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ALUMNI NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

WELCOME WELCOME

Covid-19 has caused a number of significant challenges for the College, from the mammoth task of getting the students to campus, to creating and keeping students 'in the bubble'. But we always triumph in the face of adversity, and we've always seen challenges as opportunities - such as transforming co-curricular sessions (the heart of everything we do here at the College) to become Covid-safe. Much of which has meant switching things online, so visiting the refugee centre in Cardiff or care homes for example, has evolved using digital meeting platforms like Zoom or, the good old fashioned way, simply chatting on the phone. Our new, innovative Changemaker Curriculum has also opened up new learning opportunities and students have really enjoyed the broad range of activities they've participated in: from collecting samples at the seafront for the ‘Ocean Systems and Coastal Management’ unit, watching clouds in ‘Reconnecting with the Land’ and interpreting data in ‘Big Data - Decision-Making for Social Change’. The lack of outside distractions has enabled students to really focus on their new units of study, developing knowledge and skills more rapidly as a result. Authentic responsibility is an integral part of a UWC Atlantic education, and Covid-19 has given the students a very real opportunity to demonstrate that they are up to the challenge of dealing with that responsibility - particularly when it comes to following safety protocols and they have done so impeccably. Students have also played a crucial part in maintaining the Covid-safe nature of our classrooms. Each class has allocated a ‘Covid rep’ for the lesson, students are also involved in key decision making around Covid-19 regulations on campus, and a small group of second-year students have been tasked with gathering opinions and suggestions from the student body about Covid-19 protocols, which they discuss regularly at meetings with the .Leadership Team and Wellbeing Team. This allows the students to voice their opinions, affect change and make their time at UWC Atlantic as enjoyable as possible. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Covid-19 is still a huge challenge, but our community shows resilience, creativity and togetherness each day to face that challenge head on. Andrea Diez de Sollano - Director, Philanthropy, Partnerships and Engagement

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CONFERENCE #1 04

On the 27th and 28th November, our students held their first conference of the year, ‘Two Arabian Nights’, inspired by the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales ‘One Thousand and One Arabian Nights’. As ever, the conference was organised by students, with the support of staff, displaying the authentic responsibility that our students have. As we aim to retain our ‘student bubble’, all of the fantastic workshops were run by students too. Before arriving at the opening ceremony, students had to pass through a ‘border’ to the Sports Hall where they were given a ‘visa’ for the conference. This was a clever idea to check attendance as the conference organisers gave everyone a stamp at their allocated workshops, whilst also highlighting a big issue in the Middle East, that visas are not an automatic process. Once everyone had their visa, the fun could begin, with an energetic performance by MOVE, an performance of ‘Heveinu Shalom Aleinu’, a song about peace in both Arabic and Hebrew by our Acapella group and a crash course in the history of the Middle East in less than ten minutes, by history teacher Yordan.

Central to our conferences are the excellent workshops and panels delivered by students, following a thematic storyline. ‘Once Upon a Time’ workshops explored the long and varied history of the Middle East and ‘And Then’ workshops discussed contemporary issues in the region, with a particular focus on students' personal stories. This was complemented by ‘Happily Ever After?’ panels. On the first day, selected students discussed an issue pertinent to the Middle East, moderated by a student, with an audience of their peers. The audience then had a day to think about the issue, and the discussion was opened up to the larger group on the second day. This was a really effective way of getting everyone involved in debate about important topics. Beyond the workshops, there was an ever-present art gallery, displaying Middle East-inspired artwork and students also enjoyed a Middle Eastern ‘storytelling lunch’, sharing food and stories, a common practice in the Middle East. A Bazaar with our MENA students cooking delicious dishes from their home countries for their friends to try, also went down really well!

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We were proud to welcome alumni and friends to our traditional Friday Night Lecture, which had a MENA topic. Robin Jenkins (UWCA 92) inspired everyone in the Great Hall with a fantastic lecture about â€˜Atlantic Pacificâ€™ and his work rescuing people in the Mediterranean. As part of the conference, we also had three experts giving keynote speeches, with all students divided between the three. Milad Pournik (UWCA 05) spoke about gender issues in MENA; Jenny Isaacs delivered a talk about Israeli and Palestinian youth and Haig Safarian gave his perspective as an ex-ambassador on the last hundred years in the region. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who kindly gave their time to enrich the conference. Given the unprecedented nature of this year, the conference organisers were faced with a host of new challenges. They excelled themselves and delivered a fantastic, interactive conference that everyone enjoyed and learned a lot from. They should be incredibly proud of their work.

STUDENT HOUSES

We are very nearly ready to welcome students into our brand new, state-of-the-art student houses. The first students will be coming through the doors after the winter break and making these wonderful houses their home.

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The process has been a long one, starting in 2016 with a feasibility study, getting Board approval in 2017 and appointing Knox and Wells as contractors in March 2019. This year there was the obvious delay caused by the national lockdown here in Wales. So we are really pleased that students will finally be able to move in early in the New Year. Students were at the heart of the design consultation process, to ensure that the new houses were optimised for student wellbeing. For example, the houses have large windows to let as much natural sunlight as possible - particularly important in the dark Welsh winters! The students per houseparent ratio has also been significantly reduced, with a houseparent for twenty-four students, with each floor of the house having their own houseparent. This will result in much closer student-houseparent relationships meaning houseparents will be much more aware of any wellbeing issues that may arise. It will also create a real family feeling to the houses. Many of the facets of a â€˜classicâ€™ UWC Atlantic house will still remain. It will be four students of a mix of nationalities per dormitory. The houses will be fully equipped with a social day-room, airy study spaces and kitchens. We would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has so generously supported the funding of our new student residences. Thank you.

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CHANGEMAKER CURRICULUM

Our Changemaker Curriculum units are up and running this term. Students can opt to be a part of one of the units for their service this year. We're really proud of our Changemaker Curriculum and excited where it will take the students. We want our alumni to share in this excitement, so in each newsletter, we will be sharing information about a different Changemaker Curriculum.

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We are starting with a focus on Ocean Systems and Coastal Management. This pioneering course will help our students to understand the importance of oceans and coastal systems and the need for us to work symbiotically, rather than exploitatively, with and within this precious environment. As we are based on the shoreline of the world’s second highest tidal range, the College is the perfect place for developing this pioneering course - which will include ‘Ocean & Climate Systems; ‘Human Impact on the Ocean’ and ‘Mitigation & Harnessing Sustainable Resources, as core units. All of the Changemaker units have experiential learning at their core. Students taking part in the Ocean Systems unit blend classroom learning, for theoretical concepts, with practical, experimental work, as seen in the photos. We have Emma, one of the course leaders, in the classroom aiding the students learning about receding coastlines. The other pictures demonstrate the more practical element of the course. Martin was helping students carry out experiments to study the slipway and seawall to discover the extent of damage that has been done. Sov was also helping students do the first part of an experiment, collecting samples from rockpools to take back to the laboratory to study.

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On the 27th and 28th of November, UWC Atlantic held its first conference of the year, ‘Two Arabian Nights’, inspired by the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales ‘One Thousand and One Arabian Nights’. As ever, the conference was organised by students, with the support of staff, displaying the authentic responsibility that our students have. As we aim to retain our ‘student bubble’, all of the fantastic workshops were run by students too. Before arriving at the opening ceremony, students had to pass through a ‘border’ to the Sports Hall where they were given a ‘visa’ for the conference. This was a clever idea to check attendance as the conference organisers gave everyone a stamp at their allocated workshops, whilst also highlighting a big issue in the Middle East, that visas are not an automatic process. Once everyone had their visa, the fun could begin, with an energetic performance by MOVE, an performance of ‘Heveinu Shalom Aleinu’, a song about peace in both Arabic and Hebrew by our Acapella group and a crash course in the history of the Middle East in less than ten minutes, by history teacher Yordan.

NATURAL FITNESS

In the afternoons, the College is buzzing with students enjoying their service, creative or physical activities. ‘Natural Fitness’ physical activity, in keeping with Kurt Hahn’s ideals, enables students to make the most of our wonderful natural surroundings. Another key aspect of this activity is that it connects the students to the land. Activities are varied, from running around the campus barefoot to doing press-ups in the sea, to carrying driftwood from the sea up to the seafront. Second-year student Dechen, who takes part in the activity said “It not only guides me on how to use the environment as the natural gym, it also allows me to challenge myself to develop natural skills. The session is always fun and wild with a wide range of outdoor activities including barefoot running. It prepares me to toughen up physically and mentally, whilst bringing excitement and amusement at the same time.”

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL

This month, our student-led Sustainability Council SUSCo led a student-wide discussion on one of the hot topics on campus at the moment - Amazon parcels. First year student Julie said â€œThis is an ongoing issue as students are not allowed to leave campus due to Covid-19 regulations. We currently receive over 400 packages a day. That equates to more than one package per student per day! To make students aware of this immense shopping pandemic, SUSCo decided to gather cardboard boxes and build the letters AC in the middle of the breakfast room. As with many issues, our campus represents a microcosm of what is going on in the wider world, with many people choosing to shop online due to the pandemic. We are proud that our students have tackled this issue head-on and raised awareness of the drawbacks of shopping online.

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CHRISTMAS GIVING CHALLENGE

‘Tis the Season of Gift Giving. By making a financial donation to UWC Atlantic between 7th and 13th December 2020, your gift will be DOUBLED thanks to match pledges from two generous supporters. THE TOTAL MATCH WE HAVE IS £10k! All financial gifts will go towards offering exceptional and deserving students the opportunity of attending UWC Atlantic on a scholarship. The gift of an education keeps on giving and is just the start of a lifelong journey for these young people as they shine their own light on the world. Please give before the clock strikes 12 midnight on 13th December GMT for your donation to be DOUBLED! Let’s end the year in good spirit and with a generous helping of goodwill. Thank you!

PLEASE DONATE HERE

SPOTLIGHT ON Eleuthera du Breuil (UWCA 04)

NATURAL FITNESS

My two years at the College influenced my life in ways I wouldnâ€™t have thought possible at the time. In the end it wasnâ€™t so much the academic side of the College that has affected my career path, my service affected me far more. Because I became a helm of inshore lifeboats, after an MSc and a short stint in the education and maritime worlds, I was able to apply to work for the British Antarctic Survey as the Boating Officer on the Sub Antarctic island of South Georgia. There I ran the four boats for the base. They were used to input scientists into their field sites all over the island since there was no other form of transport. I also put the South Georgia Government Officers onto fishing vessels for the vital inspections that has allowed the fishery to be one of the most sustainable in the world. It was an incredible opportunity.

My fondest memories of the College are of sitting with friends and co years and learning about the way they saw the world. My years at the College made the world much smaller and more connected than it had been before. I am always amazed at how people can’t see how important the interconnectedness of the world is. I not only enjoyed learning how people see the world but also learning how those points of view had come about. Seeing one point in history from several different points of view was always illuminating. While I was at the College I had the opportunity to become an RNLI crew for the lifeboat and the year after I graduated I was asked to become a helm or coxswain of inshore lifeboats and cover the boat during some of the summer while I was working in what was then the Extra Mural Centre. I was incredibly proud to have been asked and felt it was a vindication of all the hard work I had put into my training and training others as a second year. It was a fantastic feeling but it didn’t hit home to me what it meant until I was called out on my first “shout” (call out) as the helm. As soon as we launched I suddenly felt the responsibility for the lives not only of the casualties but also for my two crew who were some of my best friends. That weighed pretty heavily on my shoulders until we had landed safely back at station. That feeling I gained at the College when becoming a helm, of the responsibility that comes with privilege, has never really left me. I am in an incredibly privileged position in life. I have a roof over my head, a job I enjoy, good health and I live in a safe country where I and my family are free of persecution. When the migrant situation in the Mediterranean and Aegean started in 2015 I felt that I had to help in any way I could and I was lucky that the skills I learnt at the College allowed me to help in a significant way; I have been going to Lesvos to helm and act as medic on a lifeboat run there by a very small charity since. I also volunteer with the RNLI doing shifts on the River Thames and I am a paramedic with the privilege of serving the community I live in. The expectation of service, in whatever capacity possible, was instilled into me not only by my family but also by my time at College where it was very much encouraged and impressed on us that service to others was one of the best and most important things we could do. It is also incredibly rewarding.

The realisation that Britain was not held in the regard I felt it should be when I arrived at the College was an eye opening one. At the College I think it made me appreciate the differences of my colleagues more and since then it has made me pause before making judgements on other people. For example, now I try and think why someone would hold a viewpoint different to mine so that I can try and understand them, rather than just trying to bring them to my point of view. I am currently a Year Rep. When I left the College we only had one a year but that changed a month or so after I left and we now have one for each house which I think is a much better system. I was voted to be the Class Rep. I enjoy doing it because it keeps me in touch with more of my co-years than I would normally have maintained contact with. Being the intermediary between my class and the College has sometimes been tricky but it has mostly been positive since it enables those of my co- years who would not normally have kept up with the College to be kept up to date with developments. I have always loved the sea but spending the two years of AC living next to the sea, being on it nearly every day and even if I wasnâ€™t on it, just being able to go sit at the seafront and process the day was an incredible experience and it really brought my passion and respect for the sea to the forefront. I am just incredibly lucky that I have been able to keep the sea and water at the core of what I do. I definitely think the College played a really strong part in that.

COMING UP

10th December Atlantic Circle - InConversation with Nick Danziger (Parent UWCA 21) PLEASE BOOK TO ATTEND HERE If youâ€™d like to find out more about our upcoming events, check out the UWC Atlantic online calendar or please get in touch with Magda Joshi, UWC Atlantic Events and Alumni Engagement Manager joinin@uwcatlantic.org

STAY CONNECTED

UWC Atlantic Comms Survey We would like to better understand how we can more effectively communicate with College alumni. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HAVE YOUR SAY. The survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete and your input will be invaluable to us. T The survey will remain open until Tuesday 8th December 2020.t

SEASON'S GREETINGS

With our warmest wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2021