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PARENT NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020 01

WELCOME WELCOME

PHOTO BY KATE VINCZE VICE PRINCIPAL EDUCATION

As the Winter Break is fast approaching we are sharing some wonderful photos and reflections of the exciting events that took place in the last 4 weeks on campus. Our Two Arabian Nights (TAN) Conference at the end of November was definitely the highlight of the term so far. Huge thanks to the Conference Board of students who are responsible for selecting themes for the student-organised conferences. They had a difficult job this year as a significant number of well-planned proposals were submitted to the Board to choose from. TAN has been an excellent choice. The organisers and participants are sharing their reflections and learnings with you on the pages of the newsletter and I hope you will get a small glimpse of what happened and will be able to feel the excitement of learning through this wonderful opportunity. I cannot thank the organisers enough for their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm. In IB coursework-heavy times combined with the added pressure of university applications while living under Covid lockdown, the conference has been a truly inspiring event. UWC students 'can do' it however hard the circumstances are! Just three days after the conference we had our annual Amnesty International Head Shaving event. I had the privilege to observe this (from a Covid-safe distance) as I am working with the Amnesty activity of students. More students offered to have their heads shaved for charity than in previous years and I heard some really moving speeches that confirmed to me again that our students demonstrate true UWC spirit. Thank you to those of you who supported this fundraising event for charities. You will notice our new feature in the newsletter: we are putting the spotlight on one co-curricular session in every edition. This time we are looking at our new British Sign Language (BSL) activity that started this year. Our Co-curricular Committee of students working with Sam Willis, our Co-curricular Coordinator select each year what sessions will form our core co-curricular programme. Lots of sessions continue each year but we also welcome new proposals from staff and students. The BSL activity was initiated by a current student at the end of last term and has proven to be very popular. In the coming days we are going to have house Christmas events, a Christmas concert, a coastal walk off campus - all of these Covid risk assessed and carefully planned. We would like to thank you for all your support this term and wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Kate Vincze - Vice Principal Education

CONFERENCE SEASON

We are delighted that the new student Conference Board - Michael, Aaesha, Tracy, Ella and Fran have selected the programme for 2020-2021 The series started with 'Two Arabian Nights' (TAN) and this will be followed by Hispanico and TRIBE next year.

TAN

MAIN ORGANISERS ROUA, DANIELLE, KARIM, BAHER, MELODY, RA & EMUNA.

Named after the traditional collection of MENA folktales â€˜1001 Arabian Nightsâ€™, the Two Arabian Nights (TAN) conference sought to educate the College community about the region. Specifically focusing on the events of the past, the present, and what the future could hold, TAN was an outlet for those with personal experience to magnify their authentic voices which cannot be heard anywhere else. This conference hoped to ensure as much as possible that attendees understand why the region is simultaneously beautiful and flawed and how this relates to them, wherever in the world they come from.

Workshops The conference was a storyline divided into three types of workshops. The first one was named "Once upon a time..." and explored the past of the Middle East and North Africa. An example for a workshop is "Mesopotamia between the two rivers" that explored the ancient civilization of Sumer. The second type of workshops was named "... and then..." It focused on the present and allowed the students to share their personal story. For example a Muslim student talked about her interactions with the Hijab in a workshop named "Elegance of Hijab". The last type of workshop was the most interactive one, it was named "happily ever after?" and was based on discussions on the region's future. About 10 second years students received mediation training from MENA experts and facilitated panels about conservational topics such as the solution to the IsraeliPalestine conflict. In addition to the workshops the students attended a Bazaar (MENA food fair) in which they got to taste the region's famous dishes.

Danielle Weiss - Conference Organiser (Class of 2021)

Bazaar Bazaar was a buffet style food fair in the Moondance Sports Hall aimed to mimic the open air â€˜souksâ€™ in the region, where cooks, farmers and even tailors and cobblers sell their wares. A great success, the Bazaar had 10 varied dishes in quantities for 400 students on offer, with hummus (dip), musakhan (wraps), tabbouleh (salad) and baba ganoush (dip) representing the Levant. The wider MENA region, with North Africa in particular, was represented through laban w khyar (salad), falafel (savoury croquettes), foul (dip), kunafa b jebn (dessert) and tahinicinnamon rolls (dessert).

Karim Ghaddar, Conference Organiser (Class of 2021)

TAN was one of my biggest learning experiences this year, as a main organizer and as leader of the MENA regional group. As a third culture kid, I have found it important to express my identity and elements of culture to communities that are often unfamiliar with them. During this conference, I learned to be the bridge in usually controversial and polarized debates. It was necessary for me to challenge my own beliefs in order to accommodate alternate perspectives, considering the unique group dynamic that is inherent to the region. This role also allowed me to magnify the authentic MENA voices that our campus has to offer, which I accomplished, along with a team of five students, through the organization of the conference elements. It featured lecture-style workshops on MENA history, culture and contemporary politics and an art gallery which depicted art from the region. We also organized 10 discussion panels and arranged for external experts on peace and conflict mediation in Jerusalem to train student mediators, who were handpicked with the panellists. The nuanced discussions and workshops were centralized around identity politics and social injustices, and included debates such as “to what extent are civil liberties compromised in the name of counter terrorism” and “Israel Palestine - one state or two state solution?” which featured Israeli and Palestenian students.

These discussions demonstrate the importance of amplifying the diversity within the student body in order to raise awareness as to issues of global significance that affect individuals on a personal level. I've already began the process of applying the lessons we've learnt from organizing and mediating the discussions into resolving disputes within my national group and PeaCo. Last week, we had a discussion on HKChina relations which featured students from both places, where we used the discussion panel form and mediators from TAN to have an efficient discussion. Lastly, the Friday Night Lecture @ TAN featured alumni Robin Jenkins who spoke about rescuing refugees from the Mediterranean Sea who came from the MENA region, and it was very moving for my friend and I, and we were inspired to do the Amnesty headshave and donate to that cause, for which we raised over 1,300 GBP. Overall, it was very rewarding and could not have been achieved without the collaboration of the organizers and help of some committed national group members and staff. Roua Aldash - Conference Organiser, Joint PEACo Chair (Class of 2021)

The TAN conference, which centered around social and political issues in the Middle East, was an incredible opportunity for me to teach people about my own culture and play a role in organising a major event. Being one of the assisting organisers as well as presenting two workshops and sitting on a panel, allowed me to see first hand what went into the making of the conference, and why it was so unique. The mission was to amplify the unique and individual voices of people who had first hand experiences in the region, offering new perspectives that would be unattainable at any place other than UWC. Using the diversity that exists within our student body, we shared information about our cultures, histories, and backgrounds. I presented one workshop on the Muslim Ban in the United States, another on the history of Jordan, and sat on a panel regarding whether or not hijabs should be banned in the name of public safety. These allowed me to express the my own culture, particularly the one on the Muslim Ban, where I was able to learn so much about my country and its relationship with the region where I find my roots. The panels were the highlight of the conference, as they were meticulously selected and organized to allow for the open sharing of information and ideological collaboration that is so distinct from a typical classroom setting. The facilitated debate that took place was eye opening, particularly the participants' abilities to argue for points that they don't necessarily agree with, and the audience's receptiveness to new points and arguments. With such heated topics being discussed, the panels offered significant insight and allowed for open conversation, creating an environment that prompted questions and ideological exploration, illustrating the successes of the conference as a whole. While the subject matter was often contentious and the events were painstaking to organise, TAN provided me with unique insight into different cultural perspectives and allowed me to deepen my understanding of my own. In the future, I hope to use the organisational skills that I learned in future events and conferences, and utilise the mediation techniques and discussion tactics that were used when dealing with debates in my everyday life. Amar Aqel (Class of 2022)

CLICK TO PLAY Acapella @ TAN

Civil Liberties Panel The students on the panel discussing civil liberties provided a terrific thought provoking debate focusing on Donald Trumpâ€™s 'Muslim Ban' and the personal and political ramifications of this. The students on the pro-ban side had a real challenge on their hands to try to play 'devilâ€™s advocate', which speaks to the values of the UWC education. When people from different cultures and countries know each other on a personal level, it is incredibly difficult to demonise, discriminate or dismiss people. Inclusivity, open-mindedness and kindness are the values that we hope to instil in our leaders and the students in the debate did such a great job of being respectful and showing off their academic might in this formal debate. Janie Digby, Supporting Staff Member

TAN

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.

AMNESTY HEADSHAVE

TAN

For the twenty-first year running, our students decided to ‘brave the shave’ to raise money for a variety of worthy causes. Originally set up to raise money for the human rights charity ‘Amnesty International’, it has been quite usual to spy a number of bald heads (often under warm hats) on campus at this time of year, just when the Welsh weather is turning cold! Students from the Amnesty International activity take responsibility for organising the event each year, so it makes up a significant part of their co-curricular work. This year, the students had the added task of navigating the ramifications of Covid-19. On the evening itself, students were welcomed by the organisers to a presentation on the vital work that Amnesty International does around the world. Then, each student was invited to the stage to share their motivation for shaving their head and what cause they were supporting.

Students talked about a range of different things, from wanting to show people that you could still be positive about yourself with no hair, to raising money for a particular charity close to their hearts. This was an incredibly inspiring and moving section of the event. Additionally, many students decided to raise money for Amnesty International itself.

TAN

A final picture was taken of all the students while they still had their hair and then it was clippers and scissors at the ready. Long hair was whisked up into mini ponytails so that it could be cut with scissors and long hair was donated to charities that make wigs for those who have lost hair through illness or medical treatment. There was some experimentation with potential styles, before all of the hair was gone. Some students donated extra on the proviso that they could be the ones to make the first shave. There was fantastic support of those students who had bravely decided to go bald, with cheers and applause ringing around the Bradenstoke. Hair today. Gone tomorrow! After the event was over, there was only one thing left to do - clean up! Well done everyone for a great fundraising event.

BSL This year we saw the exciting introduction of British Sign Language as a co curricular session. The students have embraced this opportunity to learn about life with a hearing impairment and started their Introduction to British Sign Award. This term the students have learnt to introduce themselves through a conversation, communicate numbers 1-100, as well as colours and occupations. This week we are concluding our learning through the celebration of winter break. The students have been learning to sign Christmas carols and really look forward to sharing these with their peers and spreading the festive cheer. We have communicated something using finger spelling, can you work out what it is?

Emma Gaze Additional Learning Needs Coordinator The Learning Centre

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 up until 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

STUDENT HOUSES INTERIORS

READY TO MOVE INTO - IN THE NEW YEAR!

TAN

SEASON'S GREETINGS

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