Follow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_World_Colleges
United World Colleges (or UWC) is an education movement comprising 15 international schools and colleges, national committees in more than 140 countries, and a series of short educational programmes. Students are selected from around the globe based on their merit and potential. UWC schools, colleges and national committees offer scholarship and bursary schemes as well as accepting a number of fee-paying students that varies by college.
The UWC international organisation is a British-based foundation and has 15 schools and colleges in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Norway, Singapore, Swaziland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Armenia, Costa Rica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China and the Netherlands; national committees in more than 140 countries; a portfolio of short programmes running in numerous countries; a network of more than 50,000 alumni from more than 181 countries;[1] and an international office in London. The mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.[2]
UWC colleges teach the International Baccalaureate, with three schools in Singapore, the Netherlands and Swaziland which, on top of the IB, also teach a pre-16 syllabus to younger students. The now-closed UWC vocational college in Venezuela accepted students at tertiary level and taught a Higher Diploma in Farm Administration. Each UWC typically comprises between 200 and 300 students from about 85 countries.
The first UWC college, the United World College of the Atlantic, located in a 12th-century castle set on 90 hectares of grounds in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, United Kingdom, was founded in 1962 with the initiative of Kurt Hahn, a German educationalist who had previously founded Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, Gordonstoun in Scotland, and the Outward Bound movement; the castle was gifted to UWC by Antonin Besse II, the son of Sir Antonin Besse. Kurt Hahn's vision was based on his post-war experience at the NATO Defence College, where he had observed discussion and collaboration between former enemies. He wanted to transmit a spirit of mutual understanding to young people to help them overcome prejudice and antagonism through living and working together.
Hahn envisaged a college educating boys and girls of age 16 to 20. The selection would be based on personal motivation and potential, regardless of any social, economic or cultural factors. A scholarship programme would facilitate recruitment of young people from different economic backgrounds.[3] The project was realised in 1962 with the inauguration of Atlantic College in Wales.
There are currently 15 colleges in the UWC movement. UWC Simón Bolivar was a member of the movement until its closing. The opening date for each college is given for each below:
United World College of the Atlantic (Llantwit Major, United Kingdom) – 1962,
Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Victoria, Canada) – 1974,[4] United World College of South East Asia (Singapore) – 1971, full member of UWC in 1975, East Campus established 2008
Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (Mbabane, Swaziland) – 1963, joined UWC in 1981,
Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (Montezuma, New Mexico, USA) – 1982,
United World College of the Adriatic (Duino, Italy) – 1982,
Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture (Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela) – 1986, joined UWC in 1987, closed as of 2012,
Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (Wu Kai Sha, Hong Kong) – 1992,
Red Cross Nordic United World College (Flekke, Norway) – 1995,
Mahindra United World College of India (Village Khubavali, India) – 1997,
United World College Costa Rica (Santa Ana, Costa Rica) – 2000, joined UWC in 2006,
United World College in Mostar (Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina), 2006,
United World College Maastricht (Maastricht, Netherlands), 1984, joined UWC in 2009,
Robert Bosch United World College (Freiburg, Germany), 2014,
United World College Dilijan (Dilijan, Armenia), 2014.
United World College Changshu China (Changshu, China), 2015.
The current UWC president is Queen Noor of Jordan (1995–present), a role she shared with former South African President Nelson Mandela until his death in December 2013. Former UWC presidents have included Lord Mountbatten (1967-1978) and Prince Charles (1978-1995).[5]
The philosophy of the schools is in accordance with a thought from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lester B. Pearson: "How can there be peace without people understanding each other; and how can this be if they don't know each other?"