United World College Of South Africa

United World College of the Atlantic, United Kingdom. Established 1962
Atlantic College was the pioneering demonstration of UWC ideals. More than 300 students now attend the college each year. UWC’s aims and ideals are fulfilled in an extensive programme of Global Concerns and community service, not least through the coastal and sea rescue services which have been officially credited with saving more than 200 lives. Social and environmental services are also important and form part of an active programme of sport, music, drama and more than 80 activities of various kinds.

Atlantic College was influential in the creation of the International Baccalaureate and continues to have an active involvement in its development. Dedicated to directing the idealism of youth to the benefit of the community and to the wider aims of international understanding, Atlantic College extends the limits of what is possible.

United World College of South East Asia, Singapore, Established 1971
At the hub of the economic, cultural and political dynamism of South East Asia, UWCSEA has committed itself to exploration and community service through its Global Concerns programme. This programme includes projects relating to primary health, vocational training, street children and the environment in locations from Nepal to Indonesia and from the Philippines to Africa. The study of Asian languages, an annual Arts Festival, and expeditions and projects within the region assure every student of an insight into Asian life and culture.

UWCSEA is the largest UWC with 2270 student aged 4-18. There are 200 students in residence and 500 study for the International Baccalaureate. The College offers numerous familes across Asia, including expatriates, an idealistic, contemporary response to their educational needs. It is a UWC role model for the growing number of international schools around the world.

Lester B Pearson United World College of the Pacific, Canada, Established 1974
“How can there be peace without people understanding each other, and how can this be if they don’t know each other?” The Canadian UWC is a fitting response to this challenge from Lester B Pearson, a great statesman and Nobel Prize Winner. The College is Canada’s living memorial to its former Prime Minister.

Making the most of a campus which combines the geography of a rugged and spectacular forest and the ocean coastline of British Columbia, Pearson College’s activities include wilderness programmes, active citizenship training and environmental restoration at sea and on land. All students participate in extensive community service activities, including working with those with physical and mental challenges in nearby Victoria. The College’s 200 students come from more than 80 countries.

Waterford KaMhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, Swaziland, Established 1981
Founded in 1963 as a direct response to the separate and unequal education system in South Africa, Waterford KaMhlaba’s student body is international, yet it has a special focus on its place and role and Southern Africa: over 70% of the 470 students come from countries within the region. The College pays particular attention to the human development needs of Swaziland and addresses these through a strong and challenging community service programme.

Waterford KaMhlaba offers a five-year course to Cambridge IGCSE as well as the two year IB Diploma. It maintains a policy of merit as the only criterion for admission. The College’s academic year runs from January to November.

United World College of the American West, USA, Established 1982
Students selected for a UWC education in the USA spend two years in the beautiful American Southwest. Nature trails and wilderness surround the campus, located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in rural, northern New Mexico. The artistic and historic communities of Santa Fe and Taos are nearby. Three cultures – Hispanic, Native American and Anglo –characterise the region and students have many opportunities to interact with them. Extensive Social Service programmes expose students to the values of voluntary service in an economically deprived region. First years are taught basic wilderness skills and may then qualify for the College’s Wilderness Search and Rescue Team.

United World College of the Adriatic, Italy, Established 1982
The experience of two World Wars inspired the choice of site for the first United World College on the European mainland. Historically a meeting place between Latin, German and Slav cultures, its local surroundings and people still bearing the marks of war, the village of Duino is now home for 200 students whose residences, classrooms, library and laboratories are closely integrated into the village surroundings. Adriatic College was the first UWC to be established by governmental initiative and, reflecting the cultural policies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the College is actively engaged in the promotion of internationalism through education in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

United World College of the Adriatic, Italy Simon Bolivar United World College of Agriculture, Venezuela, Established 1986
Situated on a 750 hectare farm in the foothills of the Venezuelan Andes, Simon Bolivar UWC brings together 180 students (the majority from Latin America and the Caribbean) for a three-year ‘hands-on’ tertiary education leading to a Higher Diploma in Farm Administration. Rural Development activities link students with more than 6,000 people in four local villages: the College provides vital assistance with an emphasis on community-wide and sustainable rural development.

The College seeks to train young people who will return to their home countries with a vision to address the question of profitable agricultural production alongside the social need to empower rural communities and improve quality of life and self-reliance, and the environmental imperative of conserving natural resources.

Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Established 1992
The campus of Li Po Chun UWC occupies a spectacular ocean front site in Hong Kong’s New Territories, overlooking the beautiful Tolo Channel and with the steep wooded slopes of Ma On Shan Mountain as a backdrop.

With all the resources of Hong Kong on its doorstep, the College offers its students exciting and widely contrasting experiences. An extensive range of social and environmental services involve students in the local community; there are also many opportunities for students to interact with Hong Kong’s lovely artistic and cultural life. Since over 50% of the students come from Asian countries, the College, like Hong Kong itself, offers a unique opportunity to explore the culture, history and languages of the region.

Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway, Established 1995
Set on a fjord in the rugged hills of western Norway, the Red Cross Nordic College was brought into being through the efforts of Graduates, the Norwegian Government and the Red Cross, and is sponsored by eight Nordic Governments. It has a developing partnership with the Red Cross of Norway, with shared facilities and shared humanitarian and international ideals which shape many of the College’s programmes. Over 200 students from 80 countries combine rigourous academic studies with a full programme of humanitarian involvement, active environmental awareness and global concerns.

There is a strong Nordic presence in the College: 30% of the students come from Nordic countries and all students follow a course of Nordic Studies. The College is closely related to the local municipality of Fjaler.

Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway Mahindra United World College of India, India, Established 1997
Mahindra UWC of India, the tenth United World College, opened in September 1997. It occupies a spectacular site in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra state about 160km south west of Mumbai, overlooking a river valley dotted with rice paddies. The College’s stunning campus has won a number of architectural awards. Approximately 200 students from more than 70 countries are involved with a wide range of service activities, many of them in conjunction with local villagers and many with an emphasis on environmental issues. The rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum is supplemented by a wider course in Indian Studies. Project weeks, which include white water rafting, trekking in the Himalayas and cultural visits throughout India, provide an opportunity to gain a broader perspective of the region.

Mahindra United World College of India, India United World College of Costa Rica, Established 2006
UWC of Costa Rica is the eleventh United World College, taking its first students in August 2006. The College will be the first UWC to offer a bilingual International Baccalaureate programme, with subjects taught both in Spanish and English. Staying true to its roots as the Colegio International SOS (the residential school run by SOS Children's Villages which occupied the site of UWCCR until July 2006) the College will be providing the possibility of a three year programme to enable National Committees to select students on potential rather than proven merit.

The College, situated in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, is surrounded by extensive tropical vegetation and an enviably well-preserved natural environment that will be the focus of many of the College's service and educational programmes. The country's commitment to peace will also be reflected in the College and there will be a further focus on Latin America.

Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway United World College, Mostar, Established 2006
UWC's presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents an innovative way of working in a post-conflict zone in a city and a national education system that is deeply divided along ethnic lines. From early September, 100 students will form a UWC unit in the Mostar Gymnazium: students from all three communities in Bosnia will be joined by a group of international students, many of them selected by National Committees in South Eastern and Central Europe.

The programme will be short-term - initially three years - in line with the needs of post-war reconstruction. The partnership between UWC and the International Baccalaureate Organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina also extends to support for the development of the IB in Banja Luka and Sarajevo. In all three locations there will be a strong emphasis on professional development of teachers as a way of making an important contribution to reconstruction of the education system.