Staff Spotlight: Joakim Gåsøy

Joakim is a student from Norway. He enjoys being with friends, swimming, cooking, reading and, most importantly, traveling and interacting with new people through World Campus. He has worked for both the World Campus Japan and World Campus Norway programs as a counselor and video editor, and he intends to support both programs in the future.

Choosing only one memory is nigh impossible, although there is a recent one that comes to mind. The third time traveling to the Nagasaki area in Japan, I had the pleasure of meeting all my three host families from that area. They had arranged a barbecue for me, and I really felt like I was part of a big family. These are the memories that makes me come back year after year.

I have acquired many important life skills, but among the most important ones are the teaching skills. Working as a counselor is quite similar to working as a teacher, and through staff training and experience, I have learned how to teach a group of people, both in theory and in practice. For instance, I have learned that I should always be able to reasonably explain my decisions to my students. To me, this is an invaluable tool both in my personal and professional life.

Working as a counselor can also be quite stressful at times, and I have become noticeably calmer and collected over the years working with World Campus. This really helps whenever I face a stressful situation in another part of my life!

I remember one particularly shy student who had little interest in Japan prior to joining our program. He was recommended to join by his friend, and the way he developed during the program was truly magical to witness. From dancing and singing to smiling and interacting with students and locals, he was completely changed by end. Afterwards, he said it was the best experience of his life, and it really warmed my heart.

The World Campus Japan program is the longest running and most established program, and is the one I would recommend first and foremost. Japan is not only a very safe place to stay, but has a very unique culture that will make anybody experience a culture shock at one point or another, and that is the beauty of our program. The friendly nature of the people of Japan, combined with their modern and traditional culture, makes it a program full of opportunities to develop oneself and create unforgettable memories.

The programs offered by World Campus are one-of-a-kind. Both the composition of the participants and staff from all over the world, and notably the exclusive activities and home stay, make our programs truly unique.

I am always proud to work with a team of international staff, but especially when a participant tells me we changed their life.

From my experience with World Campus, I think a clear ambition and the motivation to reach its goal are integral to success. Motivation often goes hand in hand with enjoyment, and everybody involved in World Campus do it because they enjoy it. We all want to make the world a better place, and we do it by making its people improving themselves, and it is something we all love doing.