Rachel Tan Wei Fen (UWCSEA, Singapore ’11-’13)
“And these tables, these black tables, these polished, slick black tables by the door of the main hall, they are only for the Grade 12s. Don’t ever sit there!” Continue reading
Arjun Raina (UWCAC '11-'13)(India)
On 16th December 2012, a medical science student pursuing physiotherapy in New Delhi, India was barbarically raped and beaten up by 6 young men in a public bus – An unfortunate incident that stirred the entire nation, alongside alarming the rest of the world. Nine days before Christmas, this female became a victim of what was one of the most brutal rape cases ever witnessed by a country where rapes are more pervasive than air – Also a country that, on better days, claims to worship women. “Damini”, as media decided to name this girl, was soon going to get married to her friend who was also travelling with her that night and was beaten by those six men after which Damini was raped. Continue reading
By David Widder UWC-SEA'13
At least within in our student body, there is a familiar phenomenon known as the IB Triangle. It postulates that there are three components necessary to have a healthy life; Sleep, Good Grades, and a Social Life, and that due to the nature of the IB, only two can be had at any one time. Continue reading
UWS Summer Project in Cambodia is a great volunteering opportunity in the United World Schools located in Cambodia.
Role description for a UWS Volunteer Teacher:
UWS volunteering is a challenging and exceptionally rewarding experience for young people who want to test themselves, take part in an adventure and develop life-long skills, while making a real difference to and creating opportunities for children from some of the poorest parts of the world.
Desired skills and attributes of volunteers:
- Passion for helping others and taking action to improve the quality of life of people in post conflict and poverty stricken areas
- Self-motivated and resilient
- Proactive and prepared to take initiative in challenging situations, have a can-do, problem solving attitude
- Self-confidence and high level verbal and nonverbal communication skills
- Considerate, tolerant and compassionate for others
Responsibilities:
- Participate in the village school as a teacher
- Work alongside the village school teachers to promote learning
- Interact with the students, particularly to promote engagement and creativity
- Encourage creativity to develop thinking, and to teach literacy and numeracy
- Prepare for time spent in schools by creating resources and planning lessons
- To fully research and develop cultural awareness of the individual villages
- To liaise and follow the direction of the country educational manager
Relayed by Neha Sharma (UWC AC ’12-’14, India) (United Words Team)
The warm sun falls through the curtains upon your face, urging you to rise. You sigh deeply, inhaling the air: Indian air. For as long as you can remember, you have been waking up to the view of blue, grey and green, the crisp water, the imposing castle and the glimmering jade grass: a-topped with morning dew. The memory floods back of the long flight and the impossible visa application, yet it was all worth it. The daily morning assembly with the children initiates the day, they will sing their national anthem, reaffirm their promise of striving to better themselves, as well as their usual morning exercises. It is the final day of the weeklong summer camp for the children of Sneha Care Home and Shining Star School, before their term starts of which you shall be teaching a class for two weeks. These children amaze you, they are some of the most lively people that the world has known- sometimes as a leader you find them a bit too lively! They have come from some of the worst walks of life, utter poverty that has prevented them from having their condition being attended to: HIV or HIV/AIDS. Coming to volunteer at Sneha, you have been given an insight into the best possible help for children with this condition and you’re proud to be a part of it. You are a student of the United World College of the Atlantic, and you really are making a difference. You smile; today is going to be a good day.
Relayed by Neha Sharma (UWC AC ’12-’14) (United Words Team)
Tariq Abid (UWC-AC ’11-’13)
There are few international sporting events that create as much hype as that created by Pakistan versus India cricket matches. Well, at least for the almost billion people living in the subcontinent.
Starting from Christmas this year, the national rivalry shall materialize in the form of 20-over and 50-over matches (cricketing jargon) played in India. The significance to this is not just the thrilling sports that this event promises, but also its political significance. Continue reading
Itamar Carrillo, UWCSEA (Mexico, ’13)
“I came here to enjoy the UWC experience” I remember that those were my first few words when I arrived to UWCSEA. At that time I did not realize how much those words truly meant. Now, after 1 year of living in Singapore, I am going to try to ‘evaluate’ what I have learnt.
The “UWC experience” is a phrase that is often repeated among UWCers and often generates discussions and conversations about the significance of the time spent throughout this experience. We have 12 United World Colleges on the face of this planet and as an individual undergoing this ‘UWC Experience’ I can say that it will be hard to find anything as great as that. They are not just another international schools. They are not just part of the Round Square Movement (even though the Round Square Organization was founded by Kurt Hahn as well). They are not just other school that offer the IB program … so what are they exactly?
What makes these colleges special? Does UWC actually have an impact on you? More specifically: What is the UWC experience?
Lets compare it to love. It is something abstract that people talk about. Nobody can see but everyone thinks that they know what love is. No one knows how the UWC experience should be; there is no “10 things to do in UWC” list, no guidelines or mark schemes to follow. Hearts from different backgrounds represent ideas, traditions, and ways to face problems. They all meet in this utopic place to share their stories at UWC. Although we do not choose our classmates, or teachers and the people that we live with; they are strangers in the beginning, and end up as part of our lives. This makes the years at UWC the great experience it is.
UWC is for example, going to geography class, where there is at least one person per continent, and where one discusses the sustainability of the cities, from different points of view. The amazing thing about UWC is that it is not necessary to attend a lesson in order to learn; little talks at lunchtime, during activities, during the rehearsal for a dance, these are just some simple examples. For some of us it is a great opportunity to become aware about global issues; for example to know what is happening in the country where your roommate comes from; to be critical in terms of global concerns through the simple bonds that UWC is able to make. Indeed UWC is the place where great friends are made, and where there are endless chances to broaden your horizons.
UWC could be different for each one of us: “It is a life changing experience”, “My time here has been the best of my life”, “I have been studying in UWC for 5 years. I’ve been here since middle school”, “UWC changed my perception of life”, ”UWC keeps me apart from my family”, “UWC is asking me to commit and I just want to study for my SAT’s”. There are many more examples that can be given to represent how UWC could different for everyone.
The UWC experience is the result of our work. We choose how to manage our relations with the annoying classmate or how to deal with the adversities of your college (whatever they are). We adopt how to appreciate our colleges; for example the sunset in Costa Rica, the castle behind the mist in the Atlantic, the bicycles lined up in Maastricht, the contact with the nature in New Mexico, the aurora borealis in Norway, the sustainable campus in Singapore, the amazing view in Li Po Chun, the tree house in Mahindra… and so much more.
Every single college is unique their needs and their facilities are different; hence the UWC movement becomes extremely diverse. Students and staff should reflect and appreciate the great opportunities that are given; but do not conform! I agree (until certain extent) that we should commit to the movement as a whole, stick to the values and forge the UWC experience.
Instead of asking: What experience is UWC giving me? I suppose we should ask: What am I doing to make UWC a worthwhile experience?
-United Words Team-
Jason Georgiadis (Greece) (UWC-AC ’12-’14)
A lot of people today speak of Greece and the on-going crisis. Even those who admire Greece’s contribution to Europe’s history in terms of political institutions, philosophy, theatre, poetry, sciences and mathematics think today that Greece has become the black sheep or one of the P.I.G.S.* (a term that insults the one who says it rather than the one who is targeted). A while ago it has become obvious that the whole Europe is in crisis. Countries like France and Italy are already in the middle of deep crisis. Continue reading
Karabo Victor Mokgatle & Tariq Abid (ACUWC ’11-’13)
The argument for intervention in both Syria and Iran is one presented in such a manner as to appear a question of moral convention, for the longer-term goal of establishing peace. The goal of the past Think Tank session was to discern whether or not the obligation to intervene created by a moral responsibility to end the conflict can be met by the powers to be, either BRICS or NATO; the following is what the Think Tank has explored and resolved:
It was understood that in the status quo, considering the fact that BRICS does not have a coherent military organization and none of its members have shown the intent to intervene unilaterally, the Think Tank could only earnestly consider NATO to intervene within the conflict, either collectively or by some of its members.
At this point in time, any tangible intervention by the powers to be within Syria, mainly U.S. and it’s Western allies cannot achieve the ultimate long term objective of peace, as due to historical baggage and like wise, they cannot maintain the moral credibility and impartiality obligated by a humanitarian mission. Some members also observed that this is further aggravated by the fact that a major consideration in the policy formation of these nations is preoccupied with maintaining Israeli security and possibly furthering its objectives, which will inevitably lead to a digression from the honest pursuit of peacekeeping. Therefore, there remains a plausible chance that in case of such an intervention, the intervening party might fail to remain a purely impartial adjudicator, and instead allied to its own agenda or partially or completely allied to one of the conflicting parties. This would probably defeat the purpose of the peacekeeping intervention, as such a pursuit would lead to the opposite result. For instance, it might simply result in the empowering of one party over another, leading to a suppressed minority and an eventual
The discussion in the case of Iran focused mainly on Iran’s nuclear capability and whether or not the possession of nuclear arms by this country would necessarily result in its use against its adversaries, mainly Israel. Owing to the fact that the Think Tank believed that Israel needs to create periodic military conflict within the region in order to maintain a security by the way of maintaining conventional military superiority; there was an argument presented that Iran’s acquirement of nuclear weapons might act as a deterrent to conflict of this kind. However, the Think Tank did observe that this might lead to the development of nuclear weapons by other regional states such as Saudi Arabia, etc. which might lead to its own ramifications. However for the time being the Think Tank did not foresee a way to prevent the inevitable conflict between Israel, Iran and possibly other regional powers. Chiefly because of the fact that most of the Middle Eastern population remains inherently opposed to Israel and to prevent any consequences of such Israel will be forced to remain on the verge of conflict inside the region.
-United Words Team in collaboration with AC Think Tank-
Karabo Mokgatle (South Africa)(UWCAC ’11-’13)
On the 10 August 2012, miners under the employment of Lonmin plc, most prominently those at Marikana mine just outside of Rustenberg, South Africa began demands for a salary increase to 12 500 ZAR per month. This would triple their earnings from approximately 308 GBP to 924 GBP. The Demands quickly took the form of a strike and signs of underlying tension between the trade unions involved began to form. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has historically been the most influential and prominent advocate for the rights of miners at this specific mine but has recently lost its organizational rights due to a heavy drop in membership (66% to 49%) and the growth of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). NUM has been accused of ‘being too close to management’ and the their close partnership with the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has until now been an advantage; however, the recent loss of faith in the party has further damaged the NUM’s standing among those it seeks to represent and opened the door to the tensions that have resulted in the deaths of 36 mine workers, two police officers, four unidentified persons and the injury of 78 more. Continue reading
Staying true to UWC values while being one of the biggest internationals schools in the world is not easy. With over 5000 students, our numbers eclipse those of other UWCs around the world. But we are different in more ways than one: we are the only UWC to be split over two campii, the old Dover Campus, and the shiny new East Campus. This was not always the case, as the East Campus only opened its doors in 2010. This attribute has added an interesting dynamic to life at UWCSEA, as well as raising some intriguing questions. Will we participate in UN night together? Will we be competitors in local sporting leagues? This question of competition was the subject of a recent UWCSEA Dover production, where East’s students were portrayed as a haughty collective dressed in gold sequined waistcoats, and Dover’s students portrayed as a band of sleepy, slouchy students with an ‘old hat’ campus. Being a satirical production, it was all in good fun, but it begs the question: what is the state of UWCSEA’s inter-campus relations? Continue reading
Tariq Abid (UWCAC ’11-13)
More news from Pakistan, this time the on-going trial over alleged blasphemy committed by a young Christian girl. Continue reading
Tariq Abid (UWCAC ’11-’13)
Quite recently there has been a lot of controversy in Pakistan’s politics over the ‘contempt of court’ issue. The struggle over this issue tells a sad story of an administration buried in legal and political jostling, as the more core issues in policy making get brushed to the background. This, I would say, is a fundamental cause of alienation of the predominant part of the electorate from the political system and political parties within it. Continue reading
Anya Mehra, UWC Mahindra College(’11-’13)
A friend I made on my trip to Turkey, Alessandro told me that he came there hoping for a life changing experience. I don’t know if the trip fulfilled his expectations but it definitely changed my perspectives on things I was clueless about before this trip. The person who initiated this was a 24 year old man named Kabir. Continue reading
Tariq Abid UWCAC 2011-2013
A couple of months ago a plan was initiated in which eventually a group from three different UWCs came together for a trip to Turkey. Right after the end of term, we got to Turkey.
First stop, Istanbul at first sight appeared to be a conventional big city yet with a strong feeling of cultural underpinnings. It sure was a welcome relief to experience the sun and accompanying mild heat after a long spell of grey in Wales, and the food didn’t disappoint either. A really great sight was that of the Asian continent from the European side of Istanbul across the Bosphorus strait. The scenery had a special aesthetic feel that was hard to ignore. Moreover in Teksim, a prominent district, late Wednesday night had a festive mood. People were animated and there was a general hustle and bustle about the place. This, I was told, was the norm for the place, one of the dozen other places of the kind. This energy on a typical week night really appealed to me.
