Avenues School's J-term bridges cultures and fosters friendship

Avenues Shenzhen, a bilingual international school located in the Xili area of Nanshan District, will welcome 65 families from Avenues New York and Valour Primary School in Singapore to jointly launch the Avenues J-Term World Classroom month.

The “J” in J-Term stands for “June.” Every June, this initiative takes place to facilitate connection, exploration, and growth beyond borders. J-Term aims to break down national boundaries as well as barriers between schools and communities, transforming the world into a real-life classroom.

During the 2024 J-Term, Avenues Shenzhen students visited a rice farm in Shenzhen to learn about the origins of their food. Photos courtesy of Avenues Shenzhen.

Over the past three years, more than 200 families from New York have participated in the J-Term program by visiting Shenzhen. Meanwhile, Shenzhen students have traveled to 12 countries and regions worldwide and engaged in over 100 global collaborative projects. J-Term is not only an innovative teaching method but also a social experiment in fostering international understanding and cultural integration.

“We hope to cultivate future-oriented leaders with the skills to solve global challenges,” said Angela Xu, head of Avenues Shenzhen. As an international bilingual school based in China with global connections, Avenues Shenzhen is committed to building an educational ecosystem that links global resources and supports local development.

During this year’s J-Term, overseas students visiting Shenzhen will collaborate with their counterparts at Avenues Shenzhen. Together, they will explore local intangible cultural heritage workshops, tech companies, natural ecological reserves, museums, and city streets. Using project-based learning as their foundation, they will engage in discussions on topics such as technology ethics, sustainable development, urban culture, and community co-creation, experiencing real-world collaboration and creativity.

In the 2023 J-Term, Avenues Shenzhen students visited the Haiwan Community in Shekou to observe, interview, and create. They launched an exhibition aimed at raising awareness and support for migrant workers.

Each June, Avenues Shenzhen students choose an exchange school abroad and participate in a variety of activities, including month-long studies of the Hudson River’s urban ecology in New York, visits to AI start-ups in Silicon Valley, and involvement in community art projects in São Paulo. This year, middle school students from Avenues Shenzhen will travel to the border between Morocco and Spain to study the impact of immigration on language and culture.

Founded in 2019, Avenues Shenzhen offers a transformative international education for toddlers through Grade 12. Its mission is to cultivate students who understand their unique strengths, are empowered to pursue their passions, and are prepared to make a meaningful impact in the world.