Developing valuable life skills
Schola Polaris helps you to develop essential characteristics. While the experience has its challenges and will push you to your limits, we will empower you to grow beyond what academic education alone can offer.
Working closely with the professional crew and fellow students, you will develop essential characteristics such as strong leadership, clear communication, and thoughtful reflection – skills that last a lifetime. This will make you more independent, confident, and equipped with valuable life skills. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you gain an unforgettable experience that will set you apart in any future academic or career path.
Personal growth at Schola Polaris is defined by four keywords: Learn, Lead, Connect and Protect.
Learn
– Expand knowledge –
– Build a foundation in critical thinking –
– Improve time management –
– Strengthen self directed learning –
Knowledgable, Thinkers
Lead
– Build resilience –
– Take responsibility –
– Develop toughness –
– Work as a team –
– Communicate clearly –
– Lead with confidence –
Principled, Communicators
Reflective
Connect
– Connect across cultures –
– Broaden perspectives –
– Develop open mindedness –
– Act with compassion –
Open-minded, Balanced
Protect
– Participate in citizen science –
– Lead student projects –
– Investigate pollution –
Caring, Inquirers, Risk-takers
Learn
Throughout the journey, you expand your knowledge, critical thinking and capabilities for self-directed learning. You will learn excellent time management, balancing demanding study schedules with daily ship routines. This unique environment helps you grow in a way that traditional academic education alone cannot offer.
Lead
Sailing a Tall Ship provides the perfect environment to develop strong leadership skills. You will learn teamwork, responsibility, and clear communication in situations in which you learn by doing. As an active and necessary crew member, you help to sail and maintain the vessel, including standing watches day and night. You’ll set the sails, steer the ship, record entries in the logbook, check the engine room, and bake fresh bread for everyone on board. Through these shared responsibilities, you build resilience, confidence, and trust in your own abilities and those of others.
Connect
Working closely with the professional crew and fellow students, you learn to communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, respect different perspectives and to compromise. Living and learning together at sea builds a deep sense of community and trust, connecting people across different cultures and backgrounds.
Protect
You will learn what it means to take responsibility. For yourself, for others, for the ship and for the planet we all share. At Schola Polaris, you do this by joining citizen science projects, leading student initiatives, and taking real action to protect the world we travel. You take your first steps in this long before you board the ship. During the predeparture programme, you will raise funds for a charity, supporting local communities and conservation projects you will likely meet during the journey. These experiences nurture awareness, compassion, and a lifelong commitment to caring for others and our planet.
Looking back, I’ve changed a lot. I’ve become more confident and more independent and my school work has improved as well.
Mariana, former participant
Contribute to local communities
At Schola Polaris, we believe global citizenship is best learned through real-world experience. As we sail the globe, students engage in hands-on learning that deepens their understanding of social and environmental issues.
Citizen Science Projects
Students contribute to ongoing global research by participating in initiatives such as the Ocean Cleanup project. While at sea, they collect and analyse data on plastic pollution, using tools like GPS to document the presence of floating plastic. Their findings support worldwide efforts to reduce marine waste.
Student-Led Projects
At Schola Polaris, students take the lead. From planning to execution, they organize activities like beach clean-ups, gaining a sense of ownership, responsibility, and environmental awareness through meaningful action. This is also part of the DP core curriculum, so students get the option to truly work towards their educational goals in an actual, real-world situation.
Community and contribution
Students also engage directly with local communities in destinations such as Greenland, Cabo Verde, and Grenada. Before setting sail, students raise funds to support these initiatives. Fundraising helps participants connect with the deeper purpose of the journey and see the real-world impact they can make, both locally and globally.
Collaborate with us?
We are always looking for potential locations and partners for projects.
Do you know a community initiative or organization that could be a good fit?
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch and help us build a meaningful connection.