Welcome to the
December UWC Newsletter

Dear friends of UWC, 

2019 is slowly coming to an end - but as you will see from this newsletter, things are not yet slowing down at UWC: from a fundraising gala to benefit new scholarships to celebrating outstanding UWC national committees, from stories about UWC alums making a difference in the world of medicine to a new application route for students wishing to study the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at a UWC school or college, from students exceeding as film directors and photographers to the 2018 generation graduating at Waterford Kamhlaba UWC in Eswatini. This time of year is as colourful, exciting and diverse as only life at UWC can be.

We invite you to share the excitement of the UWC community by helping us spread the word: if you know curious 15-16 year olds (or their parents/teachers/siblings/friends), tell them about UWC and encourage them to apply! You can find resources to do so on our website or in this folder here.

But where there is light, there is also darkness: Li Po Chun UWC alumna Amaya Coppens (2012-2014) is still held in detention in Nicaragua and we continue to demand her fair trial in accordance with the rule of law. At the same time, the truth about the disappearance and murder of UWC-USA alumnus Giulio Regeni (2005-2007) continues to be overcast by uncertainty, although small developments give us hope that one day we might get #VeritaPerGiulio, #TruthForGiulio. As this year comes to an end, we will not allow them to be forgotten, and will continue to support them and their families and friends.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, if any, and wherever you are: may the coming days bring you many moments of peace, and may there be -- whether literally or symbolically -- many moments of light in the darkness for all members of the UWC community.

Warmly,
Hannah Tümpel 
Director of Communications and Engagement, UWC International

In this newsletter:

• See UWC Through a Student’s Lens
• Winners of the 2018 UWC Photo Contest
• UWC International Office Open House on 24 January
• Update on #FreeAmaya
• UWC Gala in NYC Fundraises for More UWC Scholarships
• The UWC Global Selection Programme
• More UWC Impact Stories: Medicine
• Meet the UWC National Committees: France, Guatemala and Indonesia
• UWC Educators Making an Impact: from Student to Teacher
• Graduation at Waterford Kamhlaba UWC SA
• Highlighting UWCx Initiatives
• Work with UWC!

Last month, UWC students from across the movement submitted more than 60 videos to the UWC Global Video Ambassadors competition, which selected 26 students from 16 different UWC schools and colleges as UWC Global Video Ambassadors. They will receive mentorship and support to create and share videos showing life as a UWC student. Check out some of the great videos we received in the YouTube playlist linked above!

We are pleased to announce that more than 100 photos were submitted to the second annual UWC Photo Contest! This year, the contest was open to students, alumni, staff and volunteers across the UWC movement.
Big congratulations to the winners: Arvin (UWC South East Asia 2001-2003; UWC Mahindra College faculty 2012-2018), Alexander (UWC Mahindra College 2016-2018), Jin (Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA 2018-2020) and Cristina (UWC Changshu China, 2018-2020). A special shoutout to our youngest participant, Fletcher from UWC Thailand - we loved your pictures! For more on the winning photos and for a peek at some of our other favourites, click here.

If you will be in or around London on 24 January 2019, join us to celebrate the new year from 6:00pm-8:30pm at the UWC International Office Open House! The evening is a fantastic opportunity to meet other members of the UWC community, to learn more about UWC’s exciting plans for 2019 and beyond, to discover ways you can get involved and to toast to a happy, healthy and peaceful 2019. You can also meet the UWC International team in a relaxed and engaging setting.

An optional alumni workshop “The Future of Education at UWC” will also take place on Thursday 24 January between 5:00pm-7:00pm in a building next to the UWC International Office. This is part of a series of events and interactions to engage alums across the world in a conversation on the “education” piece in UWC's mission. The aim is to understand together whether UWC's current approach to education allows us to be as successful as we could be "to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future."

Both the Open House and the alumni workshop are free to attend, but places are limited, so please register via Eventbrite to secure your spot.

The UWC community continues to follow the news about Li Po Chun UWC alumna Amaya Coppens, who was arrested in Nicaragua in early September 2018. UWCers around the world have organised demonstrations and other actions in support of Amaya and to raise awareness of her incarceration - see pictures of UWC actions that took place in Delhi and in Quebec over the last few months above. For the latest news from UWC on Amaya’s case, see here.

In mid-November the second annual UWC Fundraising Gala took place in New York raising funds for additional UWC scholarships. During the evening, Dr. Vartan Gregorian (a world-renowned philanthropist, current president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, former president of Brown University and Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, one of UWC’s partners) was honoured for his life-long commitment to humanitarianism. Several UWC alums shared their stories about how UWC changed their life, including James Bicamumpaka (Rwanda/Eswatini, Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA 2011-2016).

The gala also included a silent auction of artwork from students and alumni of UWC schools and colleges - a big “thank you” to all the talented UWC artists who donated their beautiful work! Have a look at the pictures from the event here.

The first round of face-to-face selections for the UWC Global Selection Programme (GSP) took place in November, with 125 shortlisted UWC applicants attending selection weekends in four global locations (Frankfurt, Germany; San José, Costa Rica; Dubai, UAE; and Bangkok, Thailand). The selections were run by experienced UWC selectors, including many UWC national committee volunteers, UWC alums and current UWC staff. Nominations of selected GSP students to UWC schools and colleges are now ongoing.
The GSP is a new route for entry to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) years at UWC for boarding students, and works in addition to the traditional entry route to UWC through UWC’s national committees. Places at UWC schools and colleges through the GSP are limited, and meant for candidates who wish to apply early on and who do not require financial support. To learn more about the GSP, including how to apply for consideration for a GSP selection weekend in early 2019, visit our website.

The UWC movement is proud to have highly successful alumni who serve their communities in a variety of different fields. Currently, UWC Impact Stories are highlighting the work of UWCers in medicine: Read about the work of Dr. Quique Bassat (Spain, UWC Atlantic College, 1991-1993, above) pediatrician and global health researcher; Dr. Kambe Banda (Malawi, Waterford Kamhlaba UWC SA, 1998-2000) working on genetics; Dr. Patrik Brundin (Sweden, UWC Atlantic College,1978-1980) a world-renowned Parkinson’s researcher; and Ella du Breuil (UWC Atlantic College, 2002-2004) who uses her training in emergency medicine and marine rescue to help refugees on the Aegean sea.
Keep watching this space for more inspiring stories to come! You can also let us know if you or a fellow UWC student or alum is making waves in the field of health and medicine by writing to communications@uwcio.uwc.org.

 

For many, the UWC experience extends far beyond their time as a UWC student. Among the UWC movement’s engaged alumni, some decide to return to UWC schools and colleges to pursue their careers. Shirla Nga Wan Sum (Pearson College UWC 2002-2004) is one such alum: she currently serves as Head of Individuals and Societies at UWC Changshu China.
At Pearson College UWC, Shirla says she “developed a sense of idealism, which still propels [her] today, through interacting with people from all corners of the globe who faced their own personal and social challenges.”
Read more about Shirla’s unique perspective on UWC education in her blog post, “UWC Education: Then, Now and Future.”

On 17 November, 115 students from 39 different countries graduated from the IB Diploma Programme years at Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa (the only UWC school operating on the southern hemisphere academic calendar).

Ronja, one of the speakers for the graduating class, reflected on her journey at UWC: “But these two years have also required though experiences. When I was coming here for the first time, I knew how tough it would be to leave home. Relatives and friends admired my decision and said that it takes a lot of courage to leave behind something familiar and comfortable, for something completely new and unknown. And all of us can relate to those struggles, of settling in to a new environment where you know no one. Some of us went through that experience 7 years ago in Form 1, whereas some of us had that experience only two years ago. But what no one ever told me before coming here, was that Waterford would not require me to leave my home only once, but twice. First time coming here, and second time when leaving this place. And no one ever told me, that the second time would be a hundred times more difficult.”

Simon, another recent graduate, also said: “At our fingertips today is a world of potential, a world of ideas, a world of exciting new adventures, and we are all faced with a simple choice: you can watch comfortably from your seats in the crowd and admire this world I talk about, or you can get up, reach out to the horizon, and grab this world; take control of it, mould it, and set it free. [...] From this moment onwards, Waterford Alumni, we will always have someone nearby whom you can rely on to help in any situation, because we are a family. But perhaps even more importantly, we all have free accommodation in almost every country in the world now. Home is where the heart is, and so thank you to every single one of you for making this community a home for so many of us for the past seven years.”

Congratulations to the class of 2018!

The team of Atlantic Pacific International Rescue Boat Project (AP), a UWCx Initiative based at UWC Atlantic College which provides lifeboats where they are needed, recently spent a week with students at UWC ISAK Japan. The group visited Kamaishi, Iwate - one of the areas severely hit by the 2011 Tsunami - to learn more about AP’s first “Lifeboat in a Box” and local organisations working on regenerating the area.
AP recently received a “Points of Light” award from the UK government, and has also been shortlisted for the 2018 British Business Award for Social and Environmental Contribution - join us in congratulating them!

Looking for an opportunity to get involved with international values-based education? Apply to work with UWC! There are several open positions across the UWC movement - visit our website today for current opportunities, including: