Westfield has an exciting announcement:
We’re going (virtually) global!
"One of the miracles of the pandemic was Westfield going virtual! It has changed everything!”
~ Westfield Student
In the past two years, we’ve witnessed something surprising & spectacular at Westfield. After expanding our virtual options to include classes and competitions around the world, we watched our already diverse community become truly global.
We now have students from Hong Kong and the U.S. debating democracy together. We put on Model U.N. simulations that mimic the real thing, with delegates tuning in from Brazil, Uganda and Pakistan. And our community events have become global, drawing students and parents from countries the world over.
Westfield’s goal has always been to provide the education our next generation of world leaders will need to be able to engage a globalized world.
Therefore, to take advantage of this amazing opening for global learning, we have made an important decision:
All Westfield classes will be virtual from now on.
Got questions about how this will work?
We’ve got answers! And a cool, new virtual campus…
How will classes and camp work now?
If you’ve participated in an Westfield classes, camps or competitions in the past couple of years, you already know how well our offerings translate to a virtual platform. All of Westfield’s core offerings—our debate and MUN classes, our summer camps and our signature tournaments—will continue to take place on Zoom. We will also be making use of our brand new virtual campus (first showcased during 2021 summer camp season, see some pictures above), to give our gatherings the community feel we always strive for.
Isn’t virtual programming, well, just worse?
We get it, you’re a little bit over Zoom. And it’s true that some activities, like basketball or choir just don’t translate that well to a video call. We’re hoping those sorts of things go back to being in person too. But the thing is, debate and Model U.N. actually work beautifully on a computer—what with the ease of prepping in breakout rooms, the convenience of having the world-wide web at your finger tips and the fact that you no longer have to commute to our meeting house, our classes are arguably better online.
What about competitions?
Many organizations that run competitions have experienced the advantages we’ve noticed and some have already decided to stay virtual permanently. Other may begin to put on in-person events and Westfield intends to send teams to those tournaments and conferences. The only difference is that now some Westfielders will have opportunities to hybrid with global buddies at virtual events, while still being able to participate in good old-fashioned competitions too.
Will any events be in person?
Yes! Although classes, camps and many competitions will be virtual, we will put on in-person community events regularly for students and parents. These events will initially be based around Westfield’s traditional brick and mortar locale (West Hartford, CT), but as our community continues to expand, we plan to start facilitating pop-up Westfield events around the world!
What the heck is a virtual campus?
A virtual community space. A classroom with no walls. A global gathering place. Honestly, it’s hard to describe, so we’ll just take you on a tour. If you didn’t get to experience this new space during summer camp, check out the video to get a walk-through of our new campus!
“I love everything about the virtual campus! It’s very intuitive and I liked how we had the freedom to go where we wanted."
- 2021 Summer Camper
In short, we’re super excited to continue having global, educational, challenging, meaningful, goofy, virtual fun together in the years to come!
