Can you imagine a high school good enough for the CEO of Nokia, President of Botswana, one of the most famous Japanese singer and songwriter, and the king of The Netherlands himself? Well I know it’s hard, but did I mention that the honorable presidents of that that high school were Prince Charles, Admiral Mounbatten- chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Nelson Mandela and the present day president Queen Noor of Jordan? What if on top of that, students could get a full scholarship from their national committees and live in some of the most beautiful places around the globe? Put it all together, add some secret ingredients, stir it well and there you've got it: United World College (UWC).
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UWC is a movement including short programs and national committees in more than 140 countries and 15 schools around the world- from Norway to Swaziland, United States to China. The movement started in 1962 with an initiative from Kurt Hahn, who dreamed of an institution which would select students with personal motivation and potential, regardless of any social, economic or cultural factors. Eventually, the mission statement was created: 'UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.' Even if it seems idealistic and naive, this mission statement supported by students’ ambitions led to the creation of a unique UWC Spirit.
A few days ago, when my own UWC ride came to an end, I started wondering what is the collective UWC Spirit, why does this institution still follow the mission statement and why is there a place on this earth where people actually come along and dream of the world as one functional unit?
There are many factors that have to be considered first, and I would like to start with the age. UWC seeks for approximately 16-18 year old teenagers. This age group suits perfectly, because younger students are maybe not capable of making a significant change in the community, while the older students could be less prone to the changes in their mindset. International education, however, plays the key role in the creation of the UWC Spirit. Not only are students taken away from their previous communities and the way of thinking which existed there, but they are also exposed to the beliefs of so many other countries in the world. This process is encouraged by the existence of 'Cultural Weeks' in which students from one part of the world present their culture through numerous workshops, music and food. The third factor that stands at the base of the movement is the education and the educators. The majority of UWCs are based on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, which gives a great basis for future education. UWC teachers, apart from being great educators, are often UWC alumni which makes them amazing authority figures encouraging the school's spirit.
Just one of the positive influences of such educational system can be seen in the case of Malaika Vaz, a girl of my age who already became a notable alumnus of UWC. Apart from being the youngest person to have been on an expedition to both the Antarctica and Arctic (at the age of 16), she led a lot of campaigns trying to preserve the environment, starting from India. Malaika’s case brings the unique motivation to all of her co-years around the world, including myself, to work towards the ideals they care about.
Being a part of UWC made me question the education as I knew it. Shouldn’t the purpose of education be to inspire the new generations to become the world leaders and bring changes to the community around them? When were these ideals lost, and when did schools become the close-minded institutions which seek to establish order, and care less for the individual progress of the young brains? Frankly saying, compared to the UWC one, regular education seems to be outdated. We can’t expect students to do the great things if we only work towards planting information into their head and don’t really care about the growth of their personality. Now, that is something to think about.
Finally, the question arises of how should one, after all of this, persuade teenagers to leave the steady lives of Instagram and Netflix, and finally take a step towards the UWC ideals. The answer to this question was long ago given by the founder of the movement in his quote: ‘There are three ways of trying to win the young. There is persuasion, there is compulsion and there is attraction. You can preach at them, that is a hook without a worm; you can say, “You must volunteer,” that is of the devil; and you can tell them, “You are needed.” That appeal hardly ever fails’.
If you're eager to learn more:
UWC website: https://www.uwc.org
UWC Wikipedia page: https://www.google.ba/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sou...
