Dear friends of UWC, 

It’s graduation time at most of our UWC schools and colleges. During these past days I have been reading many of the graduation speeches made by students. They are all different - and yet in their core message they are astoundingly similar and always “so UWC”. 

The speeches talk about how quickly the two years have passed - and how the beginning with the “awkward introductions of names we couldn’t pronounce and countries we did not know existed” seems both like yesterday and like a lifetime ago. They mention midnight (or well past midnight!) conversations about the meaning of life, the pressure of the IB, the lack of sleep, cafeteria food, room decorations, weekend adventures, shared laughter - and how the UWC campus has become home and the UWC community has become family. 

The speeches talk about the transformative power of UWC: “This place that changed me so much in ways I cannot comprehend” said Siham from Palestine during the graduation at UWC Adriatic. Melos from Kosovo added: “You have made me grow to an extent I had never imagined. Times back home might have stayed still, but we did not come out as the same people who came in. Some people grew to be more loving, some grew to be more understanding and everyone grew to be more curious.”

Graduates expressed the challenges which came with UWC’s emphasis on creating deliberately diverse learning communities. Sunniva from Norway and Justice from the US expressed it like this in their speech at UWC Red Cross Nordic: “Some parents might believe this is a utopia, that everyone here is perfect, so nice, so kind and that we probably agree with each other on everything. However, I think the most defining thing about this place that that we are not those things. Yes, we are kind to each other (usually) but there are some fundamental differences between us. It takes strength to sit down and talk about something difficult and try to see the other person’s perspective and this happens all the time here. This place is a challenge, but that is also its beauty.” 

Jasper from Canada and Preethika from Malaysia, both graduating from UWC Thailand, applied this experience to the miracle (and strength!) of friendships that can develop at UWC: “As the year went on, we would come to realise that the real diversity at UWC wasn’t about the little flag on the door. You’ve got friends like Aviv and Russell -- completely different in every way possible. Russell used to turn up to Chinese class and complain a solid 30 minutes about how annoying Aviv was. Two months later they were inseparable (setting aside the fact that Aviv isn’t even allowed in Russell’s country). This place pushes polar opposites down your throat. It forces you to give people a second chance, forces you to understand more than what meets the eye. And when you do, you’re grateful you stuck around just that much longer, because you’re rewarded with a relationship that will last a lifetime.” 

The graduation speakers of 2019 are also testament to our time: they talk about Fridays For Future and their anger about the state of the world. They talk about the need to act now for a better future. Like Melos said in his closing words: “I am not planning to just put this experience in the time-capsule waiting to get it out at my ten-year reunion. Mainly because by then the UWC logo with the world map that we love so dearly might have drastically changed. It will have a lot more water and a lot less land. And honestly, I don’t want to come back in ten years, realizing that because of my lack of action I need to donate to a climate-refugee fund. We should not deal with the aftermath, but rather with trying to prevent it. Because what is the point of a movement, if we don’t shift something, when we can.” 

Dear generation 2019: welcome to the UWC community in your new role as UWC alums. We are delighted to have you and we count on you to remind us every day of what it means to stay true to the UWC mission and values. To you, it feels as if something is coming to an an end now - but really this is just the beginning! Your two (or more) years at a UWC school or college were only the start, a “prep course” for all the subsequent years in which each of us needs to figure out how to bring the UWC mission and values into action. How can we be compassionate, kind, determined, hopeful and celebratory of diversity every day? Your graduation speeches are heart-warming testament to the fact that you are ready to face these challenges. We are excited to see all that you will become. 

And as the start of their UWC alum life is but a beginning for the class of 2019, this newsletter is about many new beginnings: We welcome a new UWC in Tanzania as from August 2019 (hooray!), UWC International has moved into a new office in the heart of London (come to visit us!), Harvard’s UWC Impact Study will be launched to all UWC alums shortly (stay tuned and participate!) and many of our UWC short courses are open for applications (spread the word!). 

Last, but not least, UWC Day 2019 will call for us to act: “Climate of Change” is the theme for 21 September 2019 and we are looking forward to many meaningful events and initiatives around the globe. Let the planning begin! Or as Melos would say: “Because what is the point of a movement, if we don’t shift something, when we can.” 

Hopeful and grateful, 
Hannah
(UWC Adriatic 1996-1998)
Deputy Executive Director, UWC International

In this Newsletter:

• Welcoming a New UWC in Africa!
• A New Home for UWC in London
• Save the Date: Meet the UWC International Board in London
• UWC Day 2019: Climate of Change
• UWC Reaches the World Through Short Courses
• Coming Soon: Harvard's UWC Impact Study Alum Survey
• In the Fight for Trans Rights, Stories are Powerful
• Convening Changemakers in Education
• Excelling in Complexity Thinking
• Alum Reaches High for UWC Scholarships
• In the Final Stretch: the Davis-UWC IMPACT Challenge
• Work With UWC

UWC International is proud to announce that another school will be joining the UWC movement in 2019 - bringing the grand total of UWC schools and colleges to 18. The UWC International Board voted unanimously to approve International School Moshi (ISM)’s proposal to become the newest UWC school. ISM (its new UWC name still to be confirmed) will accept its first cohort of UWC national committee selected students beginning in August for the academic year 2019-2020.

The opening of a second UWC school on the African continent represents a significant step towards the UWC movement’s strategic goal of reaching out more widely in Africa. The Opening Ceremony for the newest UWC school (which coincides with ISM's 50th anniversary!) will take place on its two campuses in Tanzania on 25 and 26 October 2019. For more information on the newest UWC and a message from its Director, click here.

This month, the UWC International Office successfully moved in to its new space in central London! After a great deal of hard work from the UWC team (and a helping hand from our friends at the UWCx Initiative, the Atlantic Pacific International Rescue Boat Project) UWC International is now located in a space that is more accessible, sustainable and employee-friendly. In the coming months, UWC International will also be opening up a second office location - in Berlin, Germany - to expand the reach of UWC even further through fundraising and partnerships in Europe.  

You can now find the UWC International Office in London at 55 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1BS. Pass by for a cup of tea! 

It’s official - the theme for UWC Day 2019 is “Climate of Change”! This theme was selected in light of the growing consequences of global climate change and the key role UWCers need to play in advocating for bold climate action. Placing a focus on the “sustainability” aspect of the UWC mission statement, we look forward to the great projects, events and initiatives that will be organised globally around this idea on 21 September 2019. More information and resources for planning UWC Day events will be shared soon - get ready!

Next to the unique global reach of the UWC school and college selection processes (our system of 157 national committees and the Global Selection Programme), one of the most significant ways in which UWC reaches out to people around the world is through short courses and summer programmes. Antonio Carvalho, a short course alumnus and current teacher at UWC Atlantic College, recently spoke to UWC about the life-changing nature of short courses and why he has dedicated so much of his time to supporting them - read the article here! 

And for information on all short courses and summer programmes taking place in 2019, check out this page. If you know someone who would make a great UWC short course participant, or someone who could share their time or resources with a short course - let them know!

 

Over the last several months, UWC has been reaching out to community members to share their Impact Stories around a central theme: gender. Gabbie Santos (Philippines, Pearson College UWC, 2011-2013) wrote about his experience advocating for trans rights, emphasizing the power of reaching out through storytelling to inspire positive change. Read Gabbie’s story (and check out his TED talk) here.

A big thanks to all UWC students and alumni who continue to share their stories with us! As we continue to upload Impact Stories about gender, please let us know if we should feature you in our next series: UWCers in Journalism.

In April, representatives from UWC International attended the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK. Each year, the world’s most influential social entrepreneurs, key thought leaders, and strategic partners gather at the Forum to exchange ideas and activate solutions to global challenges, and UWC took this opportunity to reach out to different stakeholders by hosting an event with UWCx Initiative for refugee learning Sky School. UWC and Sky School staff, several UWC alumni and a group of students from UWC Atlantic College took part in the workshop, “Education for Accelerating Good,” where they mapped and brainstormed how to seize opportunities to enable our education systems to accelerate positive change.

UWC International is pleased to report that the complexity module which was developed through collaboration between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UWC Mahindra College was recently recognised with an Educators’ Challenge Award. This award, from the Global Challenges Foundation, recognises educators doing an outstanding job of promoting positive global action. Congratulations to both the EMF team and to those members of the UWC community who contributed in the curriculum design process. 

Mikael Morn is a Finnish graduate of UWCSEA - and a consummate climber. Combining his passion for climbing and his love for UWC, last August Mikael summited three of the world’s most remote peaks to raise funds for a UWCSEA scholarship for a student with a background of internal displacement. Thanks to Mikael’s fundraising efforts, Liza (from Donetsk) will be starting as a scholar at UWCSEA this year. Learn more about Mikael’s climbs for UWC - including his upcoming trek to support a scholar from Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan - here. 

You have until 31 July to help UWC Mahindra College, UWC Red Cross Nordic, Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong and UWC Thailand unlock their matching funds within the Davis-UWC IMPACT Challenge and provide more scholarships to deserving young people! Over the years, the funds raised through the Challenge have provided scholarships to exceptional young students like Mansour (Niger, UWC Red Cross Nordic, 2017-2019), Tsering (Tibet/India, UWC Red Cross Nordic, 2017-2019), Manu (Argentina, Li Po Chun UWC United World College of Hong Kong, 2018-2020), Andy (DRC, UWC Mahindra College, 2018-2020) and Yves (Rwanda, UWC Mahindra College, 2018-2020). While 13 UWC schools and colleges have already unlocked $16.1m, you still have a chance to support the remaining four UWCs to make sure more young changemakers receive a UWC education. For more info on the challenge, see here.

Looking for an opportunity to get more involved with international values-based education? Apply to work with us. There are several open positions across the UWC movement - visit http://uwc.org/jobs today for current opportunities, including: