Programs

Global Programs

Not for Ourselves Alone
Global Programs at York House School are designed to empower students to know themselves, to connect with people and diverse perspectives, and to understand and to act on issues of local and global significance. Through community-based experiences, students are encouraged to learn and to play a creative role in shaping their communities.
Since 1932, York House School has been committed to providing a well-rounded, values-based education that inspires young women to live meaningful and purposeful lives. Our motto, “Not for Ourselves Alone,” continues to guide us as we equip students to be bold and ethical citizens of the world.

Over many years, students, educators, and alumnae have partnered with organizations such as Kidsafe, Each-One-Teach-One, Project Somos, and the YWCA. Whether at home or abroad, these and other experiences have taught our students that they are part of a larger community.

Through experiences like this, students explore values, identify, frame, and understand complex issues and questions of ethics. Participation in Global Programs such as community engagement opportunities in Vancouver or Guatemala, an international exchange experience, the Duke of Edinburgh Program, or Outdoor Education cultivates students' growth as creative and critical thinkers and leaders in their communities.

York House School is committed to developing long-term and mutually beneficial learning relationships with community partners that honour the human dignity and agency of all involved. We are committed to deepening students’ learning through these experiences, integrating where possible, the learning that takes place in and beyond the classroom.

International Partnerships

YHS has long-standing reciprocal partnerships with three schools for international exchange:
  • Seymour College in Adelaide, Australia
  • King Edward School for Girls in Birmingham, England
  • Colegio Williams in Cuernevaca, Mexico
The aim of the International Exchange program is to cultivate students’ thoughtful engagement with the world. It is a year-long commitment that offers an opportunity for students to learn about themselves and the world through a unique connection with an exchange partner, her family, and the partner school.

The program is open to six students in total in Grades 9 and 10. Students apply in April of each year for the following academic year. Participating students will:
  • Host a student from a partner school for four weeks;
  • Participate in a series of workshops at York House related to global competence to prepare for their experience abroad, and to process their learning on return;
  • Live with an exchange partner and her family for four weeks (including two weeks of the March break); and
  • Reflect on and share their learning with the York House community.


International Partnerships with Project Somos and El Hogar

York House has long-standing relationships with Project Somos in Guatemala and El Hogar in Honduras.  These partnerships offer opportunities for students to immerse themselves in Spanish in a new cultural setting, to learn about issues of poverty, literacy, and agency, and to connect with the women and children involved in these organizations.

These programs involve a year of communication between students studying Spanish at York House and women and children involved in the organizations in Guatemala or Honduras in alternate years. The year culminates in a residential visit during which our students are involved in local literacy programming.

Local Partnerships

Little School 
Our Kindergarten students grow food in the garden that they share with the community in need. They also participate in the Terry Fox Run, raise funds for the BC Children’s Hospital, make cards for the Marpole Women’s Society, and provide holiday gifts for Family Services of Greater Vancouver.

Junior School 
At the Junior School, our students have long-standing partnerships with the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, South Granville Park Lodge, the Reading Bear Society, Queen Alexandra Elementary, BC Children’s Hospital, and the YWCA. Students connect with people beyond the school and learn about empathy, respect, responsibility, and issues of shared concern. 

Senior School 
Community Days: Students celebrate and strengthen our local and international partnerships.

Saturdays in the Community: Students have the opportunity to volunteer as a school group at a variety of organizations in Vancouver including the Food Bank and Belkin House. 

Vancouver School Board Community Schools Team (previously called KidsSafe): Each week, senior students volunteer after-school as tutors with an elementary-aged buddy from our partner, Queen Alexandra School.

YWCA Monroe House: Every month, a group of YHS students visits Monroe House, a transitional home for women and their children. 

Each-One-Teach-One Program: Partnering with St. George’s School students, YHS students connect with elementary-aged students from Admiral Seymour Elementary School as mentors and friends. 

National and International Learning Excursions

2017/18 Guatemala (Project Somos, Spanish & Community Engagement - Gr. 10-12), Poland and Germany (Ethics and History - Gr. 11/12), Adelaide and Melbourne, Austraila; Abingdon and Birmingham, England; Cuernavaca, Mexico (Gr. 9 Exchange), Quebec (Language, Culture, Outdoor Education - Gr. 8), Winnipeg (Public Speaking)
2016/17 New York (Art - Gr. 12), Poland (Ethics and History - Gr. 11/12), France (Language & Cultural Exchange - Gr. 10), Quebec (Language, Culture, Outdoor Education - Gr. 8)
2015/16 New York (Model United Nations & Social Studies - Gr. 12), Guatemala (Project Somos, Spanish & Community Engagement), Quebec (Language, Culture, Outdoor Education - Gr. 8)
2014/15 Honduras (El Hogar, Spanish & Community Engagement - Gr. 10 -12), Italy (Music), New York (Model UN, Social Studies - Gr. 12)
2013/14 Guatemala (Project Somos), Uganda, Cuba (Senior Volleyball), France (Gr. 8s), New York (Art), New York (Model UN)
2012/13  Europe (History & Art), Hawaii (Music), France (Gr. 8), New York (Model UN)
2011/12  Uganda
2010/11  Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
2009/10 Paraguay