LAS summer edge Program

LAS Summer Edge Program Overview

Innovation, Compassion, and Responsibility

The days are growing longer, and we’re getting more and more excited for the launch of our two brand new summer programs—LAS summer and LAS summer edge. These programs tap into the best of LAS’s geography and core values, keeping the tried and true aspects of camp that students have grown to know and love, while making adjustments based on the needs and ambitions of today’s youth. There’s been a lot of talk and enthusiasm surrounding our new programs. Perhaps you’ve even read some of the blog posts about LAS summer’s Academic, Language, and Sports courses.

… But what is summer edge all about?

LAS summer edge is an intensive three week leadership program designed for students aged 13 and over. LAS aims to “develop innovative, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world,” and it is these core values that are at the heart of summer edge. During Innovation Week, Compassion Week, and Responsibility Week, students will learn about each of these traits in depth through visits from keynote speakers, and day trips to well known organizations.

Innovation Week

Innovation week showcases new and innovative products and solutions debuting in our world today. The purpose of this week is to open our students’ eyes to new ways of thinking. Students will get the chance to hear from Didier Manzoni, CEO of APCO Technologies SA, a company specializing in the design and manufacture of high quality mechanical and electromechanical equipment for the space and nuclear industries. Students will also visit locations like CERN to learn about cutting-edge science and the importance of international cooperation in conducting unprecedented research.

Compassion Week

Compassion Week aims to provide students with a greater awareness and appreciation of current humanitarian issues and how these are currently being handled in Switzerland. Students will learn about diversity and human rights from Randall Zindler, former CEO of Medair, a disaster relief agency which helped to coordinate humanitarian efforts following the Asian tsunami in 2004. They will also visit locations including the United Nations Office in Geneva and the Red Cross Museum to discover more about humanitarian action and human rights.

Responsibility Week

Responsibility Week introduces students to notions of collective responsibility and self-awareness in everyday life. They will hear from speakers such as Jamie Andrew, a Scottish mountaineer and quadruple amputee, about responsible citizenship and activism. Students will also visit organizations including the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts to address concepts such as integrity and social responsibility.

With additional weekend trips and evening programs such as indoor skydiving, talent shows, mountain sports, and campfires mixed in, LAS summer edge provides students with a combination of fun and informative activities to increase self-awareness and confidence and become effective leaders. LAS summer edge meets students where they’re at and equips them with the skills they need to get where they’re going, whether they want to be the captain of the football team, founder of a charity, or the next president of student council.