The Sports High School on the island of Suðuroy has been one of the great success stories in the Faroe Islands in the past few years. There has been great interest in the school and the upcoming courses are now fully booked.
The school, which was founded in 2016, invites students from all over the world to create authentic experiences in the beautiful surroundings of the Faroe Islands. The school’s objective is to give students the knowledge and work experience they need in order to support their diverse, personal development. Personal development is the core focus of the course, which teaches lessons in sports, art, language and culture.
Students can choose to attend half- or full year courses, starting in January (20 weeks) or August (15 weeks). Aside from attending classes and playing sports, students live, eat and wash clothes together in small cabins close to the school and travel from one place to another by bicycle.
The head of the school, Guðmundur Joensen, believes the school is the perfect environment for young people to learn a broad range of subjects in an unusual environment using non-traditional teaching methods.
He says: “The unique thing about the school is that the students get close to nature and close to their teachers. They spend a lot of time outdoors in nature and have the chance to get to know their teachers and each another well. They experience a rollercoaster of challenges. After students have attended our course, they can do anything, because they have been met with and overcome challenges that have taught them important lessons.”
The school has seen a steady increase in students since it was established. The winter and autumn courses in 2018 are already fully booked with 25 and 32 students signed up, respectively. The majority of students are from the Faroe Islands, but young people from Denmark, Germany, England, New Zealand and Iceland have also attended.
Words: Levi Hanssen, faroeislands.fo
Pics: Ítróttaháskúlin í Suðuroy