BOARDING Gentlemen with 21st century skills
“It’s all about building a strong family group of caring empathic young gentlemen with 21st century skills.” Richards Housemaster Kevin Harris can sum up the Richards House culture in a single sentence, but says it takes a bit more work to bring a group together as a community. One of the most successful ways he has found is holding Saturday night House barbecues during term time. They cut through any hierarchy, they tangibly demonstrate the servant–leader philosophy, and they are eagerly anticipated by everyone. So much so, that students who might go home for the weekend are keen to stay in order not to miss the fun. “We have the barbecue, with the senior boys planning and organising the event, doing the cooking and serving the younger ones, plus there’s table tennis, music, and sometimes karaoke. It’s about building relationships. The barbecues are about setting up opportunities to socialise,” says Kevin. And it has proven a powerful tool in building relationships across the boys from a multitude of different cultures who live in the House, including Samoan, Tongan, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Indonesian, Israeli, German and Australian.
Food is also central to another keenly anticipated event, the House Dinner – especially this year when there was salsa dancing with a South American expert, courtesy of the Chilean contacts of the House’s weekend staff. It is all part of Kevin’s vision for the House. “My vision is building these young men in all respects, helping them to develop with none of those ‘isms’, being accepting of all cultures, characters and persuasions. It’s about them looking back at themselves and seeing how they can improve and then supporting them to be able to do it.” Kevin says it is a demanding and constant role, “but so rewarding.”
“We’re trying to make Richards House an even more caring, nurturing home for the boys. Even when someone steps out of line, we’re there to advocate for them, and to enable them to grow through the experience. College life is busy and demanding, and in Richards we’re trying to let them have some downtime, yet encourage them to participate in their own way.”
Christ’s College Canterbury
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