On Friday 24 April, ICS students had the opportunity to attend the 8th Pride Conference organised by the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) Pride Educators. This year, the Pride Conference was held at the International School of Basel.

This year’s guest speaker was singer/songwriter Dylan Holloway who started the day with a powerful and authentic piece about connection. Not only did we get a private concert from Dylan at the start of the day, but he also offered a fresh perspective on resilience.

The rest of the day was spent by students taking part in various activities, including a workshop exploring ways to improve inclusivity in schools and where they were able to identify various patterns of problems across their different schools. It was a deeply personal and rewarding experience for all of us.

Throughout the day, students from various international schools in Switzerland connected with each other. It was very moving to see them be able to bring their authentic selves to a space where they truly belonged. As a queer educator myself, I was particularly moved by the realisation that had I had the opportunity for such visible queer representation when I was younger, my journey would have been different. I feel incredibly grateful that, alongside my fellow SGIS Pride Educators, we are now able to provide this space for our students to be unequivocally themselves.

The day wasn’t just about connection; it was also about looking forward. We had a fantastic panel of queer professionals from banking, finance, science, and HR backgrounds who shared their real-world experiences. Hearing how they navigated their careers and identities gave our students a concrete vision of their future possibilities beyond the classroom.

On the teachers’ side, we also took part in some great professional development on inclusivity. It wasn’t just theory; we had open discussions and workshops that gave us practical ideas to bring back to our daily work and support our students at school. 

Overall, it was a powerful reminder of our mission to support every student in reaching their potential and fulfilling their passion. The students showed up with curiosity, and we all left with renewed energy. The whole day felt like a natural extension of the important work on ‘Belonging’ that we are currently doing right now at ICS.

Gilles Collong - SGIS Pride Educator