United World Colleges

The United World Colleges (UWC) are a group of ten international high schools. Founded during the Cold War, the United World Colleges aimed at promoting understanding between the different nations through education and through interaction between young people from different countries, living and working together. Today this goal is again a necessity in a world devastated by ethnic and religious conflicts. The UWC movement brings together students from around the globe at a pre-universitary level, selected on merit, regardless of their financial, ethnic, religious or educational background and regardless of their ability to pay.

The international organization of UWC is a British foundation that comprises ten colleges in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Norway, Singapore, Swaziland, the United States, Venezuela and Wales; national committees in more than 120 countries; a network of more than 15 000 alumni and an International Office in London. The UWC usually accept students who are 16 to 18 years old. The United World College of South East Asia in Singapore accepts students aged between 4 and 17. Each UWC typically comprises some 200 students from about 90 different countries.

Contents

1 History 2 Academics 3 Activities 4 Admissions 5 The colleges 6 External link

History

The first UWC, the Atlantic College, located in a 12th Century Castle near Cardiff, Wales, was founded in 1962 with the initiative of Kurt Hahn, a renowned German educationalist. His vision was based on his post-war experience at the NATO, where the serene discussions between the enemies of the days before fascinated him. He decided to transmit this spirit of mutual understanding to young people, who, living and working together, would learn to overcome their prejudgments and antagonisms.

Therefore, Hahn thought about a college gathering boys and girls of age 16 to 19; age at which the adolescence already rooted in its culture would be confronted to the cultures of the college-mates, coming from different origins and horizons. The selection would be based on personal motivation and potential success, regardless of any social or culture factors. A scholarship program would guarantee the recruitment of young people from a myriad of economic backgrounds. The project saw the light in 1962, with the inauguration of the Atlantic College in Wales. Hence, established in the midst of the Cold War, the Atlantic College brought a new dimension to international education and cooperation.

Since 1967, under the energetic and prestigious presidency of Lord Mountbatten, new Colleges were founded in order to give UWC access to more young men and women. Thus, in 1971 the United World College of South East Asia was established in Singapore, followed by the UWC of the Pacific in Canada in 1974. Under the presidency of Prince Charles, four more UWC were inaugurated: 1981 in Swaziland, 1982 in Italy and in the United States and 1988 in Venezuela. The rhythm accelerated with the foundation of three Colleges within five years: 1992 in Hong Kong, 1995 in Norway and 1997 in India, this rising the number of Colleges to ten.

The threat of an international conflict faded away with the end of the Cold War. However, the risk and reality of the regional and inter ethnical conflicts has since then dramatically increased. The UWC, implanted where cultures interact or confront, have been operating to establish links between individuals of different ideologies and perspectives. Their mission is to answer Lester B. Pearson's interrogation: How can there be Peace without people understanding each other; and how can this be if they don't know each other?

Today the UWC is an NGO, partner of the UNESCO, whose goal is to encourage the youths, through international education, shared experiences and common services, to become responsible citizens, politically and environmentally aware, committed to the ideals of peace, justice, understanding and cooperation and to the implementation of these ideals through action and personal example.

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is President of the United World Colleges since 1995. Her endeavors for the promotion of international understanding and her support for many peace initiatives make her the perfect representative of the UWC ideals.

President Nelson Mandela is since 1999 the honorary president of the UWC. Through his life-long actions for the defense of liberty and justice, Mandela is also a great promoter of the ideals the UWC try to install through the education they offer.

Academics

All UWC, with the exception of the Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture in Venezuela, offer two years at the end of the secondary cycle. After these two years, all UWC students are holders of the International Baccalaureate Diploma, one of the most prestigious high school diploma in the world. The International Baccalaureate Organization has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and three administrative offices in New York, Buenos Aires and Singapore. The Examinations Office is in the United Kingdom. The three languages of work of the International Baccalaureate are English, French and Spanish. Nine of the ten UWC use English as the main language of teaching and communication. Pearson College in Canada teaches certain subjects in French and Spanish while the UWC of the Adriatic in Italy and the Red Cross Nordic UWC in Norway require that all students study Italian/Norwegian in order to facilitate their relationship with the local populations. The teaching in the Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture in Venezuela is in Spanish, with English Language classes. That college is for slightly older students and offers a diploma in agricultural administration.

Activities

The CAS Program (Creativity, Action, Service) is an integral part of the UWC life. The confrontation to the human needs and to the reality of social problems leads the students to be imaginative and encourages them to act, each within her/his potential. The choice of activities - maritime and mountain first aid, environmental protection, care of handicaps - depends on the possibilities and local needs of each of the colleges. The CAS Program promotes artistic creation, art and folklore discovery, adventure spirit and physical challenge.

Admissions

Entry into a college is based on academic performance, personal engagement and the personal maturity of the candidate. The majority of students attending United World Colleges have been awarded scholarships through the various national committees in the world.

Pupils who wish to apply for United World College scholarships are interviewed by national committees, all of which have a slightly different system. In Egypt and Hungary the places are offered on the basis of a system of national competitions (OKTV in the case of Hungary) and specialised interviews, whereas in the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany and Italy shortlisted applicants attend a two-day residential with an interview, various games and debates.

The colleges

• United World College of the Atlantic (Wales, United Kingdom)
• United World College of South East Asia (Singapore)
• Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Canada)
• Waterford-KaMhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (Swaziland)
• Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (USA)
• United World College of the Adriatic (Italy)
• Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture (Venezuela)
• Li Po Chun United World College (Hong Kong)
• Red Cross Nordic United World College (Norway)
• Mahindra United World College of India (India)

External link

• UWC Official Website (http://www.uwc.org)

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