First Semester
The first semester focuses on acquiring tools and skills within the art of pitching ideas and storytelling, through researching subjects of interest and presentations. Every week has a new subject, divided into sub-subjects of choice. These are explored and key points are presented as a story through a media of choice.
There are weekend workshops focusing on acquiring skills within programs such as Photoshop, Scratch, Protools, Excel and the like while others focus on communication skills, presentation skills, interpretation, media studies, Complete Vocal Technique, theater and again others focus on basic life skills such as how to create a budget, plan an event or how to collaborate with others.
The themes and subjects relate to one or more of the areas of the whole-person-learning-wheel:
How to communicate effectively, how to practice active listening, how to present or pitch your ideas so that others become interested and want to engage with you, taking charge and being responsible for who you are in the world.
How to express your feelings and standpoints without hurting others or being hurt yourself. How to gain clarity within yourself and trusting your inner guidance system.
How to create awareness of your thoughts and beliefs and becoming good at noticing which ones serve you best. Practicing focusing techniques and mindfulness.
Practicing thoughtfulness and awareness regarding your surroundings, the local environment as well as the global setting. Being mindful of choices and consequences.
Being mindful of daily choices regarding nutrition, movement, and physical wellbeing. Your body communicates – get really good at listening! Have fun by playing ball or get focused through using martial arts or join another in practicing acrobalance or dance.
Get really good at budgeting, making estimates, figuring things out and balancing ins and outs. Know how you set prices and value goods, how does supply and demand work, what is the cost of realizing an idea and what possible funding avenues can be explored. What about taxes and the interpretation of a payslip… and knowing your own worth.
How to choose practices, that support your choices and beliefs. How to find intentional, life-giving alignment with who you are and what you do. Getting into alignment with your inner knowing.
How to sift and sort and walk the path that most inspires and fulfills you. How to gain clarity and confidence to find your direction in life.
How to be eager, curious, skeptical and fair-minded at the same time to make wise choices about your life. How to use tools and awareness to integrate learning into your everyday life.
Second Semester
The second semester is a ‘business incubator’ in the sense that the semester starts with each student committing to an idea and through teamwork taking that idea ‘to the market’. The students get a sense of what is required to start up a business and bring a product or process to the end user.
If the business is to create a new game, the semester looks at different tools for each category in the art of Game Development and the students get a sense of what is required to create a game within each field:
Art/Animation/Graphics,
Audio/Sound-effects/Music,
Game Design/Story-telling/User-interface-design,
Programming/2D+3D Math,
Project Management/Organization/Communication/TimeManagement.