Activiteit/evenement

After more than a decade as a nomad initiative, where monthly the Swap Shop team had to pack and unpack donated clothes and other items in order to have selling events in available classrooms, since May 2026, the Swap Shop has been given a permanent space in our school. The team of students and Swap Shop staff supervisor continue to process donations almost every week and several events have been organized only for staff. Through the selling at very affordable prices (1€ to 4€) of items donated by staff and families and unclaimed from the Lost&Found service, we ensure there is always money for the Swap Shop Fund so students can apply four times in the year to funding for projects that can have a positive impact in the school and/or local community. When events are organized for staff and parents, the prices go from 5€ to 20€ or additional donations.

• Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: For a Swap Shop to run smoothly, you need local partners who at least on a monthly basis can take on donations of clothing that are no longer sold or can be upcycled. Otherwise, the amount of donations becomes unmanageable and not always as many items get sold. Keeping only items that are clean is a must, especially when things are stored for long periods of time (such as coats until the next season). Promoting the Swap Shop Fund at least 2 weeks before the next application deadline is important if your school wishes to ensure the cash return on community-led projects.
• Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
• Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: It has been a long dream of the Swap Shop team to have a permanent location after so many years of work. This new step also allows to visualize more to our school community the drama of fast fashion and the amount of clothing generated, then discarded (which we accept as donations) and eventually discarded again. It is important to bring this debate into the classrooms, about our real needs and our wants as consumers and the impact of our decisions in society and the environment.
• School: United World College Maastricht

Throughout the school year students in Year 10 to Year 13 can take part in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, learning basic orientation skills using maps and compass; undergoing a first aid training; developing strength and endurance through the hiking expeditions and learning how to work as a team cooperating to arrange their own cooking and setting up their own tents for their camping, among other things. Our Secondary Outdoor Coordinator oversees all the planning and mentors students and their teams to ensure the safety of the students during the training and expeditions/camping; a group of staff also supports the hikes/overnight camping and finally, older students in the program assist by supporter younger students in their sessions.

• Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: For this type of activity developing basic orienteering, camping, appropriate dressing and first aid skills is a must. The notion of "no one left behind" promotes team unity, negotiation and consensus building for all decision making and under no circumstance can the teams separate. Avoiding friends groupings allows for genuine getting to know others and thorough planning as friends are not always the best workmates. Expeditions take place mostly around Maastricht, in Belgium and Germany and are great opportunities for the students to develop independence, leadership, and outdoor skills while enjoying the natural beauty of the surroundings.
• Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
• Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: This is a demanding programme for all involved (it was compulsory for Year 10 students this year but it will be optional next school year) yet the resilience built in the process; the personal growth of the students; the adaptability developed through teamwork and facing weather conditions and situations as well as the unforgettable shared memories that are produced during the journey, are a great source of experiential education for the students involved and foster unity and camaraderie in pursuing a shared goal.
• School: United World College Maastricht

This year the first cohort of IB Primary Years Programme curriculum is graduating from Primary and all students in Year 6 had an afternoon in May to present to their teachers and parents a range of projects originating from a specific inquiry question of their choosing and linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). was astounding as was the eloquence with which students could speak to the SDGs and their inquiry question. This event was eight weeks in the making and Nilde, Christine, the year 6 team, the mentors- a number of whom work in both primary and secondary, the maintenance team, Mareva and many others can be truly proud of the support they gave to help our students make today happen. These guys are ready for secondary and a joy to work with. Thanks to all for letting our students shine ♥️

• Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: The connection to the SDGs is a very practical way to make the curriculum more visible in relation to our Eco-School themes and brings Sustainability to the front of our school programming. Students in upper years of Secondary are also asked to link SDGs to their project proposals. When collaboration of staff or parents is required is very important to keep in mind timing and allow for 2 months notice for people to get ready. Sending calendar invites with reminders is a great way to make sure team members will follow up to guide students in the right direction. Celebrating with parents/families the learning milestones of their children is also a great way to ensure our school families are also engaged with the UWC values and Eco-School themes we wish to promote as a school.
• Onderwijstype: Basisonderwijs
• Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: The projects research and preparation were astounding as was the eloquence with which students could speak to the SDGs and their inquiry question. This event took eight weeks in the making and the Primary staff, Year 6 teachers, the leadership team, project mentors- a number of whom work in both primary and secondary, the maintenance team and of course the students all did a great job. We were very proud to realize that these young students are indeed ready for Secondary.
• School: United World College Maastricht

Our workgroup wants to make the AICS reduce their plastic consumption in decorations. We want to find sustainable decorations to replace the non-sustainable ones the AICS currently uses and contact the organizers of those events and the orders team to make sure they are aware and can order any sustainable decorations we think can be useful for the events that happen at AICS.

• Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
• Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: We have ordered the decorations and they have arrived at both campuses. We are now waiting to see how useful they are and how often they actually are used. We will see how often the AICS uses sustainable decorations to decorate events which need decorations, if they use them in 9/10 of the events (in the following year because people making the events might not have the time to change their plan for decorations), then we would consider that our workgroup is successful.
• School: Amsterdam International Community School (AICS)