Good practice:

IMC Weekend School, a great way to discover new worlds

IMC Weekend School is a supplementary school on Sundays for children (aged 10-14) from underprivileged neighbourhoods. Through a three-year course, professionals (volunteers) introduce students to a wide range of topics, including journalism, medicine, law, philosophy, the arts, astronomy and entrepreneurship. The curriculum also includes training skills such as presentation, research, debate, collaboration, and conflict resolution. It is an education focused on reaching one’s potential.
The goals of the program are to provide students with the skills, knowledge and audacity that are needed to find a place in society that matches their capacities. The contacts created between passionate professionals and students bridge social inequalities, and affect both parties. In an alumni program, guest teachers, sponsors and Weekend School alumni stay connected, and develop professional relationships.
IMC Weekend Schools’ aim is to strengthen youngsters motivated life-attitude. It is expected that extensive knowledge about themselves and society, combined with the habit of moving in different contexts, contributes to the ability to independently make motivated choices for the future. Research focusses on three building blocks for a motivated life-attitude: self-confidence, future prospects and social connectedness.

Trained staff, guest teachers, and other volunteers are indispensable for IMC Weekend School. Annually, over 7,500 volunteers commit themselves as guest lecturers in one of the programs. Not only do they enrich the students, but also themselves They share their knowledge and enthusiasm.

Students gain insight into professional fields, their own possibilities and their talents;
Students become more enthusiastic about school;
Students gain more self-confidence;
Students ask more questions and develop an inquisitive attitude.
Teachers report an ability to approach students differently and to present themselves differently;
Teachers report more room for creativity in teaching;
Teachers report a wider scope of their students’ talents and future possibilities.

Key educational goals are achieved in a different, creative way;
Experienced teachers see opportunities to organise teaching hours more effectively;
The program creates new positive energy in the school.
Challege is to keep the network energized.

In conclusion we can say that the IMC Weekend School organisation proves to be a good practice. In close connection with the field of regular education and involving local and national partners they both increase the future perspectives of a large number of children, and improve the educational system. They also built a professional national organisation with local branches, built a solid administrative control system, helped to set up international sister organisations, attracted sponsor funding, conduct academic research, and are recognised as successful, both nationally and internationally. The Dutch E-cool team sees good opportunities for further transferability. In fact, sister schools across the globe show that the Weekend School method is scalable worldwide.