National Committee Newsletter - February 2021 by UWC Atlantic College

NATIONAL COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2021 01

WELCOME Dear National Committees, I hope you are all well and safe in your respective countries. I know how busy you must be at this time of year, when most national committees are selecting students for next academic year. I can only imagine the new challenges you must be facing considering the pandemic is far from over and we are all suffering intermittent lockdowns. We remain incredibly grateful for all the time and effort you invest in identifying students worthy of attending the 18 UWC schools and colleges. For UWC Atlantic, it has not been easy either. The pandemic has brought with it a plethora of complexities which affected our college life in so many different ways. However, we are happy to say that over 90% of our students managed to

Photo taken on the first Sunday of February at Nash Point, on a cold but sunny afternoon

return to campus after the Winter break and we are delighted to report that all students tested negative bringing the isolation period to an end. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our staff but especially to the Wellbeing team and the house parents who carried out and supported the testing. Monday 15 February marks two milestones for our students - the start of the Trial examinations for second years and a return to classroom teaching for our first years. Fingers crossed it continues to go well. This year will be a challenging one for us on many fronts. Having accepted so many transfer students in 2020 meant that our scholarship budget was exceptionally stretched. As a result of the new regulations, we also had extra costs to make our campus compliant and safe for everyone. This translated in the hiring of new teachers, new support staff, new spaces in the college to accommodate isolating students, extra transportation to and from the airports to make sure students could avoid contact with the virus and the need to purchase PPE (protective personal equipment) among other measures. In addition to this, we managed to finish and open the two new residences as we had promised. They are beautiful houses and the first generation of students are thrilled to be living there. The past months have been an incredible test on our resilience and on our ability to adapt, not only as an institution but as individuals too. In these extraordinary times, we have taken every step possible to ensure that the College not only stays open but also continues to offer a true UWC experience to all of our students. We feel very proud of what we have achieved so far. I hope you enjoy this newsletter and that you remain safe and well! Take care, Elena Gandolla

1. Tell us a bit about yourself My name is Phillip Raymond Ssali from Uganda, a country that some have called the ‘pearl of Africa’, with probably the most hospitable humans on earth. I’m a member of the Uganda National Committee, to which I was introduced by the Chair, Diego Angemi, in 2017. Fun fact: I had never heard of UWC before 2016! 2. What is your NC most proud of? Being one of the first NCs to work with refugees, the Uganda national committee is not only proud but honoured to support these students that are not just from marginalized backgrounds but have also faced unique challenges, many of which are hard to comprehend. These Refugee students have gone on to thrive in the schools they’ve been placed in, and this gives us tremendous pride. 3. What are your main challenges as a NC? The main challenge we face is that year in year out we identify more deserving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, than the offers to place them. 4. What would you want other NC know about your NC? My participation at the Africa regional conference this year has led me to believe that we are similar in many ways, especially what drives us. We only differ in execution, and through interaction and networking, we are able to learn from each other.

5. What your relationship with students while they’re at a UWC college and afterwards? The relationship starts at the point of selection when a student is paired with a mentor, who majorly supports the student and their family throughout the onboarding process, all the way to college and beyond. As the NC, we also provide a platform for the Alumni to engage and also share experiences with those at the beginning of the UWC journey. 6. Diversity is at the heart of the UWC movement, how do you ensure you reach young people from diverse backgrounds in your country? Right from the call of applications, we aim to have every student from every corner of the country get to knows about this opportunity. This we do by sending these calls through, to all the sub-regions of the country, including refugee settlements. 7. Why do you work for your national committee? As an NC member, I’m sure I speak for most NC members globally when I say that it is one of the most rewarding opportunities one can have. The chance to place or enable placement of these deserving young minds from diverse backgrounds, into these great institutions, knowing that their lives’ trajectory and that of their families will never be the same, is immensely rewarding. Phillip Raymond Ssali | Uganda National Committee

1. Tell us a bit about yourself (where you come from, why you applied to UWC, what are your dreams and ambitions.) My name is Liyou Asnakew. I am 16 years old and was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I applied to UWC because I wanted to get better education, a more hands-on type of learning, quite different to the type of learning I’m used to. I also applied to UWC because being at UWC would expose me to global ideas and help me see things in a global way. I want to be a medical doctor in the future. I know that I want to pursue medicine but I haven’t really decided on which field of medicine yet. I want and hope to work in and with international humanitarian organizations (around health and related topics). In the long term, I want to establish a chain of hospitals in Ethiopia for people in need. I also really want to travel the world. 2. What was the NC process for selections like? What did you learn about yourself? The Ethiopian National Committee has a Facebook page on which they post updates and information about UWC. That was where they posted the link to the application form, application tips and the announcement that application for 2020-2022 was open. I finished my application and sent it via email. A few months later, I received an email from the National Committee informing me that I was invited to the pre-selection. The pre-selection process consisted of a reading comprehension part, a formal interview, a creativity exercise and a physical exercise part. After the day was over, the National Committee told us that they would take the rest of the day to discuss over our performances, and decide on who had passed and would be nominated to a UWC school. They told us that they would call the students that had passed that day. I got a call that evening from the National Committee, they told me that I had passed and that I would be nominated to a UWC school. A few days later I got another call from the National Committee and they told me that I was nominated to UWC Atlantic.

From application to final nomination, the process was clear and lively. In addition to my strong interest in books, I have learnt about completing forms, preparing myself for interview, engaging with others for group activities and the like. I have learnt that I am very adaptive to new situation and learnings. 3. In what ways were you supported before arriving at UWC Atlantic? The Ethiopian National Committee has helped me through every step of the process, they have encouraged me to ask them anything I do not understand and have given me helpful advice. The National Committee was especially very helpful when I was going through my visa application. With the pandemic and embassies and visa issuing centers being closed, I was a bit concerned about the visa, but the National Committee was very optimistic and supportive. They have also helped me in connecting with UWC alumni, for experience sharing and advice. 4. What are you the most grateful to your National Committee? I am very grateful to my National Committee for their constant support, guidance, positivity and good advice. 5. What role would you like to have if you were to help your National Committee in the future? Why? During the selection and orientation, Ethiopian alumni and current students of various UWC schools were giving advice, encouraging us and overall creating a welcoming atmosphere. If I were to help my National Committee in the future, I would love to create the same environment for future Ethiopian UWCers, because it made me feel welcomed. I would also love to help promote UWC in Ethiopia with my National Committee. I believe that there a lot of Ethiopian students with amazing potential, that would greatly benefit themselves and the world from a UWC education, that is why I would like to help my National Committee promote UWC.

OPENING OF NEW STUDENT HOUSES

Lots of hard work took place over the winter break to furnish Kurt Hahn House so that the first group of students could move in when they returned from the break. As they had to spend the mandatory 10 day isolation period in the house, they had plenty of time to settle in! The two houses have been designed in collaboration with students to meet their needs and feel like home. Students in the houses have the traditional UWC Atlantic experience of living with three dorm-mates whilst also maximising features that help students' wellbeing. The rooms are spacious with each student having access to a lockable locker. The common areas; the dayroom, kitchen and quiet room, are all designed to let as much natural light in as possible with all of the facilities students need. As part of UWC Atlantic’s commitment to be ‘Of Wales’, the houses have been designed in a traditional ‘Welsh Longhouse’ style so that they fit in with our surroundings. The houses conform to high environmental standards with features such as insulation and solar panels meaning they leave as small a carbon footprint as possible. To increase our inclusivity, the houses have a range of features to help ease access to the house, such as an accessible toilet and a lift.

There are forty eight students per house, divided equally between the two floors. Each floor has a conjoined flat for the houseparent, decreasing the number of students per houseparent. To accommodate this, we have appointed four new houseparents, who have all moved into their new flats. Claudia Valarino, Activity Coordinator and Francine Mohammed, University Guidance Counsellor are the houseparents in Kurt Hahn House while Emma Gaze, Additional Learning Needs Coordinator and the newest member of faculty, Economics teacher, Tom Settle are the houseparents in Antonin Besse house. The building of these houses and the hugely positive impact it will have on current and future students, would not have been possible without the generous contributions of our supporters. A massive thank you to everyone who donated to support their building.

Add a subheading Besse House dayroom

Second-year student, Kazembe, in the entry space to the dorm, which is an important feature for privacy

Furniture in a room in Besse House

13 Quiet room

Upstairs quiet room

WAYS OF LIFE

SKILLS, EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES WHICH WILL LAST A LIFETIME 14

The first term of this year saw the launch of our brand new ‘Ways of Life’ initiative, which allows students to develop skills and have new experiences, the memories of which will last a lifetime. Time spent in any of our ‘Ways of Life’ programmes does not count towards their IB diploma. These activities are outside of the standard co-curricular programme and hence require students to commit their own limited free time to be involved.

In November, our Atlantic Experience team of knowledgeable outdoor practitioners led a series of trial sessions so that students could experience a taster of all of the programmes and improve their basic outdoor skills. 80 students braved the cold Welsh winter weather to attend all of the trial sessions. These students could then apply to become a member of any of the five Ways of Life programmes; Lifesaving, Paddlesports, Kurt Hahn Core, Atlantic Pacific Search & Rescue and National Coastwatch Institution. Students in the lifesaving programme will focus on water based and general life saving skills as well as advanced first aid. By attaining these skills, students in the programme will be able to supervise people in swimming pools and the open water, providing an invaluable service to the campus and local communities. The paddlesports programme will enable students to explore the beautiful Welsh coastline, building their fitness and skills through kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and surfing.

The Kurt Hahn Core was established in 2014 and has been absorbed into the Ways of Life programme. It takes Kurt Hahn’s ideas of experiential outdoor education and makes them a reality for our current students. Led by second year students, the students take part in a variety of creative and fun outdoor sessions every Wednesday at 6.26am. This is complimented by outdoor-based weekend trips such as camping in the Brecon Beacons. Led by alumnus Robin Jenkins, students enrolled in the Atlantic Pacific Search & Rescue programme will learn all the skills required to become members of a search and rescue crew, from navigation to mental health first aid. In a similar vein, students can become members of the National Coastwatch Institution programme. Working with local volunteers, students will keep watch from one of the towers on the sea wall, keeping watch for any incidents in the Bristol Channel and alerting the RNLI, providing an extremely valuable service. We will be the first station in the country to operate a ‘cadet’ scheme and it will be a great chance for students to take on very real and important responsibility. The Ways of Life programmes will fully harness the potential of both our students and our campus. In particular, the significant uptake of these programmes will help UWC Atlantic realise our ambition of reinvigorating the seafront so that it can be at the heart of everything that we do at the College.

CLICK TO PLAY WAYS OF LIFE VIDEO

HISPANICON 2021

Conferences at UWC Atlantic are a chance for the whole community to step away from normal academic and cocurricular activities and work together to inspire and educate everyone. Hispanicon was no different, with the Hispanic community at the College coming together to organise a conference about the region on the 29th and 30th of January with the theme of ‘Una lengua, a thousand cultures’.

As is tradition, the conference kicked off with an opening ceremony. There were energetic dances, a powerful poem read by Carmina and a great saxophone performance by Fran. Staff were able to watch, socially distanced, from the balcony in the Moondance Sports Hall. The ceremony did a fantastic job of getting everyone energised and ready for the two days ahead. A key component of a UWC Atlantic conference is the student-led workshops. This is a great chance for students to share stories and aspects of their home countries to a wider audience. Workshops were split into two categories; cultural and political, with every student participating in two of each across the two days. The cultural workshops covered a broad range of topics, from Reggaeton to football in Argentina. The political workshops were also very varied, exploring topics as diverse as indigenous women in Guatemala and Latin American feminism. All of the workshops were incredibly informative and gave a lot of space for students to reflect.

There were other things for our students to attend interspersed with the workshops. ‘Hispanic Atlantic’ was a space for UWC Atlantic staff members to share their experiences of Latin America. Elena and Claudia gave their experiences of growing up in Argentina and Venezuela respectively and new economics teacher Tom spoke about economic development across the whole region. Students organised a ‘Human Shrine’ storytelling event in the Tythe Barn. This involved students setting up shrines for notable Hispanic people who had lost their lives fighting for what they believed in and telling their stories. This was an incredibly powerful initiative. The students produced some incredible artwork, which was displayed in a gallery in the Arts Centre. You can see some photos of the artwork and the students looking around the gallery on flickr here. Students worked very hard turning the Moondance Cafe into a ‘Feria’ (Spanish for fair). Dishes from Latin America, Spain and Portugal were prepared, giving students the opportunity to try these dishes. The dishes prepared were; ko’i lechi kayente, cocada, horchata, arroz con leche, quesadillas, media lunas, arepas with shredded beef, ceviche, sopa de mani, bacalhau a bras and tortilla de patatas. Finally, to round off the weekend, the students organised an amazing closing ceremony. There were poems, singing and a performance by MOVE. After an enjoyable but tiring two days, lots of students then took a siesta in the traditional Hispanic style! Hispanicon 2021 photo and video credits: Ayooluwa Kolawole, Josephine Nyachwo, Shuqian Lyu and Ulysse Allard

TLC2

At UWC Atlantic, the castle is the hub of student wellbeing, designed to have all of the help students need in one place, from university guidance to counselling. To improve this further, we have established ‘TLC2’. This follows the success of The Learning Centre, the home of our Additional Learning Needs Coordinator, English as an Additional Language teacher and our counsellors.

Located in the Lady Anne Tower, TLC2 will be the home of our Head of Tutors and Student Affairs, Valentina Mindoljevic, Head of IB1, Yordan Demirov and Head of IB2, Sian Hughes. Having this base means that students will know exactly where to go should they need help or advice from those three members of staff. There is also a side room in TLC2, which allows private and confidential conversations to take place. It also provides an appropriate place for tutors and houseparents to meet with Valentina, Yordan and Sian to discuss the wellbeing of individual students. While it has been difficult to use this space recently due to the move to online learning, everyone is looking forward to it becoming a key component of the wellbeing network in the castle at UWC Atlantic. At UWC Atlantic, student wellbeing is our main priority and the establishment of this space is another initiative that helps us achieve this. We are hopeful that the success of TLC2 will lead to even more initiatives that aid student wellbeing. Sian - “I’m really looking forward to having a base where students will know where to find me, and can just drop-in if they need help from any one of us” Valentina - “Having all three of us sharing the office will definitely increase our instant communication, but also our communication with staff and students. An appropriate space brings more opportunities for face to face meetings enhancing our holistic approach to living and learning.”

CHANGEMAKER CURRICULUM RECONNECTING WITH THE LAND We continue our focus on our new Changemaker Curriculum units by focusing on ‘Reconnecting with the Land’ this month. This unit is led by music teacher Ed Picton-Tubervill, who has a master’s degree in Environmental Policy. The idea for the course came from the concept of ‘uprootedness’ and many people are less connected to nature than ever before. The course uses art to break down the barrier between humanity and nature by getting the students to focus on and think about the natural world by developing the skill of paying close attention to the world around them. This is a transferable skill that students can use wherever they find themselves in the world.

The primary way that students develop their skills in this unit is through working in almanacs. Each student has their own personal almanac, an individualised space in which they can work, from sketching the clouds on a particular day to writing reflections on a night under the stars with a campfire. They also take part in different activities that really bring them close to nature and make the most of our beautiful campus, whether it be swimming in the sea or walking barefoot in the woods. The pictures to the left show some of the amazing activities that students in the unit have been up to this term, including; sketching the Bristol Channel with the cloud formation on that day included, envisioning the campus as a tree with its various ‘branches’ and making the UWC logo out of leaves. If you would like to give your time, talent or treasure to help support the development of this, or any of our other Changemaker Curriculum units, please email philanthropy@uwcatlantic.org.

WINTER BREAK While for many of our students, the winter break was a time to return to their families, for some, this was not possible. Some students stayed with friends, some stayed on campus and others stayed with host families organised by UWC Atlantic. The students who stayed on campus had the pleasure of ‘Christmas at the Castle’. In cooperation with Atlantic Experience, we had a team of 8 wonderful volunteers who put on activities and provided pastoral support to the students. These included bonfires in the valley, walks on the beach at low tide, cycling around the local area and climbing on the climbing tower. The most popular activities were football and floorball matches in the sports hall - the students always managed to beat the volunteer team! 29

It is quite fitting that in a unique year, so many of our students had such an extraordinary Christmas. Huge thanks must go to our eight volunteers who gave up their own Christmases to support our students and ensure they had such a wonderful experience. We are extremely fortunate to have an amazing network of supporters who open their homes to UWC Atlantic students. First year student Roaya, sponsored by the class of 1978, stayed with an alumna and her family in Harrogate, Yorkshire. She had a wonderful time with her highlight being when she saw snow for the first time! She said “I ran in the street like a child and said “Throw snow on me.”” Second year student Kazembe, sponsored by Pestalozzi International Foundation, stayed with an alumna in London. She had a great time and managed to even volunteer during the holiday by cooking meals for the homeless, well done Kazembe!

The teams were made up of one student and one volunteer - in the end, Xinny and Tony won with 35 points!

TAN

The youth volunteers and kitchen staff put on a very nice Christmas lunch on the 25th

New Year's Dip in the Sea

Small Christmas present for each Boxing Day football game - the students beat the volunteers 5-4 student Kazembe volunteering for a charity in London

Library sleepover filled with quizzes, hot chocolate and a Harry Potter screening

31 Students enjoying Christmas lunch

It's 3 am in the midnight and I just came up with a nice fundraising project idea with my roommates. So many things can happen randomly in Atlantic College. And this is one of the most exciting and challenging moments that we can experience here. Just like this, the first term has surprised me with wonderful learning experiences. In the beginning of the term, I took the opportunity to explore different subjects and choose the ones that I was passionate about. After the process, I explored many areas and discovered new interests. Music had always been my passion but I never got the opportunity to study itas a subject before I came to UWC AC. Studying music theory in a class with many students who had studied music as a proper subject is challenging but their amazing talent fascinates and gives me great inspiration to put more effort into music. Here in AC, you can meet people who share interests and passion with you. I have been working on an app called EcoCity with some of my friends, and right now we are at the beta testing process. The project would not have been possible without the supportive community that we have in AC. For example, there is the Lighthouse project which supports and funds studentled projects. This motivates students to take initiative and start contributing to society.

Attending the Big Data Changemaker sessions has been an experience unlike any other. The motive behind these sessions inspires me to do more than just programming. The sessions nurtured my love and passion for programming. In one of the sessions, we did a presentation about various real-life problems using data presentation. The variety of presentations that focused on many areas was fascinating and was a good exploration. In this semester, I’ve experienced and learned a lot, especially realising how the students possess unlimited potential. UWC offers more opportunities for students to take initiative and be creative. For example, there were many student-led activities in the first term. From all of the wonderful activities, MENA conference was the most impressive one for me. The conference was focused on making students understand the culture and current issues in the Middle East and North Africa. During this conference, there are many student led-workshops in which some students from MENA shared about their culture, or current issues and personal stories. It was such a wonderful learning experience for me to get to know more about the cultures from MENA countries from students who are actually from MENA. Also, I was deeply touched when students who were affected by war shared their personal stories with us. While feeling their experiences, I felt very fortunate to be able to grow in a peaceful country and also I became more motivated to contribute to my society. We may not remember everything that what we learn in class, but we might occasionally recall those moments where we work together, understand each other even though we are from different parts of the world. After all, this is what makes UWC so special. Tenzin Dayoe, UWCA '22

WAYS OF GIVING

Atlantic Circle Philanthropy played an important role in the creation of the College. The gift of St Donat's Castle gave UWC Atlantic a home and donations continue to fund our students, the College and our aims. Here at UWC Atlantic, The Atlantic Circle is our patron programme that recognises the support and loyalty of our patrons and the massive impact they have. Our members’ invaluable support empowers our ambitious and bright students to achieve their very best, and provides the equipment and opportunities for them to become the Changemakers of the future. As parents and friends of UWC Atlantic, you are all potential changemakers for a vibrant and unique community that nurtures bridge builders as its primary purpose - and as we ourselves continue to change and evolve as a College, we are looking to you to share in, and to help shape, our direction of travel. View the Atlantic Circle Brochure If you would like to arrange a conversation, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with Keith Steel at keith.steel@atlanticcollege.org. Stay safe and well.

CO-CURRICULAR SPOTLIGHT

CALISTHENICS Calisthenics is a form of exercise that uses your own bodyweight to improve your strength. What is so fantastic about practicing calisthenics is that it requires no equipment, which means it is great for keeping up your fitness when you are travelling, which our students love to do. Led by French teacher Nic Janvier, the calisthenics group meets every Monday afternoon at 4pm. They take part in a variety of warm ups to get their body moving before launching into activities. These include activities such as push ups, crunches and burpees. Students of all abilities are involved in the activity as an integral part of calisthenics is that you can make it as easy or as difficult as you like. This can be varying the amount of repetitions of an exercise you do or doing certain exercises assisted. Each student has a book which they write their goals for the term and the exercises they do in. This shows them how much they progress in the space of a few weeks. Reaching their goals in calisthenics can inform the students on other areas of their life as Anna writes, “Exceeding my limits has made me realise that my "full potential" is constantly growing and expanding. With hard work and determination, I can overcome "the next challenge".”

COMING UP

SUSTAINABILITY

Thursday 11th February, 2-3.15pm GMT InTouch event: "Dimensions of Meaningful Changemaking: A Conversation with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus" If you’d like to find out more about our upcoming events, check out the UWC Atlantic online calendar or get in touch with Magda Joshi, Events and Alumni Engagement Manager, at joinin@uwcatlantic.org.

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