, they will learn important values and skills and develop into confident and responsible young adults.
- 700 acres of pristine wilderness
- 4 year-round cabins sleeps 124 persons
- 9 seasonal cabins sleep 204 persons
- Certified high ropes course
- Fresh and healthy meals are prepared and served in a well-equipped cafeteria
- Indoor and Outdoor Meeting areas for group training
The Discover Leadership Series is designed to take the junior high school students through a journey of self-discovery and learning. It offers opportunities for students to plan and implement a variety of projects where they learn to be responsible and work effectively with others. All sessions are taught through activities enriched with interactive games that capture students' attention. The program has six progressive blocks of workshops.
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| BLOCK 1-DISCOVER SELF | |||
| All About Me | Am I the Only One? | Where do I Fit In? | You Can Do It! |
| BLOCK 2-GOAL SETTING | |||
| Dream Session | How to Set Goals | What are Your Goals?/td> | Develop Your Goal Action Plan |
| BLOCK 3 -COMMUNICATION | |||
| Introduction | Speaking - Who's My Audience? | Listening - Do I Understand? | Conflict - Talk it Out |
| BLOCK 4 – TEAM BUILDING | |||
| We're A Team | Solving a Problem | Let's Plan It | Let's Do It! |
| BLOCK 5 – GROUP WORK | |||
| Introduction | Making Group Decisions | Develop Group | Group Community Project |
| BLOCK 6 – INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ FUNDRAISER | |||
| Event Planning & Research | Event Organization & Planning | Organization & Planning | Event Implementation |
The session begins by exploring the unique qualities of each student such as their likes and dislikes. Subsequently, we look into how students who feel isolated share their ideas and fears with others. At the end of the session, our junior high program students learn what their strengths and weaknesses are and develop a confidence in what they have to offer.
This session is designed to allow junior high school students to dream about what they want to do in the future. They are guided to develop realistic and timely plans to achieve their set goals.
Through the Communication Session, junior high students develop the lifelong skill of effective communication. Students gain tools for effective listening and speaking, and conflict resolution.
Students of junior high program learn group dynamics through trust building exercises. Students then work through a series of problem solving exercises which results in them developing a small community based project, such as a food drive, and implementing it.
This session focuses on a series of group work and decision making exercises that result in junior high students researching charitable causes and deciding as a team which group they will assist. Students then develop a project that will assist their chosen organization, such as a bake sale to raise funds.
The series culminates with the International Café Fundraiser in which our junior high students explore and learn about the diversity and multiculturalism represented at Columbia International College. Students then develop a large scale community based project, and see this project through from start to finish while learning skills specifically related to event research and planning.