“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” ― Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist.
In an ever-changing world, there is no denying that our youths need to have the necessary skills and self-confidence to make an impact on the future. We need our students to become ‘Changemakers’ who actively seek positive change, who gather the insight and means to make these changes happen.
At The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), we uphold our school motto for students to “Be All You Are,” a call to action where students meet challenges, take on new duties and live to their full potential on a daily basis.
Recently ISKL’s Ted-Ed Club in High School (HS) held a virtual TED-Ed Student Talks event aptly themed “Ikigai,” the Japanese word meaning “a reason for being.” The event was intended to inspire others to stay resilient during these challenging times and focus on what is truly important to them. 13 High School TED-Ed speakers related an extensive spectrum of topics such as wealth inequalities, open-mindedness, and gender stereotyping.
One of the speakers, Diya Nanavati (’21), discussed how we sometimes need an open mind and relate it to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Keeping an open mind is what we need: to accept a vaccine, to manage overflowing healthcare systems, to lower unemployment rates – to find solutions, to save lives,” says Diya. “Whether it be about the size of the universe or seeing outside our cave of reality, being open-minded comes from accepting that we all have limits to what we know – what’s important is that we keep searching for new ideas, possibilities, and perspectives to understand the world better, ” she adds.
And that is the basis of what a changemaker means at ISKL. It is about how even the most modest gestures can make a difference for an individual or circumstance, coupled with the realization that each of us can be a changemaker.
The all-new ISKL Pathways Scholarships
In our commitment to achieving its vision and mission, ISKL will be offering the ISKL Pathways Scholarships for two Malaysian students who will finish their Form 3 school assessment in 2021. The scholarships are merit and need-based and are comparable to a four-year study of the High School Program, from Grade 9 to Grade 12.
The scholarships will be awarded to exemplary and inspirational students who are enthusiastic about attaining the competencies to make a positive impact, be nurtured and guided in further strengthening their passions and knowledge of the world to mold themselves, others, and the environment.
So what does a changemaker look like at ISKL? A changemaker shows solid collaborative problem-solving, listening, consensus building, and leadership skills, is committed to being a promoter in ISKL’s School-wide Learning Results (SLRs), and is an engaged school community member vision-aligned student initiative. They are students who possess the traits of natural leaders, have proven academic excellence, are committed to being socially responsible citizens, and have demonstrated an impact in their community. They also should have a track record of positive outreach initiatives, such as encouraging youths in our community to make the world a better place, consistently demonstrate a sense of intrinsic voluntarism, and strive to be well informed on global issues.
With a diverse and multicultural student base representing over 65 nationalities, ISKL ensures that our school has a broad range of school-wide events to celebrate the school’s diversity and specific programs to support students in becoming socially responsible global citizens with a worldwide perspective and vision. For example, our HS Global Action Program (GAP) initiatives are fundamental to our curriculum. They have been designed to build students’ knowledge of developing global issues by involving them in many Southeast Asia cultural, environmental, and service opportunities.
Our International Baccalaureate Diploma students involved in the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Program are often challenged to think about what “service” means to them, in light of the service definition of CAS, which is collaborative and mutual engagements with the community in response to an authentic need. This is an ongoing subject that ISKL, as a school community, is also engaging in by various activities with community partnership programs and sustainability practices with multiple groups and non-governmental organizations in KL and beyond. Some examples are community recycling by the Earth Club and Social Change Maker events run with the Grade 5 Red Hats.
Ensuring that students can make a positive change in the world and learn how to make that difference is an indispensable part of the learning experience at ISKL. With an educational basis that ensures students understand the importance of service, they develop the essential skills to take action through hands-on efforts that impact the communities around us.
With this in mind, ISKL invites changemakers and students who believe a pure act can have the most significant impact to come and ‘Be All You Are’ with us. Scholarships beneficiaries will access high-quality, transdisciplinary pathways that empower every learner to choose the curriculum best suited to their strengths, pursuits, and ambitions. This merit and need-based scholarships are only open to Malaysian students who are completing Form 3 and will pass the final year school assessment at the time of application.
