“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela, Late Honorary President, UWC
T H E U WC REFUGEE I N I T I AT I V E Empowering young refugees and internally displaced youth to become tomorrow’s changemakers
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
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Credits: 2019 Massimo Marigo / RTV Maastricht
A B O U T U WC
INDEX
ABOUT UWC
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THE CHALLENGE
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THE UWC REFUGEE INITIATIVE
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OUR APPROACH
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OUR IMPACT
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OUR ALUMNI
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HOW REFUGEE STUDENTS CAN ACCESS A UWC EDUCATION
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BEYOND UWC: A PATHWAY TO UNIVERSITY
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WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH STRONG PARTNERS
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THANK YOU
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Founded in 1962, UWC (United World Colleges) is a global education movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Eighteen UWC schools on four continents deliver a challenging and transformational educational experience to a deliberately diverse group of young people to inspire them to become agents of positive change. UWC places a high value on experiential learning, in areas such as social justice, sustainability, intercultural dialogue, community service and physical challenge. These are complemented by the high academic standards delivered through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Students are selected from more than 150 countries, sometimes from very isolated places, through our unique national committee system. In line with the belief that education should be independent of a student’s socioeconomic means, selections take place on a need-blind admissions basis. More than 80% of national committeeselected students in their IB Diploma years receive either full or partial financial assistance. As a result, students come from very diverse backgrounds, including the most marginalised. UWC fosters a lifelong commitment to social responsibility. To date, it has inspired a worldwide network of almost 60,000 alumni, who are making a difference locally, nationally and internationally.
T H E RE FU G E E C R I S I S IN NUMBERS
2015
THE CHALLENGE Lack of access to education is a major issue affecting young refugees, internally displaced and persecuted youth. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they were two times more likely to be out of school than non-refugee young people. Despite their great potential and resilience, the reality is that young refugees have to overcome significant barriers to reach university education level and less than three in 100 make it, compared to about onethird of young people of university age globally.
65.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide
21.3 million refugees Over 50% of refugees are under the age of 18
2019
79.5 million
forcibly displaced people worldwide
Refugee and displaced communities need educated future leaders with strong abilities, a sense of social consciousness and a drive for peace and reconciliation.
29.6 million refugees
Across the globe, there are more refugees and displaced people than ever before. We need to ensure that these people have access to education, particularly to quality secondary education. Because education is one of the most important ways to prepare these communities for a better future.
50% of refugees are under the age of 18
1 in every 100 people on earth has fled their homes as a result of conflict or persecution and is either an asylum-seeker, internally displaced person or a refugee
9 out of 10 refugees are hosted in the global South, led by Turkey, Columbia and Pakistan
Source: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Education Report 2016 and Education Report 2020.
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E D U C AT I O N O F RE FU G E E C H I L D RE N A N D YO U T H IN NUMBERS 2015
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Only 50% of refugee children go to primary school Only 22% of refugee adolescents receive a secondary education
HIGHER EDUCATION
SECONDARY EDUCATION
UWC has educated refugees from conflict hotspots for many years. In 2016, we decided to take our commitment a step forward with the launch of the UWC Refugee Initiative.
Only 1% of refugee youth go on to higher education
We set ourselves the ambitious target of providing 100 scholarships per year for young refugees and displaced youth to attend one of 18 UWC schools worldwide.
2019
Only 63% of refugee children go to primary school PRIMARY SCHOOL
VS 91% globally
Only 24% of refugee adolescents receive a secondary education
SECONDARY EDUCATION
VS 84% globally
HIGHER EDUCATION
T H E U WC REFUGEE I N I T I AT I V E
Less than 3% of refugee youth go on to higher education VS 37% globally
Four years later, we are almost halfway there with nearly 50 new refugee scholars enrolling at UWC each year. This makes it the largest secondary education scholarship programme for young refugees in the world. The young people who join our community already have outstanding talent and resilience. At UWC, they are also receiving a world-class education. An education that inspires them to become changemakers, fighting for a more peaceful and just future. These amazing young people are teaching us so much as well. And every day, they’re strengthening our determination to do more to help others.
“I was born and raised in a refugee camp at the end of the world, in a forgotten and impossible to reach corner of the great African desert. Yet, UWC put in the time and the effort to reach that part of the world, and now here I am: the first Western Saharan student to attend an Ivy League school.”
BACHIR ABEID, Smara refugee camp in Algeria, UWC Costa Rica (2011-2013), Brown University (2014-2017), University of Michigan (2020-present) 5
“We believe in creating opportunity for those who want to have a genuine positive impact. In this day and age, I believe we need to educate global citizens who want to engage in discourse and who really want to make a difference. That’s our brand of international education and that is where the real strength of UWC lies.”
Jens Waltermann, Executive Director, UWC International
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O U R A PPROAC H UWC is committed to providing a world-class education to 100 refugees per year on a continual basis. This is rooted in our mission to make education a force for peace – and in our model of empowering students from very diverse backgrounds to become changemakers for a better future. UWC provides a welcoming space for young people from refugee communities. For many years, UWC has educated refugees from conflict hotspots such as Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, Western Sahara, Tibet and Colombia. Currently, about 90 young refugees are studying at our schools on a full scholarship joining a vibrant community of students from 150 different countries, and many more cultural backgrounds. We strive to create a tight-knit, family community for all of our students,
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
especially those from refugee backgrounds. UWC provides a “home away from home” environment, even for those who may be studying at great distances from their true homes. UWC schools have the flexibility to receive students who have had their education and lives disrupted due to displacement. UWC schools aim to fully integrate all students independent of their backgrounds. We have observed that many young refugees come with specific psychological and welfare needs as they have often experienced various forms of trauma. Bespoke and ongoing pastoral care and academic support are very important elements of a UWC education and we continue to improve them on a regular basis. While we work to increase access to quality education for young refugees, UWC aims to empower each student so that they can become free to not be defined by their past.
Refugee students receive a worldclass secondary education at UWC schools that empowers them to become changemakers for the benefit of the communities they live in. Access to secondary education is a critical step on the educational pathways towards higher education, professional and personal development. Our students acquire the skills and awareness they need to become catalysts of change and address the political, economic and social inequalities and the ethnic or religious tensions that their communities face. They develop an entrepreneurial mindset and can become leaders for their communities as managers and social entrepreneurs, engineers, economists, artists, scientists and educators. By doing so, they support and contribute to peace and stability and are the messengers of hope so urgently needed both by their peers today and for the rebuilding of their post-conflict societies in the future.
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O U R I M PAC T (As of September 2020)
Since 2016, we have supported
171
Lebanon
refugees and internally displaced youth with full scholarships to attend UWC schools.
Syria Iraq Iran Afghanistan
Palestine Egypt
Nicaragua
2
Venezuela
Algeria Western Sahara 2 5 Mali 1 Gambia 1 1 2 1 1 Sierra Leone
Tibet
1 41 18 18 2 11 34 3 Sudan 1 1 1 12 2 1 3 2 Ethiopia 2
Myanmar Eritrea Somalia
South Sudan 1
Guinea Nigeria
Rwanda Burundi Democratic Republic of Congo South Africa
Number of UWC students with a refugee or displaced background on full scholarships (Year 1 & 2)
45%
We are deliberately focused on ensuring equal access to opportunities. 33%
67%
2017
35%
65%
2018
44%
2019 All years
8
45%
81
2017
2018
2019
1
9
16
103
36
6
Internally Displaced Person (IDP)
40% 55%
93
Granted citizenship
56% 60%
2016
90
Each student brought a set of unique challenges due to their unique situation. UWC is committed to offering students psychological and welfare support no matter their circumstances.
of them are women.
2016
44
Female Male
Displaced without formal refugee status
Other Residency Permit
Refugee status
Refugee status application still pending
Results International Baccalaureate (IB)
Pass Rate 93%
Students’ Pathways Post UWC1
11 9
n.a.
31
study at US Universities through the Davis UWC Scholars Programme2
VS G lo
Ra
te
80
%
s b a l I B Pa
take a gap year
s
7 6
study at Canadian Universities
study at European Universities
1 study at Asian Universities 1 2
Survey sample size: 65 UWC refugee students. Information on the Davis UWC Scholars Program on page 15.
UWC schools and national committees have developed a unique set of experiences and expertise to address specific needs of refugee and internally displaced youth: NORWAY The “Survivors of Conflict” programme at UWC Red Cross Nordic offers rehabilitation, medical support and independence training for youth who have been injured in war or conflict.
Youth suffering from conflictrelated injuries and disabilities, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Youth with traumatic experiences and severely disrupted education
Youth separated from parents and relatives, seeking asylum, unaccompanied for other reasons ITALY UWC Adriatic promotes the inclusion of unaccompanied minors thanks to the support of the network of banking foundations supporting “Never Alone” and of several other private and institutional donors.
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
KENYA Kakuma Camp Structured and bespoke orientation and preparation for refugee students to help them overcome academic and psycho-social challenges. Blended format in pilot (2020/2021).
Youth in search for education opportunities and perspectives for their future. Youth in need of safe spaces where they feel supported and can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
UNITED KINGDOM Two-day intensive programme at UWC Atlantic where all UWC students go through group reflections, role plays and sharing of personal experiences, to explore their own sense of responsibility as individuals, as a community and as future UWC alumni.
SWAZILAND, ITALY, NETHERLANDS UWC students running activities in refugee camps or centers and inspiring young refugees to pursue education.
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OUR ALUMNI
AFGHANISTAN
SUMMIA TORA,
Afghanistan, UWC-USA (2014-2016)
USA
Growing up as an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, bloodshed was never far from Summia’s life. “I was just living in this violence, but it was a given, so I couldn’t do anything about it,” she said. Despite this, Summia considered it a privilege to be in Pakistan compared to Afghanistan, because at least she got to go to school.
EARLHAM COLLEGE (USA)
Thanks to a fortuitous online search, she learned about UWC and decided to apply. She was selected to attend UWCUSA in New Mexico in 2014, but even that experience was mired in violence.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY, RHODES SCHOLAR (UNITED KINGDOM)
The hotel in Kabul where the UWC selections took place was attacked by Taliban militants a day after she took her test, leaving nine dead including the head of UWC’s selection committee, Dr Roshan Thomas. Summia recalls how Dr Thomas had urged the students to take the opportunity and one day “come back to Afghanistan and do something to change the situation, because that’s the real purpose”. She added: “Dr Thomas was the main reason I applied. Because she risked her life. Because she believed that students like me, from countries like Afghanistan, or refugees from Pakistan, should have the opportunity to get an education.” A recent graduate of Earlham College in the US, Summia is now one of the
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102 students who earned a place in the 2020 class of the Rhodes Scholarship, the world’s oldest postgraduate scholarship programme, and is the first Rhodes Scholar to hail from Afghanistan. Summia’s outlook is bright and she laughs with ease, the fluent torrent of her words belying the traumas of the journey that has taken her from refugee to Rhodes Scholar. Summia plans a post-graduate course on refugee and migrant movement, and after that, she says she will return to the country her family once fled. It is there for those like her to build. (Source: BBC.com)
RUDDY NDINA
Democratic Republic of Congo, Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (2009-2011) Ruddy and his family fled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when a civil war erupted in 1996. They lived in the Mpaka Refugee Camp in Swaziland for over seven years and endured the harsh living conditions that seemed to be the reality for everyone there. “For most people, this was the end - there seemed to be no hope for a better future. However my parents, educated in the DRC, possessed an almost impossible dream for their children. They envisioned a brighter future fuelled by quality education and professional development,” he said. In 2009 Ruddy was selected to attend Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, in eSwatini, on a full scholarship. “My time at Waterford was very transformative as it provided the platform to develop my academic and leadership skills whilst also contributing to the development of my community [...] The most meaningful experience for me was participating in the Mpaka Refugee Camp Community Service Project. This project was very close to my heart, especially because I once lived in that refugee camp and I could directly relate to some of their pains and struggles.”
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
After UWC, Ruddy received the Donald Wehrung International Scholarship Award to study Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia, as well as the “Faces of Today Award” at Canada’s largest annual Student Leadership Conference (SLC) in 2016. “My story is about empowerment and the trickling effect of UWC generosity in helping refugee students overcome their challenges and pursue a better life, just like every other ‘normal’ person. Poor leadership has created millions of refugees globally; however, effective investment in education is the kind of leadership required to un-plague the world from this refugee crisis.” Today, Ruddy is a passionate civil engineer contributing to a better quality of life in his new hometown of Calgary, Canada. “As we fight through the COVID-19 pandemic, we desperately need innovative entrepreneurs who are keen to tackle and solve big global problems, specifically those pertinent to the refugee crisis. Refugees are the most disenfranchised and vulnerable individuals affected by the pandemic. I am committed to doing my part in spreading awareness, mentoring young refugees and hopefully one day building an organization that focuses on empowering and emancipating refugees all over the world.”
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
WATERFORD KAMHLABA UNITED WORLD COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA)
CIVIL ENGINEER, (CANADA)
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SIERRA LEONE
JOSEPH KAIFALA,
Sierra Leone, UWC Red Cross Nordic (2002-2004) “It is no exaggeration that my UWC experience remains the best thing that ever happened to me, having survived two civil wars and life as a refugee in Guinea. When one grows up living from tragedy to tragedy, suffering could easily become one’s expectation in life. What UWC did for me was to recalibrate my mind and help me embrace humanist values centered on the idea that we can become whatever change we want to see in our communities.” Joseph returned to Sierra Leone after law school in the US and realised that his country had not made sufficient efforts towards implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, especially those concerning symbolic reparations. “I founded the Center for Memory and Reparations to facilitate remembrance and common narratives around the Sierra Leonean civil war. We are currently engaged in a project of mapping mass graves that were identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” Joseph is also working with the Jeneba Project, an organization he founded during his undergraduate years to provide educational opportunities to children in Sierra Leone, especially marginalized girls. They recently
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MAI AL-QAISI,
RED CROSS NORDIC
SKIDMORE COLLEGE (US)
FOUNDER, CENTER FOR MEMORY AND REPARATIONS (SIERRA LEONE)
constructed the Sengbe Pieh Academy to provide free fundamental education to adolescent girls in Robis village. “My work with the Sengbe Pieh Academy is centered on the UWC ideal of education as a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and sustainable development. I am always guided by the UWC values of compassion, sense of idealism, leading by example, and remaining cognizant of our individual and collective responsibility to protect the environment.” Joseph is author of Free Slaves, Freetown, and the Sierra Leonean Civil War. “At UWC Red Cross Nordic we used to say there are no problems, only challenges. See, viewing the issues of the world as challenges helps remove the sense of defeatism that often cripples individuals from taking action.”
Palestine, UWC Atlantic (2007-2009) Mai, from Palestine, was raised in Beit Jibreen refugee camp near Bethlehem, in the south of the West Bank. In 2007, supported by the Horizon Foundation, she was offered a place to attend UWC Atlantic in the United Kingdom. “I never thought I would go and study abroad”, she said. “It is very hard for us as Palestinians to get access to high-quality education.” Thinking back to her time at UWC, she said: “It was my best experience ever, it was life changing for me. Meeting people from 90 nationalities and from different cultures has opened up my mind, my way of thinking, and made me realise that I don’t only belong to my own community, but to the whole world.” Later, she went on to study international relations and political science at the University of Exeter. “After graduating from university, I felt empowered to make a positive change to society.” That is when Mai decided to go back to Palestine, where she started working for ActionAid Palestine leading their youth programme. She has also tirelessly implemented musical and educational initiatives to develop the well-being of Palestinian refugee children in the south of the West Bank. In August 2019, as the first recipient of the Horizon Seed Funding grant, Mai ran a music summer camp in Dheisheh
PALESTINE
MIA ESKELUND,
ATLANTIC
Denmark, UWC Mahindra College (2005-2007)
POLLY AKHURST,
United Kingdom, UWC Atlantic (2004-2006) UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (UNITED KINGDOM)
ACTIONAID (PALESTINE)
refugee camp, Bethlehem, empowering 50 children aged 8-13 through music, singing and dancing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mai has been appointed Global Ambassador for the Save Our Future campaign run by the Education Commission, a global initiative encouraging greater progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4 by ensuring inclusive and quality education and promoting lifelong learning for all. The campaign wishes to bring global attention to the negative effects of the pandemic for education worldwide. “Education is a fundamental right. It’s the key for refugees to be truly free, independent and to become leaders in their communities. The right to education is one of the most valuable assets a refugee can have,” she said.
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
Back in 2017, inspired by the UWC Refugee Initiative, and as they came to understand more and more the severity of the shortfall in secondary education opportunities for young refugees, UWC alumnae and former UWC International staff members, Mia and Polly, took the matter in their own hands and founded Amala (then called Sky School). Inspired by the Arabic word for “hope”, Amala is a not-for-profit which enables learners who are displaced and affected by conflict to access secondary education programmes, using a blended online and offline learning approach. “We want to provide an education that our learners will feel is relevant, engaging and meaningful - to improve their own lives and those of their communities.” With the support of their founding education partner UWC South East Asia, as well as educators from across the UWC movement, in 2020, Amala launched the first international secondary education programme specifically designed for refugee youth and host communities. They also recently partnered with UWC and with Rise, a Schmidt Futures and Rhodes Trust initiative, to implement a new foundational programme for a total of 60 refugee students from 2021 to 2023 at Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. These students will add to the over 400 refugee youth that Amala has educated through its programmes so far. “In the current climate, a lot of it comes back to resilience: how can we further our mission of using transformative education to create opportunities and inspire positive change in the lives of refugees? How can we collaborate with other like-minded organisations to work together on creating shared problems to the shared solutions that we face? It is partnerships like the one with UWC and Rise that are helping us expand our reach, further diminish the number of young people from refugee backgrounds deprived of a secondary education and, most importantly, instil hope in a generation of young people who will bring about positive change in their communities.”
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H OW R E F U G E E S T U D E N T S C A N ACC E S S A U WC E D U C AT I O N HOW STUDENTS ARE SELECTED Refugee youth, like all potential UWC students, can apply through their local national committee, with locations in over 150 countries and regions. In war-torn countries like Syria, the selection process is conducted mostly online to ensure accessibility and safety. UWC works in co-operation with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and local partner organisations to reach refugee communities and select students who can benefit from the UWC Refugee Initiative.
HOW STUDENTS ARE NOMINATED TO A UWC SCHOOL
ACADEMIC AND PASTORAL SUPPORT
Following the application process, selected students will be offered a place in one of 18 UWC schools.
Completing the UWC programme is a demanding process, so preparing and supporting students for their time at UWC is an important role of the national committees. Preparatory preIB years and summer programmes are also run by the schools.
Special consideration is taken with each student to ensure their placement location makes the most sense for their personal, familial, or social circumstances.
Support is given to students who require assistance in developing the language skills required to effectively integrate into their new communities and to follow an academic programme in English. All schools have a pastoral care system in place to aid students who have experienced traumatic events throughout their lives or disrupted education. This includes dedicated student counsellors, link parents and peer listeners.
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B E YO N D U WC : A PAT H WAY TO U N I V E R S I T Y Access to secondary education at a UWC school means access to worldleading tertiary education. UWC graduates go on to study at many of the world’s leading universities and improve their communities through their personal and professional example and action. UWC has established unparalleled partnerships with universities and higher education, including many exclusive full scholarship programmes for UWC graduates. In the US, the Davis UWC Scholars Program provides scholarship support to any UWC graduate offered a place to study at about 100 selected partner US colleges and universities, including all Ivy League universities. Shelby Davis, a long time UWC patron, and Phil Geier, former Head at UWC-USA, created the Davis UWC Scholars Program to advance international and cross-cultural
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
understanding on US college campuses and, ultimately, throughout the world. Since its inception in 2000, the programme has provided scholarships to over 7,600 scholars from over 150 countries and is the largest international scholarship programme for undergraduates in the world. Currently, under this initiative, 2,400 UWC graduates are enrolled in 94 US colleges and universities.
Many UWC alumni are entrepreneurs, while others are working in science and healthcare, helping to eradicate infectious diseases and pioneer new cures. One common thread among all UWC alumni is the compelling force instilled in them to give back and make a positive difference in their communities.
Beyond university, almost 60,000 UWC alumni are making their mark on the world. Through their professional and voluntary engagement, UWC alumni are committed to addressing conflict and injustice. They’re working for change, leveraging public policy and politics, addressing human rights abuse, working towards peace and conflict resolution and promoting sustainability.
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WO R K I N G HAND IN HAND W I T H S T RO N G PA R T N E R S
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation mandated to provide protection and assistance to refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons and others of concern and to find solutions for them. As part of this, it is dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. UNHCR leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. It delivers life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights, and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. UNHCR is also mandated to prevent and reduce statelessness, ensuring that stateless people are granted a nationality. UNHCR considers it a priority to ensure that refugee students are included in national education systems and that they have access to educational opportunities at all levels, including secondary education. The UNHCR-UWC Cooperation Agreement was set up in 2017 with the aim of providing a comprehensive framework for the safe and secure access of refugees and internally displaced people (IDP) to UWC schools and colleges through a comprehensive scholarship programme. UNHCR supports the UWC Refugee Initiative with essential non-financial
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support, both in hosting and source countries, which includes authoritative guidance on refugee policy, technical advice, and information on complementary pathways to protection and solutions for refugee and IDP scholars seeking to study at UWC schools.
UWC is an anchor partner of Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust. Launched in 2020, Rise is a global youth empowerment initiative designed to increase opportunity for exceptional young people who are committed to helping others throughout their lives.
UNHCR has also supported UWC in promoting the UWC Refugee Initiative among international, national and local stakeholders as well as among refugee and internally displaced communities towards UWC selections.
Under the partnership with UWC, Rise is funding and UWC is delivering a foundational education programme at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya for 60 refugee students. Rise is also supporting 15 global refugee scholars to attend UWC schools between 2021 and 2023. The foundation programme is co-created by UWC International, the UWC Kenya National Committee and Amala, a social enterprise focused on secondary refugee education set up by two UWC alumnae. Several UWC national committees will be involved in selecting the refugee scholars who will benefit from Rise-funded scholarships.
The Horizon Foundation has been partnering with UWC since 2006, when they enabled two Palestinian students to attend UWC Atlantic. The excellent reputation of UWC Atlantic was definitely a factor that motivated the Foundation to launch a global scholarship partnership with UWC in 2016. The scholarship funds refugees and youth affected by conflict, occupation or exile with a focus on Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, and Tibetans in India. So far, the Horizon Foundation has supported 90 scholars to attend UWC schools. The Horizon Foundation’s mission of developing a well-rounded and internationally-aware generation through exemplary education is very much in line with UWC’s mission to make education a force for peace. By providing educational opportunities and scholarship support to young people aged 16 to 19, the Foundation seeks not only to offer new horizons for youth but also to foster positive change in their communities. As such, educational projects – especially for young people who don’t have access to similar opportunities - is a core part of the Foundation’s philanthropic action. Students supported by the Foundation are eligible for the Davis UWC Scholarship Program following graduation from their UWC school, which provides access to tertiary education not otherwise possible. The support that Horizon-UWC scholars receive from the Horizon
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
Foundation does not end after their graduation. The Horizon Foundation has recently created the Scholar Development Fund (SDF), which aims to provide additional support to enhance the study experience of their scholars and support community engagement at school, university and post-university. The fund encourages scholars to promote cross-cultural understanding at their educational institutions and back home with projects ranging from events to providing seed funding to set up projects that serve the needs of their community.
In 2015, together with the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and in conjunction with the Near East Foundation, we launched the Aurora-UWC Gratitude Scholarship Programme. This initiative was established in gratitude to the people from countries who offered shelter and food to those displaced by the Armenian Genocide more than a century ago. So far, the Gratitude Scholarship Programme has supported 43 students affected by conflict, displacement and poverty by offering them the opportunity to study at one of 18 UWC schools worldwide. Each Aurora-UWC Scholar is either a refugee or internally displaced person, living in extreme poverty, or living with the loss of a parent or guardian. Hailing from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Greece, Egypt, Ethiopia and Palestinian Camps in Lebanon, every Aurora-UWC Scholar shows great potential for becoming an advocate for a more peaceful and sustainable future. In parallel, since 2016 Young Aurora has also provided students from UWC schools (and, since 2018, the African Leadership Academy) with the opportunity to design and implement projects that will make a positive impact by addressing an area of humanitarian concern in their local school community. Each year, the winning team gets access to a financial grant to further the development of their project.
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S U PP O R T T H E U WC R E F U G E E I N I T I AT I V E The cost of an all-inclusive two-year scholarship at UWC - covering the full education programme, pastoral care, board and lodging, travel and visa support, co-curricular activities, educational materials and student welfare - is valued at USD 75,000. Therefore, we need USD 7.5 million to support 100 scholars each year. Currently, scholarship funding comes from grants and donations (80%), families (10%) and UWC Alumni Pledge contributions (10%). Launched in 2018, the UWC Alumni Pledge is a global engagement initiative to encourage UWC alumni to give to UWC according to their circumstances in terms of time, treasure and talent: “Get what you need as a student and give back what you can as an alumnus/a.” In 2019, 76% of students committed to the UWC Pledge. With your support, we can educate a new generation of ethical leaders from some of the world’s most marginalised groups. They will become role models for millions of young refugees aspiring to make a difference to their world. Many of them will also take an active role in catering for the needs of their younger peers.
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BECOME A SUPPORTER Through the UWC website, it is easy to donate directly to the UWC Refugee Initiative by credit card, cheque, or bank transfer: www.uwc. org/donate Other donation options include giving directly to a UWC school, or donating through the UWC national committee in your country of choice. BECOME A UWC FUNDING PARTNER UWC creates strategic partnerships with like-minded organisations in order to foster sustainable funding and develop regional representation of students across our schools. We would be delighted if you joined this group of committed supporters. BECOME A UWC UNIVERSITY PARTNER UWC builds a pathway from secondary education to university that sets our students up for success. Since 2000, over 7,600 university scholarships have been provided to UWC graduates exclusively through our partnerships. UWC is looking to broaden its university opportunities worldwide for our graduates. We welcome introductions and enquiries from higher educational organisations around the world.
THANK YO U We thank all our global partners who are supporting the UWC Refugee Initiative and who have worked with us since 2016. Johannah Braun
Wackwitz
Ms. Anna Illy
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
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www.uwc.org
info@uwcio.uwc.org The United World Colleges (International) 55 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1BS United Kingdom +44 (0) 20 7269 7800 Registered in England and Wales and Limited by Guarantee, No. 908758 Registered Charity No. 313690 — United World Colleges International gGmbh Schiffbauerdamm 5, 10117 Berlin, Germany +49 (0) 30 64089601 Handelsregister: HRB 213353 B Amtsgericht Berlin Charlottenburg
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