Dear friends of UWC, 

 

It’s the last day of January already (didn’t we only just welcome 2020?) and before this month is over we want to reach out to all of you with our: 

We also have exciting news to share: As of 1 January 2020, UWC International has a second office location in Berlin, Germany. Our office in London, of course, continues to be open. And yes, the opening of the Berlin office is a consequence of Brexit and driven by our need to have an independent legal entity in the EU. But it is also driven by our belief that a presence on the European continent will strengthen our ability to build strong partnerships with public entities and various educational and philanthropic partners. Yesterday we had our first house warming party with UWC alums from across the globe (pictures on the UWC Hub!) -- and more events will follow soon. If you pass through Berlin, get in touch and do come visit us! We’d love to see you. 

 

Let me also express our gratitude and admiration to all the current students and staff at the UWC schools in mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore who are dealing with a very unexpected start to the year due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Wuhan, China. To date, no current member of a UWC school community has been infected. A series of precautionary measures have been implemented across all UWC campuses depending on their specific local situation and the regulations of the national health authorities and governments. Countless UWC national committee volunteers have also stepped in over the last few days to offer help and support. Thank you so very much! Any urgent concerns can be shared with us to our dedicated email address urgent@uwcio.uwc.org.

 

From our new office windows in Berlin, we overlook one of the main former transfer points for people to pass the wall between East and West Berlin. And here we are now - 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall - empowering young people worldwide to become bridge builders instead of wall builders. 

 

Today, on 31 January 2020, this seems particularly relevant and important. 

 

We are thankful to have all of you at our side in our endeavours to work towards a more united world! 

 

Most warmly (and with a very European heart today!),  
Hannah Tümpel

Deputy Executive Director, UWC International 

(UWC Adriatic 1996-1998) 

The Class of 2019 demonstrated an outstanding commitment to pass on their UWC experience to future generations with the annual UWC Pledge: 76% of the graduating class across the 16 participating schools pledged to pass on their future time, treasure and talent to UWC. This resulted in the Class of 2019 unlocking a full UWC scholarship for a student from a refugee or displaced background. This is thanks to the Generational Circle of donors who generously pledged to match the overall student participation rate with their donations. It has been agreed that the scholarship will be allocated to UWC Mostar which, alongside UWC Thailand, achieved a 100% participation rate in the UWC Pledge.