LOOKING FORWARD
LOOKING FORWARD Since the early days of my first teaching job in Kenya, leading a UWC school was a clear aspiration for me. Many years later when the opportunity at UWC Atlantic arose, I didn’t hesitate. The place this college holds in the global educational ecosystem is a special one. When it comes to the opportunity to influence the impact of education and all it can achieve, there is nowhere more significant to me than UWC Atlantic.
My plan will be to continue bolstering the rich deliberate diversity we are synonymous with, and look to ocean-based innovation and experiential learning to channel that diversity to its most positive.
Empowering young people to make good decisions for themselves, their families and their communities is why I made an about-turn on my plans for a business career, deciding instead to become a teacher. The power of education to ignite change is inestimable and I realised, thanks to the wisdom of my own teachers, it was through that I could most constructively contribute to the world around me.
The seafront plays a significant role in connecting that line from the past to the future. The founders of UWC Atlantic proved it: what better way to remove perceived differences and disputes and find your common humanity than by overcoming obstacles together, through teamwork, being ‘out there’ focussing solely on the challenge at hand?
As I work on my vision for the next chapter of our story here at UWC Atlantic, uppermost in my mind are the touchstones of its mission - peace, in all its forms, and sustainability - the most noble of ideals for humanity.
And, of course, it’s vital that line continues into the future; to secure the way for generations that follow so they can continue the work begun here 60 years ago - to have an impact, to be agile, flexible, critical, collaborative, maximising difference in order to have a sustained impact on the issues of our time, always with an eye to supporting and uplifting human dignity and care for our environments.
Our human systems are disparate, uneven and unfair, increasingly so in today’s world. And if we want to make significant strides in addressing the challenges facing our natural environment, we must at the same time address the unjust human systems that are responsible for our climate emergency. Equipping our students to handle the challenges their generation faces (thanks in no small part to the problem of our own generations) is everything. Meaningful and positive activism comes in many shapes and forms. Grounded in the transformational learning experiences our students have, I want to encourage them to find their voice through action. At the heart of that is advocacy for those less able to advocate for themselves, an essential component for the creation of greater peace and sustainability. It goes without saying that the Kurt Hahn way - personal challenge, the stretching of oneself, action-orientation and service to others remains at the heart of my vision to achieve that.
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So my focus will be on drawing a clear, through-line connecting UWC Atlantic’s founding past - its important history, trail-blazing seafront, educational radicalism, innovation and experimentation firmly into the here and now.
And so I consider it a great honour to follow Peter T Howe as custodian of its continuing story, to build on its world-beating achievements and take the lead 60 years on from the realisation of Kurt Hahn’s vision and ideals here at St Donat’s Castle.
What I want to focus on is our understanding of the nexus of those two ideals. Too often we consider them in isolation; however, our human and natural systems are deeply interconnected.
It is only a few months since my family and I arrived in south Wales and I began my role as principal. The welcome we received from every part of the UWC community has been the warmest imaginable. The connections I’ve already made with students, staff, alumni, governors, families and volunteers, have been one of the biggest privileges of my life.
How can we not rise to that calling with renewed determination? This magnificent place, the castle, the seafront, the deliberate diversity of students and staff, when you bring all those things together we have a recipe for magic.
Over the months since I arrived, I have been excited to explore the castle. The more I discover about its history, the smaller I feel. Perhaps that’s inevitable given its 800 years of impact, importance and influence over countless lives, not least of all the 9,000-plus alumni who’ve passed through UWC Atlantic over the past 60 years. In that context, feeling small is a good thing. It’s humbling. The history of St Donat’s Castle makes it abundantly clear to me that my responsibility here is one of custodianship and stewardship. As we prepare to celebrate our 60th anniversary I want to say thank you to everyone who contributes so generously to our collective responsibility to ensure our connection to St Donat’s Castle today powers that through-line forward 60 years from now. A new chapter begins in the story of this very special place. I send my gratitude for your immense support of UWC Atlantic’s continuing mission so the might of radical education further empowers young lives and their impact on individuals and communities many miles from its historic shore. Naheed Bardai Principal, UWC Atlantic College
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