EDUCATION LIKE NO OTHER CHANGE A LIFE | CHANGE THE WORLD
UWCT NC Scholarship Programme
The Students of UWC Thailand: A Case for Support
Much more than a group of schools, United World College (UWC) is a global movement that brings together students from all corners of the globe with the belief that “education can be a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”
Square and Outward Bound founder Kurt Hahn. Hahn believed that the best way to avoid another World War was to expose our future leaders to the commonalities that unite us as people, rather than the differences that define us as nations and cultures.
UWC first came to life in postwar 1962 at the hands of educational pioneer, Round
At United World College Thailand (UWCT), we agree wholeheartedly.
Hahn also believed that school should prepare students for life, not just university, and that education should help students to develop resilience and the ability to experience failure as well as success. Rather than a relic from the ‘60s, the UWC movement is as relevant today as it was then; in fact, many would argue that in an age of nuclear and
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Serving humanity is my passion, I am also interested in politics. One day I hope to serve the people in my country and to act as an ambassador for peace between my country and other nations, and help lead us to a peaceful world. One year ago, I set out to experience the UWC movement. After one year within UWCT, I see the movement as an exercise in learning to accept and celebrate the diversity that exists among us whether it is Eid, Christmas, Holi, Diwali or Chinese New Year. It’s about sitting in a classroom, canteen, or room with friends from around the world and discussing global issues. UWC has taught me to go beyond stereotypes and to accept people the way they are. ” Muhammad, Pakistan | UWCT '18
technological proliferation, UWC’s mission is more important than ever before.
educating our future leaders to be peacemakers and protectors of the planet.
Like all UWC’s, United World College Thailand is a non-profit member of this group and relies strongly on the support of volunteers, partners and donors to help our students create lasting change. We believe there is no task more important to humankind than
At UWC Thailand this mission is alive and well, written on the face of every National Scholar who joins our family. We have an extraordinary - and necessary task ahead of us, and we need your help.
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UWCT NC Scholarship Programme
From Conflict Zones to Peaceful Phuket Globally, UWC includes students from over 150 countries, reaching deeper into the pool of world-wide talent than any other educational movement in order to find future leaders. These students are selected through a vast network of National Committees, comprised of volunteers many of whom are Alumni - in more than 159 countries around the world. UWC National Committees receive and review the application of each student applying from their country. Each student is means-tested to determine their scholarship requirements, then matched and nominated for one of the 17 UWCs around the world. As a non-profit organization, UWC relies heavily on volunteers - 3,000 of them in fact - to facilitate the selection process through the National Committee system. Yet there are still parts of the world where UWC is not currently represented. Steadily, UWC is increasing the breadth of its diverse footprint. Recently, new National Committees formed in Cuba, Taiwan, Liberia, Somalia, Niger, Benin and Guyana. In addition to national diversity, UWCT also aims to honour the diversity within countries. When we do, authentic and
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meaningful debate results, as seen this year between two Syrian students with incredibly divergent views on the civil war ravaging their country. Through constant dialogue, each is working to understand the other’s perspective. Often, those with the ‘UWC spark’ find their way to us despite incredible odds and harrowing circumstances: refugees fleeing war zones and youth in post-conflict zones working to rebuild their homes, communities and countries. By bringing together such a diverse group of engaged and motivated young people, UWC Thailand is able to provide a transformational educational experience. Here in peaceful Phuket, we have the opportunity to facilitate the safe exchange of ideas and the meeting of young minds from different ethnic, racial, political and religious backgrounds. We can connect youth that often live in close proximity without ever engaging, and in many cases without ever meeting. This is why we actively seek students from opposing sides of conflicts, from ethnicities that do not freely mix, or whose lives are truly different despite their shared nationality.
Have I heard many bombs in my life? Of course I have. Pretty weird, eh? Am I scared of bombs? Nah. Living all my life in a conflict zone taught me how to notice the beauty of life even when things get really bad, and I mean really bad. My grandparents’ house was bombed twice in the ‘90s, and my grandfather rebuilt it after both bombings. My papik would always repeat, “You can’t just leave your home and fly away. I come from Nagorno Karabakh, a disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nagorno means mountainous. And I do miss the mountains.” Laura, Armenia | UWCT ‘19
UWCT NC Scholarship Programme
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Where Refugees become Scholars The scale of our global refugee crisis is overwhelming. Today, more than 60 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, the highest figure since records began, half of whom are below the age of 21. Many of these refugee children and teenagers miss out on an education when they become internally displaced or are forced to flee their countries of origin. For years, UWC has been committed to offering young refugees the opportunity to access quality education and empower them to become agents of change, but we know we can do more. In 2017, UWC launched the UWC Refugee Initiative, which aims to bring up to 100 additional refugee students per year on full scholarships to UWCs across the movement. This ambitious goal requires significant new funding, an increase in support systems at our colleges, and the development of more strategic partnerships to ensure we are able to find candidates for whom UWC is the appropriate next step.
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UWC Thailand will do its part to help meet this objective. In 2018, UWCT aims to begin securing enough external funding to create an endowment that will support four annual scholarships for promising young people with refugee/internally displaced backgrounds. This will require a significant and life-changing gift. Despite being displaced, these students, like all our UWC Scholars, go through the same thorough National Committee selection process. They must be aligned in thinking with the UWC mission and values and be academically ready for the rigours of the Diploma Programme. Supporting student refugees at UWCT also necessitates an increase in resources and staff who are adept at helping adolescents make sense of their past in order to embrace their future. Any contribution towards social and emotional well-being and psychological resources will be put to excellent and immediate use.
There are a lot of unforgettable moments in my life. That’s probably why I keep writing a diary - to be in touch with my past memories and feelings. At the tender age of six, I escaped Tibet by crossing the border illegally and climbing the Himalayan mountains to India. Living my life as a refugee has given me enough reason to say there are a lot of unforgettable moments in my life. ” Tsering, Tibet | UWCT ‘19
UWCT NC Scholarship Programme
A Path to University: Support for UWCT Scholars Doesn’t End Here
Sometimes in life you are fortunate to meet people who have the means and the spirit to be truly philanthropic. At UWCT, we have been doubly lucky in this regard: first in the generosity of the School’s Founder without whom our school would not exist, and second in a commitment from US philanthropist Shelby Davis (pictured above during his 2017 visit to UWCT) to match the first US$1million raised by the UWCT community.
The Davis-UWC IMPACT Challenge is an initiative which aims to incentivise alumni, parents, friends and family to donate funds to UWC schools and colleges. This further strengthens Davis’ unique commitment to the UWC movement and its mission, the Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars Program. Davis UWC Scholars are exceptional young people who have graduated from a UWC.
Once enrolled in one of the Davis partner U.S. colleges or universities, the program provides annual grants to fund needs-based scholarships for UWC graduates for up to four years of undergraduate study. By supporting students from many countries who are energized by the UWC mission of building understanding in active and personal ways, the program exemplifies how diversity can contribute to a
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UWC provides a unique education to students from across the world independent of their socio-economic means. Each year, UWC National Committees identify promising young people in almost 160 countries to attend UWC schools and give them access to an international education they would otherwise never even dare to dream of. We need to equip a new generation to work towards a better world. The Dare to Dream scholarships recognise UWC’s capacity to do that and to bring together students from the most diverse backgrounds from around the globe. I hope it will encourage others to support UWC in eliminating a privileged socio-economic background as a prerequisite for world-class education. ” Shelby Davis | UWC Patron
much richer education and to a more internationally oriented undergraduate experience for everyone on campus. Since 2000, the program has grown into the largest international scholarship programme for undergraduates in the world, having provided scholarships to 8,549 scholars from 159 countries. In early 2018, Davis announced his Dare to Dream commitment - a promise to fund an additional
100 UWC Scholars who would otherwise not have access to a world-class education. Today there are 95 U.S. colleges and universities in partnership with the Davis United World College Scholars Program. These schools’ grauates of 2018 will include more than 660 Davis UWC Scholars from no less than 127 countries.
UWCT NC Scholarship Programme
Education is a Gift that Lasts a Lifetime
UWCT is committed to ensuring that as many students as possible have the opportunity to experience a United World College education regardless of national, cultural, racial or religious background, and irrespective of financial means.
The aim of UWC Thailand’s NC Scholarship Programme is to create a deliberately diverse community that represents a microcosm of the world, setting the stage for fostering international and intercultural understanding.
We achieve this through the provision of scholarships to students selected by UWC’s National Committees based on their promise, potential and merit.
The United World College scholarship model is one of the movement’s proudest assets and makes UWC stand out in the growing world of international education.
In fact, over 2,000 students from over 150 countries graduate from UWC’s 17 schools and colleges each May, with the vast majority (approximately 75%) receiving considerable financial aid. To sustain this model, all UWCs rely on donations from alumni and other individuals, trusts, foundations, companies and governments, with private philanthropy being the most important source of funding.
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I have seen all different walks of life within Lusaka; however, seeing the less privileged who range from close family to strangers has given me a feeling of responsibility to do what I can. I heard about UWC from a friend as we searched for financial aid and I instantly felt that its values would challenge me and at the same time help me challenge myself. I appreciate UWC even more now that I am here because it encourages me to be “uncomfortably comfortable” meaning that I live happily, but everyday I meet new people, discover new things and everyday I am constantly challenged in all aspects of who I am, who I was, and who I wish to be. ” Katutua, Zambia | UWCT ‘18
To support one scholar through the two-year IB Diploma Programme at UWC Thailand costs USD$80,000. Currently, we have 63 scholars from Nepal, Belarus, Italy, the Philippines, Germany, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Chile, Thailand, Zambia and beyond. Our aspiration is to have over 160 such scholars at the School by 2023, but this is entirely dependent on the generosity of our donors.
UWCT Scholarship Programme
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Change A Life Today UWCT provides students with an exceptional education that compels them to take action for the greater good of their community. By educating students from around the world together, and uniting them in a common purpose—to be of service to others—we will fulfil our mission to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. To achieve this audacious goal, we need everyone to help to the best of their ability.
A full UWCT National Committee Scholarship includes two years of a student’s tuition, meals and boarding fees as well as: • Uniform supplies • A Mac laptop • Visa fees • Flights home once per year • Medical insurance
Sponsor a Scholar (or two!) Please consider making a contribution to the UWCT Foundation. A gift of any amount will be used to support our scholarship programme, and through your support we will empower, enable and invest in the future generation of global citizens who can, in turn, change the world. A full scholarship of US$80,000 supports one student through both years of UWC Thailand’s two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
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• Field trips and all IB exams • Pocket money UWC delivers a life-defining education, an experience that has been shared by over 63,000 alumni. We welcome you to become part of that experience. To see the impact for yourself, click here. By changing a life today, we can change the world tomorrow. To give now, please contact UWC Thailand’s Head of School Khun Jason McBride on +66 (0)76 336 076 or via jason. mcbride@uwcthailand.ac.th
Almost one year ago, I was doing service in Chile with my classmates. We were helping to build better houses in a shanty town. At breakfast time, I saw a father almost crying because he only had one stale bread tenderised with milk to feed his children. A few hours before, I had breakfast with coffee, cookies, bread, etc. When I saw what the children were eating I realised how privileged I was and how unfair it was for them. It’s not possible that while some eat well, others cry for not having enough. It’s the reason I’m here, to have more knowledge and to grow up in all possible areas. After, with my knowledge I can help people who really have needs. I’m here because I want to change this unfair and unequal reality. I do not want to see a father with a sad face because he does not have enough food to feed his children anymore. ” Catalina, Chile | UWCT '19
Former UWC President
“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.� - Nelson Mandela www.uwcthailand.ac.th | +66 (0) 76 336 076