Dunia December 2012

December 2012

Celebrating 50 years of UWC Action and activity for UWC Day What we know about learning GINSING gets to the root of global issues

Celebrating 50 years of the responsibility to the community and an awareness of the importance of the democratic process in sustaining both. In 1933, Hahn was exiled to the UK after speaking out against the Nazis, and founded Gordonstoun School in Scotland, based on the four pillars of internationalism, challenge, responsibility and service.

By Julian Whiteley Head of College

“Confidence in effort, modesty in success, grace in defeat, fairness in anger, clear judgement even in the bitterness of wounded pride and readiness for service at all times.”

Kurt Hahn Founder of the UWC movement This year, we celebrate 50 years of the UWC movement, with celebrations taking place in all 12 UWC schools and colleges across the world. As well as a celebration, the anniversary is an opportunity for us to reflect on the beginnings of the movement and the life of its remarkable founder, Kurt Hahn.

Born the son of a wealthy German industrialist, Hahn’s early interest in education was crystallised by the destruction he witnessed during World War I. Hahn believed that school should be a preparation for life, not just for university, and in 1920, he founded Salem School in Germany, based on respect for the individual,

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The ideals of Gordonstoun were partly manifested in an enormous emphasis on outdoor activities, particularly seamanship and mountaineering. In 1941, more and more convinced of the importance of learning outside the classroom, Hahn established Outward Bound, with a founding mission to give young people the ability to survive harsh conditions at sea by teaching confidence, tenacity and perseverance—some of the many skills and qualities we develop at UWCSEA through our Outdoor Education programme today. Fifteen years later, in 1956, Hahn founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which for more than 50 years has encouraged young people to challenge themselves through service, physical recreation and adventure. Since 2008, more than 300 of the College’s students have achieved the Duke of Edinburgh’s award, known internationally as the National Youth Achievement Award.

The founding of the UWC movement in 1962 was the culmination of Hahn’s thinking about education.

While attending the 1958 NATO Staff Conference, he was inspired by the cooperation he witnessed between former adversaries from World War II. He thought that if we could educate young people from around the world together, we could prevent future conflicts. From this belief in the power

of education to change the world, the UWC movement was born, with a mission to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.

In 1962, the first UWC, Atlantic College, was opened in Wales. UWC South East Asia, the second UWC college, was opened in 1971 as the Singapore International School, and so the story of UWCSEA began.

While Atlantic College and the UWC movement worked with the Geneve International School and the United Nations School in New York to develop the International Baccalaureate curriculum, Kurt Hahn went on to found the Round Square organisation in 1967.

There is no doubt that Hahn had an enormous impact on the world of education.

He championed the importance of developing the whole person, and based his thinking on the ideals of a holistic, experiential, values-based education.

“I regard it as the foremost task of education to insure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self denial, and above all, compassion.” – Kurt Hahn The world is a very different place since Hahn founded the UWC movement 50 years ago. But his educational philosophy, with a focus on academic achievement, leadership, experiential learning and service to others has remained, and will continue to provide our students with a unique learning experience for many more years to come.

Happy 50th birthday UWC.

UWC movement Taking the UWC mission further Edited from articles written by Hannah He and Aditya Krishnan Grade 10 Many UWCSEA alumni go on to contribute to the UWC mission as part of their lives in some way.

A much smaller percentage can claim that their jobs exemplify the model of cooperation and understanding for the common good proposed by Kurt Hahn when he established the UWC movement by opening Atlantic College in 1962. However, UWCSEA alumnus Akihiko Hoshide (Class of 1987) counts himself fortunate to be one of that number.

As part of UWCSEA’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the UWC movement, students and staff from both UWCSEA campuses had a unique opportunity to participate in a live link-up with Aki, who was on mission in the International Space Station (ISS).

During the half hour link-up, Aki took the viewers on a tour of the ISS and responded to questions from a student panel.

During the tour, in which we visited a number of ISS modules that had been contributed by different nations,

Many articles in this edition have expanded content in eDunia—look for the symbol as you read the magazine and visit eDunia for more photos, video, music and expanded content. Other stories only featured in eDunia:

Aki explained that the ISS was about having “different nationalities all work together … to achieve a common goal for humankind.” The international collaboration for the ISS project is an exemplar of successful collaboration that is possible between different nations and peoples. As an astronaut, he said, he “could not do anything alone” and reflected on how his time at UWCSEA was excellent preparation for the need to cooperate on such a high level with people from so many different backgrounds.

However, the most memorable moment for most viewers had nothing to do with the inside of the ISS or learning about the bathroom, exercise or dining arrangements for the astronauts; nor was it seeing the UWCSEA bandana pinned to the wall in Aki’s room; or even meeting Sunita Williams, the ISS commander. It was the moment when Aki turned his webcam around so we could see out the cupola window—and a collective gasp went up as we got a large, unobstructed view of Earth and were fortunate enough to see for ourselves that “you can’t see any borders from space.”

Primary School Middle School

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Community

Grade 3 enjoy Riders Lodge

Leadership training for High School students

Expat Teens Talk parent workshops

Middle School fitness in Physical Education

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Celebrating with action and activity The 50th anniversary of the UWC movement was an opportunity to come together to share our commitment to the mission and values of the movement that has touched us all.

The events at UWCSEA that marked the anniversary showcased the global impact of the UWC experience and provided opportunities for all members of our extended community to participate in the celebrations.

Dover Campus 20 September From the all-campus assemblies that kicked off the day, to the closing event which saw the community link-up with alumnus Aki Hoshide (Class of 1987) in the International Space Station, all 2,900 students on Dover Campus were involved.

The assemblies that started the day in six venues across Dover Campus were symbolic, with each venue hosting students from every grade, creating six representative communities. Kicking off

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with speeches from a member of the leadership team, each assembly also included a speech from two students, drumming from either UWCSEA students or our long-term local service partner Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). The assemblies premiered UWCSEA’s 50th anniversary celebration video, as well as showcased the entries for the Around the World photo competition. Over the summer months, UWCSEA students took photos all over the world, wearing or holding their UWCSEA uniform shirt. More than 380 photos were submitted, spanning the globe from top to bottom—literally, with one entry from the polar circle, and one from the Antarctica Centre in New Zealand!

Following this, students and staff were involved in over 40 College and local service activities, which included: • greening and cleaning the campus • hosting visiting children from local service partners including Healthy Start and Kidsunited (both supporting disadvantaged children) and Genesis School (a school supporting children with special education needs) • visiting local organisations that provide support and shelter for disadvantaged children and elderly

people, such as Jamiyah Home for the Aged (looking after those without family support), H.O.M.E (looking after migrant workers who are victims of abuse), Assisi Hospice, Lighthouse School for the Deaf and Blind, MINDS and Riding for the Disabled Association • Wheelchair Walk to Gardens by the Bay • supporting environmental awareness through activity on campus to support reduce, reuse, recycle initiatives and the Grade 8 Green Corridor Walk

East Campus 19–21 September The UWCSEA East community celebrated 50 years of UWC throughout the campus with a variety of studentled activities including speeches, performances and birthday parties over a three-day period. Students studied the history and development of the UWC movement and participated in learning and art activities that enabled them to reflect on the UWC mission and values and how UWCSEA East is connected to other UWC schools and colleges.

A highlight of the activities was the retracing of the East Campus community’s genetic pathways over the last 50,000 years through

the GenoThreads project walk.

GenoThreads is part of National Geographic’s ongoing Genographic Project which uses individual genetic profiles to build a picture of the migratory routes that humans took out of Africa over the last 50,000 years. UWCSEA East’s participation came about through Anthony Skillicorn, Head of Service on East Campus, who won a competition to have 30 swab kits sent to UWCSEA East.

The project is a joint venture with International School of Geneva and National Geographic.

On UWC Day, the East Campus plaza featured a giant world map, and community members who participated in the project ‘walked backwards’ from Singapore along their ancestors’ migration path as students narrated the journey and marked the millennia.

Ultimately, each one arrived back to Africa where humanity began.

This project was a fitting recognition of the ethos of the UWC movement and provided the East Campus community with a unique way of marking and sharing our common humanity.

Please visit eDunia to read an article by Grade 11 student Su Han Ong on the GenoThreads project, visit the Dover Junior School Techsperts microsite celebrating the UWC Day in the Primary School, to view a slideshow of the Around the World photos and watch our 50th Anniversary video.

UWCSEA Ball supports scholarships

UWCSEA is hosting 83 scholars across its two campuses this year. While it is tempting to look on their attendance at the College in light of what they are being provided (i.e., a unique educational opportunity that would be out of reach for many if not for the scholarship programme) the reality is that these scholars inject a unique perspective and energy into the College. They bring with them personal stories and experiences that are sometimes far removed from those of much of the rest of the student population. The value of their contribution is evident through the engagement they engender in their peers, and the connections they form with a wide cross-section of the student population.

When the UWC movement started planning its 50th anniversary celebrations based on the premise of celebration through action, the UWCSEA community started looking for opportunities to become involved. While the College made plans for the student population to mark the occasion through College and local service activities, the parent community was also keen to mark the anniversary. Organisers felt strongly that they wanted to contribute to the UWC mission in a tangible way, by giving something back to an institution that has given so much to their own families.

They looked for an opportunity to create a celebration evening for our community and to raise funds to enable an additional scholar to attend UWCSEA. And so, plans for the UWCSEA Ball were made.

More than $330,000 was raised, and as a result, we are now able to finance two new IB Diploma scholars at UWCSEA. Through the efforts of the Annual Fund, the UWCSEA Foundation hopes to raise enough to supplement the remaining funds needed to fund a third IB Diploma scholarship.

The 50th anniversary scholarships are proof of the value our community places on the importance of the programme and the contribution of our scholars. There are plans to grow the scholarship programme in coming years, adding to the diversity of our community.

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Academics

What we know about learning

By Nancy Fairburn and Lizzie Bray College Curriculum Development

“The innate learning appetite is highly intelligent, because learning is the gateway to everything.”

Guy Claxton What’s the Point of School?

At UWCSEA, we define learning as a life-long process in which learners engage with and reflect upon information and experiences to construct new or modify existing understanding as well as develop and apply skills and qualities. Defining learning provokes the question, “How do we learn?”

Intuitively, many of us know the answer.

We listen, we ask questions, we seek advice, we try something else. Early thinkers understood the complexity of learning. Socrates described education as “… the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Einstein said, “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” In recent times, the research about learning has substantially increased and has been popularised across all media platforms.

Amazon.com claims to have more than 400,000 books connected to learning.

At the College, it is our responsibility to ensure that the best research is informing our practice to create optimal learning for our students.

The 10 statements that comprise the UWCSEA learning principles are a synthesis of current research from around the world. They are derived from a perspective that is developmental and holistic and are not placed in any particular order.

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While each principle is identified separately, they must be treated as interconnected. The learning process relies on this complexity. When learners are challenged in developmentally appropriate ways, there is a feeling of achievement. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this feeling flow.

Flow is when learners are so engrossed in their work that time seems to pass without distraction. “Successful students at school know the value of ‘flow’ and derive pleasure from the effort.” This opportunity for challenge is enhanced in an environment where learners feel secure and supported. Trusting relationships create a safe place to learn from mistakes and an ideal situation for collaboration so students can gain timely and goal-directed feedback to guide the next steps in learning. John Hattie’s meta-analysis of the research claims that timely and goal-oriented feedback has one of the greatest impacts on learning. To support our understanding of feedback, Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at the Institute of Education, University of London, recently spent two days working with teachers from across the College to further their understanding about strategies for providing this essential feedback for learning. When learners work toward their specific goals they have ownership of their learning. According to Wiliam, “Good feedback leaves learning with the learner.”

Learning and developing the independence to be capable of taking responsibility for shaping a better world are central to a UWCSEA education.

Requiring this learning to take place across all five elements of the learning programme provides the opportunity for different pathways through which students can develop the skills and qualities for their future.

We know learning is effective when: • learners construct new understanding by activating prior knowledge and experiences Therefore, it is important that new learning is connected to what the learner has previously experienced or understood.

• learners use timely and goal-directed feedback Therefore, ongoing assessment should be regular and structured in a manner that allows for specific feedback to guide the learner in constructing meaning.

• learners collaborate Therefore, learners must have opportunities to interact with others in a variety of situations and groupings.

• learners are challenged Therefore, learners need to be challenged in developmentally appropriate ways.

• learners feel secure and supported Therefore, learners need a safe and respectful learning environment.

• learners construct meaning by seeing patterns and making connections Therefore, learning needs to be organised around core concepts.

• learners actively process and reflect Therefore, time is required for learners to practise, reflect and consolidate learning.

• learners apply metacognitive skills Therefore, learners should develop an awareness of their own thinking processes to develop intellectual habits.

• learners understand the purpose of the learning Therefore, learning should occur in context with clear connections to real world.

• learners have ownership of their learning Therefore, opportunities for self-directed learning are needed to sustain and motivate learning.

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Annual Fund supports professional development

Assessment for learning

By Libby Orr Annual Fund Manager

By Brian Ó Maoileoin Junior School Principal, Dover

Recruiting and retaining the highest quality of staff is crucial to maintaining the transformational experience and international reputation of UWCSEA. In a highly competitive market, the College prides itself on being able to invest in and support the continued development of its faculty, and the Annual Fund is playing an increasingly important role in supporting professional learning.

Teaching staff at Dover and East campuses had the pleasure of spending two days in training with Professor Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Education at the London Institute of Education. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on the ways that assessment can be used to improve student learning has authored or coauthored over 300 articles, books and book chapters on education.

In 2011, 200 teachers from across both campuses took part in significant training opportunities, led by renowned experts in education.

This varied from attending key conferences and workshops, to bringing specialists into the College to provide tailored and comprehensive training.

His special area of interest is ‘formative assessment’ or assessment for learning.

This describes any form of ongoing assessment that is used by the teacher to change their instruction for the learner, as opposed to ‘summative assessment,’ which is concerned with the assignment of a grade at the end of a unit or a course of study. Assessing merely at the end of a unit (summative assessment), though important, is often too late. As one commentator memorably put it, “When the customer tastes the soup, that’s summative assessment; when a cook tastes it, that’s formative.”

The Annual Fund has supported the implementation of a new writing methodology in the Primary School— Writing Workshop. Last year, over 70 members of staff took part in an intensive week of training, as staff developers from Columbia University introduced Writing Workshop practice across the Primary School. In October this year, the Annual Fund enabled the College to take the process one step further by investing in further training, focused on conferring with student writers. These sessions were led by international experts on writing: Carl Anderson, who worked primarily with Grades 2–5, and Matt Glover who focused on our younger grades.

Helen Gamble and Wendy Jones, literacy coaches at UWCSEA Dover explained, “It was wonderful to get such high profile specialists and receive timely and goal-orientated feedback on our progress. Bringing the experts into our classrooms resulted in greater teacher ownership and engagement. It was a highly beneficial experience and one we would not have had without support from the Annual Fund.”

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In all teaching, there is a gap between what we teach the students and what they have actually learned. Different students in the same class understand things differently. If this were not true, there would be no need to assess them; in order to work out what the students have learned, we could simply write down a list of what we have taught that week and move on to the next topic without checking. Assessment for learning bridges this gap and helps the teacher to ensure that there are no misconceptions, no misunderstandings before moving on to build up the next layer. It is a very complex and difficult area—feedback that a teacher gives to one child can create intense motivation to improve; the exact same feedback given to another learner could cause

them to give up. For a teacher, this is a very difficult balancing act. But it is worth putting energy, time and money into it because research is pretty clear on the impact of formative assessment in education: it stands out as the most beneficial and most achievable educational strategy for the improvement of learning.

It is important to note that feedback is not merely praise or criticism. “Well done!” or “Needs improvement” are not examples of feedback because they do not help a student to know how he or she can improve next time. Nor is a grade a substitute for feedback. If a student achieves an ‘A’ or a ‘7,’ they need to be told what it was that made them achieve that. True feedback gives students not only a sense of quality but also a step-by-step anatomy of quality. Feedback should always be forward looking and intended to show how a student can improve next time.

As Douglas B. Reeves put it, formative assessment and feedback “should be a medical not a postmortem.” This is, for example, the major tenet of the Reading and Writing Workshop model that we employ in the Primary Schools on both campuses. The feedback the teacher gives comes more from an assessment of the writer than of the writing. It is about how to make the writer better next time and not to make the current piece better.

Assessment for learning is a key area of focus at the College. With one of our learning principles stating that learning is effective when learners use timely and goal directed feedback, we can expect that ongoing feedback helping teachers to adjust their approach to individual learners will continue to be a feature of our classrooms. In his recent visit, Wiliam provided many examples and strategies over two highly valuable days, attended by teachers from K1 to Grade 12. He will return in September 2013.

Connected spaces support learning

By Jeff Plaman Digital Literacy Coach, East This is a story about the spaces we use to connect, communicate and learn. As a digital literacy coach, I have a front row seat with students, teachers and parents as we negotiate a variety of physical and digital spaces. Negotiating these spaces is particularly important as students develop their sense of identity and carve out their own niche.

The East Campus Middle School English classes taught by Paula Guinto and Jabiz Raisdana are developing some unique learning spaces both in the classroom and online as they pursue three fundamental ideas: developing a sense of identity, belonging to a community and articulating new ‘big ideas’ as they develop.

In the classroom, they are using a learning space referred to as ‘the table.’

The table is a place for discussion where everyone’s ideas are heard and valued. Students speak directly to each other while they negotiate roles such as facilitator, clarifier and synthesizer.

The teacher plays a key, yet subtle role to nudge the conversation to deeper levels, but Paula found that “the less we said, the more we were amazed at what they knew, what they understood, what they were asking.”

Paula and Jabiz, both new to UWCSEA this year, began collaborating long before they arrived in Singapore thanks to connections in social media spaces.

“I knew him online through Twitter and Instagram before we met in person. I had a lot of respect for him as an author …

We just started making plans and throwing ideas at each other,” Paula said.

When Paula mentioned the concept of the table, Jabiz was immediately drawn to it as a method to improve class discussions. In August, the two began developing the table, as both a concrete place (they each have large tables that dominate their classrooms) and as a method in other spaces such as online with the purpose to ultimately cultivate a culture of collaborative conversation, not recitation.

In tandem with the table routine, they helped each student create a blog as an online space for self-expression and community building through writing.

Students set up personalised blogs and were left to write on them as they wished. “Too often blogs become dead spaces where students post assignments. We didn’t want that,” Jabiz said. Rather, they sought to give students a place that’s theirs to write, post images, express themselves and develop their sense of identity. Though students may have other spaces online, like Tumblr or Facebook, their blogs are uniquely theirs to shape.

To foster blog writing, Jabiz and Paula determined it was important to develop a culture of commenting. Jabiz initiated a protocol where students view the titles and opening lines of the class posts, select several to read and comment on two. “We immediately saw a change in the table discussions.

Students were coming with authentic things to say to each other based on what they’d read and commented on,” Paula observed. Writing on the blogs fed the table discussion while the conversations also prompted writing.

Some colleagues and parents have wondered how these approaches help students develop as writers. “How did it affect the writing?” was something Paula considered. “We saw that it’s not separate. When you write and you discuss, you refine your thinking. When your thinking is refined, your writing and discussion become refined. All of it is about critical thinking.”

The combination of the table and blog has become a special formula for Paula and Jabiz that they’re sharing with others. They recently presented the concepts at the Learning 2.0 conference in Beijing, and both continue to write about their experiences in their own online spaces. Yet, they are taking a cautious approach to the early success they’ve had. Paula notes, “It’s just a seed that’s still fragile and growing and finding its truth, and we are both really careful to nurture it and let it grow.”

For the full-length version of this story including links to resources as well as an article by Paula Guinto about the ‘Blogging to learn’ session held in September, please visit eDunia.

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Activities SEASAC The South East Asia Activities Conference, commonly known as SEASAC, is an inter-school activity conference involving 13 international schools across Asia, including, for the first time this year, UWCSEA East.

SEASAC involves senior-level teams and offers opportunities for UWCSEA students to represent their school in sport at the highest level.

This term, UWCSEA Dover hosted the SEASAC Boys Football Tournament on the newly finished astroturf of the Ayer Rajah Field, while the girls teams played at Tanglin Trust School. The same weekend saw the volleyball teams compete in Surabaya and Hong Kong, and later in the term, the cross country teams travelled to Kuala Lumpur while the golf team played in Bangkok.

In March, UWCSEA Dover will host the gymnastics in the new facilities and later that same month UWCSEA East will host its first SEASAC-level competition when it welcomes the girls softball competitors. Later this year, UWCSEA teams will also travel to schools around the region to participate in SEASAC tennis, basketball, rugby, touch, swimming, and badminton competitions.

Go Phoenix! Go Dragons!

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Every Good Boy Deserves Favour The Drama and Music Departments on UWCSEA Dover have a long history of cooperation, resulting in a large amount of collaborative work each year.

The students and staff of the Music Department provide live and recorded musical and background support for a large number of productions for both the curricular and extra-curricular Drama programme.

However, the staging of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, this year’s ‘musical’ early in Term 1, was an unusual and fascinating co-production between the Drama and Music Departments for all involved. An extraordinary play ‘for actors and orchestra’ that gives an all-encompassing piece of total theatre, it is based in a Soviet-era mental institution. Following the path of two patients, one a sane political dissident and one a diagnosed schizophrenic with an orchestra in his head, it is not a typical High School musical.

The piece involved a number of challenges for the orchestra, not the least of which was performance of music in a very different style to their usual repertoire—a pastiche of Shostakovich, Stravinsky and early 20th

century Soviet orchestration. The score is dissonant and harmonically difficult, requiring a range of musical techniques.

EGBDF required the six actors to perform in and amongst the 32-piece chamber orchestra, who were on stage throughout the performance.

Their presence on stage was integral to the plot, as they participated as both support for the dialogue and as part of the on-stage drama. Rather than performing in a group or from an off-stage location, the technicalities were increased due to their dispersed physical location and exposure on the stage in a way in which orchestral musicians are not normally positioned.

It was also a physically demanding piece for the musicians; of the 65 minutes of performance, at least half of the production required the musicians to be playing, a far greater proportion than is usually the case. Violinist Minsun Cha also played the Doctor, and Rueben Bartscheer in the role of the Colonel took over the place of Adrian Hill as the Conductor for a short while on stage as part of the plot devices involving the musicians.

Aurorasonica launches the East High School ensembles The UWCSEA East High School ensembles held their first production on Friday, 23 November. Dubbed ‘Aurorasonica,’ this historic concert included performances from the five High School ensembles: Orchestra, Jazz Band, Samba Band, Pamberi Allstars (African ensemble) and Choir.

The collective ensembles comprised approximately 100 musicians from Grades 9–11.

Exemplifying the East Campus Music Department’s international approach, the selections performed were from Brazil, the United States of America, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Russia, Germany, Austria and Wales. Some

of the pieces brought together more than one ensemble for collaborative performances.

According to the Head of the Music Department, Mark Bradshaw, the concert was designed to create unique opportunities for both specialist and non-specialist musicians and singers to perform together, ensuring a production that was of both high quality and broad participation.

Mark also noted the impressive progress the ensembles had made after only 10 weeks of rehearsing together and anticipates continued growth in both the skill and size of the High School ensembles in the future.

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GINSING gets to the root of global issues and inspires action

More than 700 students from schools in Asia and beyond gathered from 9–11 November to tackle global sustainability issues. Co-hosted by Singapore American School (SAS) and UWCSEA East, the 2012 Global Issues Network conference in Singapore (GINSING) was the largest GIN conference to date. More than 450 High School students converged at SAS while more than 260 Middle School students gathered at UWCSEA East for the first GIN conference-within-a-conference for Middle School students.

Students and staff from UWCSEA East and SAS worked together over 18 months to design, organise and implement the conference. The students who served as conference organisers and facilitators gained invaluable experience and leadership development that will continue to serve them long after the conference.

GINSING was planned as an actionoriented conference, evidenced by the theme ‘Time to Act, Time to Change.’

The GINSING name and roots in the student-designed logo reflect the

ginseng plant. As ginseng roots are used for their healing abilities, so GIN contributes to healing the planet.

and Epic Arts. The evening culminated with a Peace Concert and Global Village exhibition of NGOs.

According to Mike Johnston, Middle School Principal at UWCSEA East, the real benefit of GIN is that delegates are empowered to act. “The key to GIN is that each student walks out of the conference with an action plan to implement a sustainable solution to a global issue in their school or community.”

Throughout the weekend, an impressive group of keynote speakers and NGO mentors engaged students with knowledge and inspiration while also coaching them in leadership and organisation skills. To support the conference’s commitment to action, GINSING introduced Global Action Network Groups (GANGs) to allow students from different schools across the region to share and learn from their experiences with a global issue of choice and to network with one another to create effective solutions to that issue.

The first day, all delegates participated in activities designed to enhance their knowledge about possible responses to a variety of global and sustainability issues. Middle School participants visited the Wallace Environmental Learning Lab (WELL) in Dairy Farm Nature Park for an experiential session led by the JUMP! Foundation, followed by a sustainable picnic. The session fostered leadership and teamwork as well as environmental awareness.

High School delegates participated in one of 21 different ‘ecoCare’ excursions across the island that focused on nature, technology or education.

Activities included installation of a green roof project, exploring preserved ecosystems and visiting sites that address solutions to environmental and resource management issues.

Following the first day’s excursions, all participants gathered at SAS for the official opening including keynotes from Room to Read founder John Wood and magician Scott Hammell as well as dance performances by SAS students

GINSING by the numbers

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Technology and social media played a large part in the conference and are continuing to do so as participants stay connected online. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other online tools all played a part in communication and sharing during the conference and in maintaining connections afterwards.

On the final day of the conference, both the Middle and High School student GANGs developed plans and articulated their commitments to action. At SAS, High School GANGs wrote and presented their Local Action Plans.

Some even shared videos expressing their plans, which were to be creative, do-able, realistic and sustainable.

In addition to preparing and sharing action plans in their GANGs, Middle School participants submitted

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“I will try to eradicate poverty in a targeted village by teaching people the forms and benefits of micro-financing.”

Vincent, Grade 6

“I will commit myself to supporting the less fortunate in Cambodia and will return to Kampot next year with my family to make a difference …”

Marla, Grade 6

‘I will …’ statements expressing a personal action they would take upon their return home. These commitments to action are ultimately what GIN is all about.

As one student said, “Bringing together like-minded, passionate, ready-to-takeaction young adults enables intellectual exchanges and …enriches and expands the knowledge base of the leaders of the future. GIN conferences are integral in educating and inspiring younger generations to act now.”

Visit eDunia to read about the green roof project initiated by two Grade 11 students for the GINSING High School excursions.

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Service

There is so much still to be done It was indeed an honour to be awarded the 2012 Kurt Hahn Prize, and being the youngest recipient, there was much discussion about my age. However, I don’t think that my achievement is especially ‘exceptional,’ nor is age a factor in taking action where one can.

By Ella Grade 6 recipient of Kurt Hahn Prize At the opening ceremony of the 2012 Round Square International Conference, His Majesty King Constantine spoke about the importance of education so passionately that he was visibly moved to tears. He concluded his speech with the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use change the world.”

Whilst the King spoke, I was sitting front row next to Niko Becker, the Head of Salem School Alumni. These two gentlemen are almost the guardians of the Kurt Hahn Prize; a prize awarded annually by the Round Square Organisation for an “exceptional act of service to others.”

United Nations statistics claim that today 61 million Primary School aged children are not enrolled in school. This is an unacceptably high number for anyone to digest, especially for me who has the luxury of a place in one of the best classrooms in the world. So, what can we do about this disparity? For me, it has become raising funds for school building in Cambodia.

I began my fundraising efforts as soon as I moved from Infant into Junior School. At first, my sights were set on raising funds to buy chickens, then pigs, then water wells, and finally I raised enough to build a house—all in support of the excellent work of Tabitha, which has become my Global Concern passion.

I have had the benefit of building my understanding from asking direct questions, from meeting directors of NGOs, from many dinner table conversations and from the real life experience of a dear family friend, Sreyleak. Sreyleak is a hero of mine,

and it was her story that made it a logical progression for me to try to put children into schools.

Sreyleak held a vocational scholarship at Dover Campus developing her English and French skills. A child of the dumpsite, having begun her working life at the age of 4, at age 12 she was, in her words, saved by an organisation who gave her the opportunity of education and a new life away from the horrors of Steung Meanchey dump. With the dream of becoming a flight attendant, she developed her English and French skills and is now a training flight attendant with Angkor Air. It has been a long road for Sreyleak, who was not given the opportunity of an education when she was a little girl.

Then, when I was in Grade 3, I met John Wood and Greg Mortenson who have dedicated their lives to bringing education to those who would otherwise not have the opportunity, and particularly for girls. Their stories spoke to me, linking with my friend Sreyleak’s story.

Without UWCSEA, I would be just another little girl who knew that other kids could not go to school. But being a UWCSEA student, I know I can take action. One school completed and others to follow.

Why Round Square?

Both UWCSEA campuses are now member schools of Round Square.

Established by the founder of the UWC movement, Kurt Hahn, Round Square is a worldwide association of schools that share a commitment beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility. By joining Round Square, UWCSEA hopes to strengthen the links between the UWC movement and Round Square, and to raise awareness of the UWC movement.

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UWCSEA’S membership provides students from Middle and High School opportunities to forge ties and interact with students from other institutions who share similar values and aspirations.

The value of this interaction is enormous, whether it is through the international or regional conferences, joint service projects, expeditions or student exchanges.

In October 2015, UWCSEA will host the International Round Square Conference, with around 2,000 participants attending events across both campuses. Learn more about Round Square on our dedicated microsite (www.uwcsea.edu.sg/roundsquare), and read about Round Square coordinator Karen Niedermeyer’s recent participation in an International Service Project in the Andes on eDunia.

Students learn about dementia while connecting with adopted grandparents

By Alexander Georgiou, Grade 11, East This school year, UWCSEA East partnered with Apex Harmony Lodge in Pasir Ris as a local service site. Three days each week, groups of Grade 11 students take part in a programme known as ‘Adopt a Grandparent,’ which provides a one-on-one caregiver relationship between students and residents who are living with dementia.

Apex Harmony Lodge is one of the few facilities in Singapore that offers specialised dementia care. While it is estimated that over 22,000 Singaporeans aged 65 or above suffer from the condition, it remains one of the least recognised. Misunderstanding of dementia has led to inadequate provision of public health services for sufferers. In recent years however, dementia services in Singapore have improved and expanded thanks to facilities such as Apex Harmony Lodge.

Founded in November 1999 by Dr Oon Chiew Seng, Apex Harmony Lodge is a home for elderly dementia sufferers. Its facilities support 210 full-time and daycare residents and is staffed by a total of 103 nurses and other caregivers.

Through this local service, students engage in activities and conversations with their ‘grandparents’ in an effort to slow the progression of dementia symptoms. Through their interactions, students are also becoming familiar with the residents’ personalities and interests, which allows them to offer individualised feedback to primary caregivers as they work toward a better model for interactions.

Personally, I have found that working with the ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ programme has been both thoroughly enjoyable and educational. I initially volunteered for the programme as a means of giving back to the people I saw as those who had shaped the society of today, those who had made the decisions and sacrifices—the elderly.

Over time, I developed a close personal relationship with my ‘grandparent,’ Sarah (name changed for privacy).

Sarah, a Singaporean, would regale me with tales of her childhood and schooling, whilst I in turn would talk about what she affectionately referred to as the ‘New Singapore.’

This is not to say that the process has been without challenges. One major obstacle I encountered was the memory loss associated with dementia. Many times, I would feel as if a bond were being established, only to find that by the next week, she had forgotten my name. It took weeks before a truly meaningful relationship could be established. In this, perseverance and

understanding were key. Realising that there would be memory issues, and preparing to face them allowed both myself and other students to work past the frustration and come closer to connecting with our ‘grandparents.’

This experience has had a profound effect on the other students and me. It has not only given me an even greater appreciation of the elderly and the challenges of aging, but also given me a new perspective on dementia.

As one student put it, “‘Adopt a Grandparent’ has really changed the way I look at dementia; dementia does not mean the end.”

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Outdoor Education

In pursuit of the outdoors

By James Dalziel, Head of East Campus In recent decades, there has been a growing movement toward outdoor education for both schools and businesses as we seek to develop character in our young people and cohesion within our teams. Adventure programmes have become popular with schools and are now a regular feature for most students at some point within their school year.

An aim of modern education is to develop the whole child, and many schools including UWCSEA opt for a ‘holistic’ approach to fulfil this goal. For the College, our motives for developing the Outdoor Education programme are not to instil camping, climbing, biking or kayaking skills, as interesting as they may be. The reality is that the vast majority of our young people are unlikely to need these specific abilities and competencies later in life.

What we are aiming at is a much more lofty goal. By creating experiences in the outdoors, we are striving to develop a set of personal skills and qualities that are highly sought after in

schools, universities and the modern workplace. Resilience, self-management and collaboration have become the hallmarks of adventure programmes around the world and are in demand now more than ever.

Outdoor experiences can ignite a passion within young people to challenge themselves, they can increase their resilience through trials that demand they maintain, recover or improve their physical or emotional state and support others around them.

These can be times of self-discovery, self-expression and satisfaction that are accelerating their personal and social development.

The founder of the UWC movement, Kurt Hahn, believed that, “expeditions can greatly contribute towards building strength of character. Joseph Conrad in Lord Jim tells us that it is necessary for a youth to experience events which ‘reveal the inner worth of the man; the edge of his temper; the fibre of his stuff; the quality of his resistance; the secret truth of his pretenses, not only to himself but others.’”

It is within these challenges that we develop our character and personal qualities. The wilderness has been dominated through centuries of struggle, danger and discomfort.

Arguably, it has now been conquered, and the difficulties of the past no longer exist. We seem now to miss the opportunities for growth that these challenges provided as we do not have the opportunity in our modern age to struggle within our environment.

Our modern conveniences have made every attempt to mitigate the unpredictable and sometimes uncomfortable natural elements. We struggle when our ever-narrowing comfort zones are threatened with being too hot, too cold, too humid or too dry. We see qualities emerge in students when they are in a different environment and faced with different stresses, well outside our typical everyday routines.

The experience in the outdoors is one of space and connectedness to nature. It is unfortunately an experience that is disappearing for most of our young people, which is why UWCSEA holds the Outdoor Education programme as one of the five elements of our learning programme.

There is a special sense that one gets when remote and isolated in the outdoors. It is a sense of scale that provides a contrasting perspective from our daily confinement and constant electronic connections and distractions. The impact on our students is tremendous and evident in the leadership, confidence and character that develop in them through outdoor education.

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Grade 1 Overnight stay at College Grade 2 Overnight camp at Singapore Zoo Grade 3 Three-day trip to Riders Lodge in Malaysia Grade 4 Four-day trip to Pulau Sibu in Malaysia Grade 5 Five-day trip to Taman Negara in Malaysia Grade 6 Five-day trip to Tioman Island in Malaysia Grade 7 Five-day trip to Pulau Sibu, Malaysia Grade 8 Eleven-day trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand Grade 9 The opportunity to join expeditions from climbing Everest to tall ship sailing—16 in total Grade 11 Project Week—independently planned trips by small groups of students

Further afield The grade expeditions, which form a core component of the Outdoor Education programme, contain elements that contribute to the Academic and PSE elements of UWCSEA’s learning programme, and, as students reach Middle School, involve elements of the Service programme as well.

Recognising the value of experiences outside the classroom in consolidating learning and deepening understanding, the College also runs a number of optional trips for students in Grade 4 and above that support all five elements of the programme.

The optional trips supporting the language programme are provided in order to give students an opportunity to consolidate and further develop language skills in a context not available

in the classroom. These are delivered through immersion opportunities such as home stay and intensive language lessons, as well as guided tours and cultural experiences.

Over the October break, Spanish and Chinese language students travelled to Spain, Taiwan and China on trips organised by the Language Departments on each campus. The trips also provide an opportunity for students to develop relationships outside of their gradelevel and across campuses, as the trips welcome students from the Middle and High Schools on both campuses.

“Taiwan was our classroom. We had no four walls enclosing us, and no teacher telling us what our homework for the day was. There were only sheets with useful words to take with us as we were sent off into the unknown.”

Nora Kajamaa, Grade 11, East

“Being immersed in the culture and being able to dance with the locals with my friends, was … unforgettable, [a memory] that I will cherish for a long time!”

Samay Bansal, Grade 9, Dover 17

National Youth Achievement Award was given the opportunity to try enrolling 90 Grade 9 students directly into the Silver-level Award, skipping the Bronze. Read about the Silver Award expedition below, visit the NYAA website for more information, and eDunia for more stories and slideshows. www.uwcsea.edu.sg/nyaa 1

Reference: www.dofe.org

NYAA Silver Expedition

By Aditya Krishnan (Team Yellow) Adapted from an article by Aditya Krishnan, Silver Award candidate The National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) aims to advance youths’ “personal qualities of selfreliance, perseverance and a sense of responsibility to themselves, the society and the nation.” It is run in accordance with the Duke of Edinburgh Award (UK) requirements, which was established through the vision of Kurt Hahn. The original award structure has remained virtually unchanged since its inception in the 1950s and, in line with UWC principles, adopts the ideas no competition and no membership requirements in order to make it accessible to all.1 To receive the award, students need to complete commitments to four key components, being undertaking service, learning or honing a skill, an adventurous journey and undertaking physical recreation for a certain number of hours over a period of time. The amount of commitment required varies, depending on the level of the award— bronze, silver or gold. The fantastic thing about this award is that most UWCSEA students already fulfil their requirements simply by participating in life at the College.

Although all of the requirements are generally enjoyable, the real adventure that students look forward to is the NYAA expedition. This year, UWCSEA 18

All the expeditions I have been on have started off with me getting on a bus, a train or an aeroplane. But this specific expedition started off two months before the actual trip, because unlike the previous excursions where we would be given food, water and shelter organised by the school, we had to take care of ourselves from the moment we walked into immigration in Singapore to the moment we raced out of customs, back home. The entire expedition was pre-planned; we had to plan what we would be doing and where we would be at every point each day.

All the participants had received their Bronze Awards just a few months ago in June, and so we were still extremely motivated to complete the five-day hike at the Sai Kung East Country Park in Hong Kong to fulfill the NYAA Silver Award. It aimed for each individual to achieve a balance between independence and teamwork; each team was fending for themselves and would not let any member fall behind.

It was the day after this that proved to be most challenging; even as the physical trek was probably equal to what we had done the day before, we hit a lot of walls on the way. We had crossed mountains, valleys and beaches, and finished the off-road trail at a dam with views that looked like computer generated scenery … The walk that would test the bonds between us was

a straight, flat, paved road with no prospect of getting lost. We could see all the way to the end of the journey, and it was a long way to go in the blistering heat with the closest drinking water being a box of bottled water at the other end. We were halfway through the walk when our group came to the point of making it or breaking— a straight road visible ahead and behind us, a mountain to our left and the reservoir to our right. And it was the strength of the group, the mutual thinking that kept it together. Instead of imploding, we all took a second to reflect and say to ourselves that this was the point where we all had to put aside humiliation or embarrassment, and go on together.

Personal and social education

Student support At UWCSEA, the support of our students through the provision of a safe, secure educational environment is a fundamental foundation of our PSE programme. The environment is one that understands, develops, encourages and promotes the well-being of our students. This is supported by the staff who are dedicated to the provision of the PSE programme in each school section, as well as through the work of a number of other departments.

Key amongst these are the Learning Support and Counselling Departments on each campus.

Online support

Conduit link to professional services provided by students through an interactive Facebook link.

Suitability: Grades 9–12

Sports coaching

Junior and Middle School sports teams coached by High School students.

Suitability: Grades 9–12

Music support Junior and Middle School musicians mentored by High School students.

The Counselling Departments employ staff who undertake a number of varied roles. The fully qualified counsellors undertake activities that support an annual calendar, based on both internal priorities and external events.

In addition to the role of confidential counsellor, they work with teaching staff to develop the PSE programme in areas such as Life Skills, arrange and deliver workshops for parents and develop ‘theme weeks’ such as ‘healthy lifestyle’ and AIDS awareness. However, one of their key roles is to develop age-

Peer support

Peers talking and supporting each other under the guidance of the school counsellors as well as providing relevant educational resources.

Suitability: Grades 9–12

appropriate programmes that empower students to support their peers.

On the Dover Campus, there a numerous peer support initiatives accessible to students—both as facilitators and participants. These are important opportunities for students to learn new skills and develop relationships across grades and school sections. They are empowered to take on responsibilities and provided a channel to develop compassion and empathy.

Ambassadors

Supporting students in Middle and High School in their transition to and from UWCSEA. Suitability: Grades 9–12

STUDENT-LED SUPPORT FOR PEERS Art support

Middle School students are supported by High School students.

French conversation

Junior and Middle School students are mentored by High School students.

Well-being coaches

Senior School students providing mentoring and leadership in promoting the ideals and practices of positive education.

Presently trialed by Grade 11

Academic mentors Providing academic support for High School students through homework clubs.

Suitability: Grades 9–12

HIPS

Helping in Primary School

Forums

Arranging and facilitating awareness and discussion forums.

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Creating a flood of happiness, one bucket at a time UWCSEA’s Personal and Social Education (PSE) programme helps students develop the social, emotional and behavioural skills they need to succeed in life. PSE nurtures students’ emotional intelligence including selfesteem and respect for others. As with the Activities, Outdoor Education and Service programmes, PSE is as important as Academics at the College.

In the Junior School on East Campus this term, Counsellor Cindy TisdallMcPhee and Vice Principal Karl Wilcox have led an initiative to foster kindness and self-esteem through ‘bucket filling.’

Parents of Infant School students may be familiar with ‘bucket fillers’ where students offer kind words or deeds to others to help fill the other person’s ‘bucket.’

The programme is based on the concept that each of us carries an invisible bucket with us everywhere we go.

When people are kind to us, our bucket gets filled, and it makes us happy.

When people are unkind, they have dipped into our bucket, which makes us feel upset or angry.

The bucket filling initiative has included assemblies, books and classroom activities. At Junior School assemblies,

Karl regularly tells students a story based on a PSE theme. In class, teachers have read the book, Have you Filled a Bucket Today? aloud to students, followed by discussion and activities about how what they have done or said to fill someone else’s bucket.

In some classes, teachers have also invited students to set an intention in the morning about how they will fill another person’s bucket that day.

Students are encouraged not only to be kind to their classmates, but also to greet people they meet throughout their day in a friendly way, including staff at school who are working in facilities, the canteen or security.

The initiative seeks to foster a caring community—on campus and beyond.

During a recent assembly, students were asked what would happen if everyone’s bucket was filled and a student exclaimed, “There would be a flood!” When asked what kind of flood it would be, the student cried, “A flood of happiness!”

The bucket metaphor works well with students as they think about the positive or negative words they say or hear from others. It also provides a simple reference for addressing

undesirable behaviours or reaffirming positive ones—“Are you filling a bucket or dipping from it?”

The initiative extends beyond caring for others with the long-term goal of helping students to be kind to themselves. Ultimately, the initiative is intended to support students in finding the self-esteem and resources they need within themselves rather than being dependent on others to ‘fill their buckets.’

Parents are also encouraged to use the concept of the bucket at home with their children to reinforce and practise the ideas. They could talk with their children about how someone filled or dipped into their bucket today and the feelings that resulted. Likewise, parents and children can discuss how they filled or dipped from someone else’s bucket or their own. Parents may also find the books used in school useful (see below).

The self-awareness that results from this dialogue and reflection will help build students’ self-esteem and compassion—and a caring community for all.

Resource books for parents Have you Filled your Bucket Today?

by Carol McCloud Growing Up with a Bucket Full of Happiness: Three Rules of a Happier Life

by Carol McCloud How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids

by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmyer

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Community Changing tomorrows today

By Andrea Naylor, Primary School teacher, East and Anna Lord, parent, East In Takhmau, south of Phnom Penh, a small school is educating the most vulnerable children in its community.

Kuma Cambodia, which welcomed its first students in June 2012, is one of the Global Concerns at East Campus. It is a free full-day school offered to children who would not otherwise have access to education due to extreme poverty or living in a home where domestic violence, drug abuse or lack of basic care is the norm.

On 27 September, the first group of UWCSEA East students, parents, staff and their families traveled to Cambodia for the official opening of the Kuma School. The weekend included a variety of activities—both educational and celebratory.

The group visited NAPIC NGO’s (the Kuma School’s parent organisation) first project, the Maternity Hospital and the villages that they support, painted a mural with the children at the school, planted the school’s first vegetable garden (from which the children are now eating vegetables), had time to play and get to know the children and, finally, celebrated the school’s official opening.

Language was no barrier between the Kuma children and the visitors as all were intent on having fun. The entire group also had the opportunity to experience a typical day for the Kuma students, which includes three healthy meals, playtime and lessons in Khmer and English, arts and culture, PE and music.

After school on Friday afternoon, all of the children from UWCSEA East and Kuma piled into one mini-bus to take the Kuma students home to their

village. There was much singing and game playing as the children enjoyed time together. Emma (Grade 5) said, “My favourite part was bringing some of the kids home to the village on the first day in the mini buses … This brought home to us what a haven the school is for so many of the children.”

The weekend culminated with the school’s official opening ceremony.

Just under four months after the school opened its doors, both staff and students were beaming with pride for their school. The ceremony included a speech made by one of the students on behalf of all the Kuma students, who then performed a traditional Cambodian dance and sang in both English and Khmer. The work that had gone into the performance and the difference that has already been made in the children’s lives was easy to see.

One UWCSEA East parent said, “I could not believe my eyes. Having seen photos of the Kuma children before they started at the school, I was blown away by the improvement in the health of these wonderful kids … Their pride in themselves and newfound confidence would reduce the hardest of hearts to tears. The best part was watching

them doing everything that our children take for granted: dressing up, playing football, singing and dancing.”

The Kuma students’ parents were overjoyed as they watched their children confidently performing in front of nearly 300 people. With the blessings, speeches, performances and ribbon-cutting complete, Kuma Cambodia School was officially opened.

Also in attendance were the next class of children and their parents who were to begin on 1 October 2012. There are now 40 students at the school, and they are thriving. After being a dream for several years, the Kuma School is now providing both a holistic education and nurturing care to children who might otherwise have neither. Through the relationships with UWCSEA and other sponsors, they are also learning that there is a world outside of their village and that they are an important part of it.

We are grateful for the tremendous generosity, encouragement and support of the UWCSEA community and fellow sponsors who made the Kuma School a reality—and a special place that is changing tomorrows today.

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A passion for play UWCSEA Dover parent, Sumitra Pasupathy, has a passion for play which has resulted in the establishment of a successful K2-One bridging programme for Singaporean children who, for various reasons, have not been attending regular pre-school and require more assistance before entering Primary 1.

play equipment and classroom facilities.

Conducted by Playeum, The Play Museum under guidance and support of Self Help Groups and the MOE, the objective of the programme was to engage the children through active learning, play, social/emotional learning and the Arts.

This year, 63 children were able to participate in Phase 1 of the bridging programme, which was held in the K1 classrooms on Dover Campus on Saturdays for six weeks during October and November. UWCSEA extended the use of the classrooms to the K2-One children in order to provide a resource rich environment to allow for learning through play, through the use of the

Infant School Principal Chris Fensom and Head of K1 Tiara Lessler were so inspired by the project, they looked for ways to link it back to the UWCSEA students and instigated Operation Get Ready for School. This involved students ‘shopping’ for the contents of a starting-school pack, which they then decorated for each child who participated in the K2-One bridging

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programme. These bags were presented to the participants on Saturday, 17 November, the final day of Phase 1 of the programme.

Sumitra summarised the importance of the programme, “At a time when we celebrate UWC’s 50th anniversary, this collaboration warms my heart, particularly as it’s reaching out to our local community. And it goes beyond the children, to the teachers in our Playeum team, the student volunteers and our staff (who get to appreciate a giving institution that is making a difference).

The touch points were multiple, and in many ways a ‘bridging project’ as we connect different communities living in the same small country.”

Community supports IfP The IfP is held annually in the first week of the summer break, following a year of preparation by students, who plan the event for youth leaders in their host country. During the year, these student leaders receive pro bono training by specialists in the fields of conflict resolution, public administration and negotiation, as well as leadership coaching. At the end of the academic year, they then run and facilitate the conference.

The Holiday Shopping Fair organised by the Parents’ Association on Dover Campus on 24 November raised funds to support the Initiative for Peace (IfP), a student-led initiative now in its tenth year. The IfP aims to bring youth leaders together, to equip them with the tools that will empower them to lead their own initiatives that contribute to the prevention or resolution of conflicts within their communities.

The success of the IfP is not what happens during the conference, but rather, what happens post conference.

After the 2009 conference, two of the Timorese delegates, Leonardo Rosa and Salles de Sousa, were galvanized into action. Together with co-delegates, they established a project to reforest the hill behind their community. In support of this initiative, as well as to inspire the new delegates, every conference since has seen the IfP team on the slope engaged in tree planting during a conference session. In the most

recent 2012 conference, held in June, a further 173 trees were planted. The 26 facilitators from UWCSEA Dover and Timorese UWC alumni (2012) from Red Cross Nordic UWC, Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong and UWC of the Adriatic as well as 40 Timorese students from 10 schools in Dili took part.

Salles is currently in Thailand, pursuing tertiary studies on a scholarship with plans to pursue a major in Forestry Management and return to Timor Leste to help his country better manage their natural resources. When asked the reason for his choice of study, he simply replied that the ‘IfP had inspired’ him.

IfP has previously worked with youth in Kashmir and Sri Lanka, and for the last five years has focused on supporting youth leaders in Timor Leste.

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UN Night Thursday, 11 October UN Night celebrates the cultural diversity of the College through performances featuring students in Middle and High School on Dover Campus.

Dunia is published by UWC South East Asia.

Reproduction in any manner in English or any other language is prohibited without written consent.

Please send feedback to dunia@uwcsea.edu.sg Editors: Sinéad Collins, Kate Woodford and Courtney Carlson Design: Gregory Parker Photography: UWCSEA community 053COM-1213

Printed on 100% recycled paper with environmentally friendly inks.

UWCSEA Dover is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 197000825H CPE Registration Period 18 July 2011–17 July 2017 Charity Registration No. 00142 UWCSEA East is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 200801795N CPE Registration Period 10 March 2011–9 March 2017 Charity Registration No. 002104 MICA (P) 210/04/2012