Under the theme ‘Wellness in Your Studies, Life and Work’, the event featured twenty-five presentations and workshops by experts from a range of industries from up to eight countries, with the participation of more than thirty universities from around the world.

In the midst of the pre-enrolment period, one of the challenges that young people face in planning their future is to choose the educational institution and the type of training to which they will devote their next few years and which will determine their professional life. In today’s uncertain context, where the need to reconcile personal and professional life and to take mental health into account is increasingly on the table, it is essential to guide young people so that they can make a choice that suits their tastes, but also their needs and the characteristics of a changing world. In this sense, according to the results of a study carried out by UAB, only 25% of young people choose their studies according to their professional preferences. ‘Increasingly, students value other external factors in their choice of education, which go beyond the development of a professional career. The current situation has highlighted the importance of thinking about how to have a satisfactory lifestyle at all levels, where there is balance, health and emotional wellbeing, where there is quality of life, aspects that will undoubtedly have an impact on job satisfaction and therefore performance’, explains Kyra Kellawan, Futures Advisor at The British School of Barcelona.

 

However, it is sometimes difficult for a young person to assess these aspects, especially when the range of training on offer is constantly growing and new subjects are emerging in the educational, personal and professional spheres. This is where schools have a key role to play in providing up-to-date careers guidance programmes to help young people in their decision-making process. According to Ms Kellawan, ‘Not only do students need to be aware of the wide range of options available to them, but we need to help them think about the kind of life they want to lead in the future, learn how to plan their next steps in good mental, physical and emotional health, and start considering their options sooner rather than later’.

 

With this in mind, the British School of Barcelona has organised the second edition of the BSB Futures Festival, an educational event dedicated to wellness in studies, life and work. It is a day where families and students aged between fourteen and seventeen can attend various talks and workshops given by experts and consult information about universities and other training centres in order to have the necessary resources to face their future. ‘Our aim this year’, says Ms Kellawan, ‘is to introduce concepts that aren’t often discussed at school and career paths that young people don’t often think about, and to provide new information based on the latest research about the changing world beyond the school gates’.

BSB Futures Festival 2023 Focused on Wellbeing

This year’s BSB Futures Festival took place on Friday, 24 March across our three campuses in Castelldefels: BSB STEM Centre, BSB Castelldefels and BSB Nexus Pre-University Campus. Themed ‘Wellness in Your Studies, Life and Work’, the event brought together a total of twenty-five talks from experts in different fields throughout the morning, including the opening panel discussion ‘What Wellness Means in Schools’ with Sadie Hollins, founder of Wellbeing in International Schools magazine, Dr Andrew Lee, Director of Arts International, and Beth Kerr, Director of Wellbeing at Cognita, the international group of schools of which BSB is a member. Other talks included ‘The Science of Focusing: “Think Slow” and Enjoy a Balanced Mind’ by Raul Jiménez, Professor at Imperial College London; ‘Tools for Life’ with Dr Shane McLoughlin from the University of Birmingham; and ‘Be Celebrated, Not Tolerated’ by Emory University in the USA, among others.

 

In addition, Pre-University students and their families were able to visit various university stands at the University Fair held in the afternoon, which brought together more than thirty universities from up to eight different countries, offering students a global perspective of study and knowledge.

 

As Kyra Kellawan says: ‘We are learning to lay the foundations of a life well lived and that has to do with knowing oneself and being able to reflect, maintaining healthy eating and physical habits, a positive mindset and of course the ability to focus and plan for the future based on a healthy and self-respecting lifestyle’.