The Ivy House Award part 2

“A ship in the harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” As the 13 Upper Sixth students come to the end of their Ivy House journey, I am reminded of this quote. I have thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth and engaging discussions that we have shared together, about our hopes, aspirations, and goals for the future. We have all learnt to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and to grasp life with both hands. I wanted to share with you all below some of their reflections on the programme.

Miss Reeder, Senior Pastoral Tutor

“Participating in the Ivy House Award has really expanded my way of thinking. It has been an opportunity for me to reflect on my relationships, hobbies, interests and my future. I have found myself thinking twice about day to day things which I would never have done before and as a result I have found a new level of confidence in myself which I will aim to carry through in my future.”

Charlotte

“Ivy House has been a very interesting experience. It has made me think about aspects of my life that I had not considered before. I think it was useful to visualise my future and realise that not everything was career based as it can sometimes feel that way when applying to university. It was also interesting to learn about my core values and core strengths as hopefully this will allow decision-making to be easier from now on.”

Anonymous

“Ivy House has really helped us think about what is important to us and how we can prioritise those aspects going forward. We have also focused in on our strengths. This has been useful going into the next stage of our life as we know where to focus our energy. The action plan is also very useful because we can look back on what we have learnt and use it as a reminder going forward.”

Anonymous

“The Ivy House Award has been a helpful and informative course, which has enabled us all to reflect on areas of our life which we may not have considered properly before. This included things like different relationships with people, and how to make sure effective, beneficial bonds are maintained with others. In addition to this, we also considered what we want for our future and how to achieve this for ourselves by being proactive. Thanks to this course we were able to get a better picture of ourselves and who we want to be, as well as decide on aspects of our lives that we may want to develop or improve on.”

Alessia

“I think it has really made me consider what I prioritise in life and think about what I want my life to look like. I realised that I was being held back a bit by others as I felt bad for having a plan and a goal in life. I thought it was bad as others didn’t and therefore kept their options more open. I realised I am content with ‘my brand’ which we discussed and made me consider how I want to present myself to others (which I still need to consider more deeply).”

Anonymous

“The Award was useful in helping me figure out my strengths and weaknesses, how to be more proactive and self-assured and realise that a brand and vague plan for the future is better than waiting around for opportunities to be presented to me. It was nice to take time to reflect on our goals and how to live more meaningful lives. My biggest takeaway from Ivy House is to work towards achieving happiness in the present, rather than abandoning this for future happiness.”

Anonymous

“I think the Ivy House Programme has really helped me to start thinking seriously about my future. The sessions have shown me how important my behaviour and attitude are in determining the impressions I make on future employers and in fortifying my relationships with friends and family. I particularly enjoyed discovering my core strengths and learning how I can combine these with my passions to find the job I will enjoy most.”

Nimesha