Her Majesty Queen Sonja’s Visit on UWC Day: Honoring 28 Years of Patronage

2023-09-29T07:42:44+01:00September 26th, 2023|

As we celebrated UWC Day 2023 under the theme “Shaping a Sustainable Future,” we were honoured to welcome Her Majesty Queen Sonja, Queen of Norway, to our campus. Her visit not only marked a yearly celebration of the UWC values and mission but also gave us a chance to honor Her Majesty’s unwavering support and commitment to our values as our Patron for the past 28 years, since our opening.

Her Majesty, known for her warm and compassionate nature, spent quality time engaging with our students from various backgrounds and nationalities. She listened intently to their stories, dreams, and aspirations, promoting a sense of inclusivity and belonging. It was heartwarming to witness her genuine interest in the younger generation. The Queen’s ability to connect with our students left a permanent mark, inspiring them to strive for greatness and serve their communities with a compassionate heart.

Her Majesty’s visit reminded us about the importance of embracing diversity, rooted deeply in the UWC ethos that we aim to strengthen through our Educational Model introduced to Her Majesty by Pelham Lindfield Robert, Rektor, and Natasha Lambert, Deputy Rektor. At UWC Red Cross Nordic, we have a long tradition of valuing and including people from different backgrounds. The Queen’s visit highlighted that our differences should be appreciated and celebrated; they make our communities stronger. Her Majesty, treating everyone with kindness and respect taught us by example the true Nordic values.

As Valerie Yat Kiu Lam, a student from Hong Kong, said about the tea that she and her four fellow students spent in their dorm with H. M. Queen Sonja “Having tea with HM Queen Sonja was an unforgettable experience. She was incredibly welcoming and interested in what we were saying. We talked about why we applied to UWC, what we enjoyed, and what it’s like living in a room with people from different backgrounds. I’m really grateful for this opportunity, and I wish the Queen can visit campus again.”

One of the most touching moments of the visit was when Her Majesty addressed the students in a surprise speech after the evening show the students prepared for Her Majesty to finish with the iconic charity single “We Are The World”:

“You are the world. You are the future. I’ve been here many times, and I get more and more amazed, also very much impressed, by the energy, by the willingness you have to go out to the world and make it better… Use your talent for the best of what you want to share with other people, what you want to create. You will make a better world.”

Her words resonated deeply with our students, reminding them of the significance of their personal and academic journey and their potential to make a positive impact on the world. At the end of Her Majesty’s visit, students lined up together with the local community and patients from our next-door neighbor at the Red Cross Rehabilitation Center to send Her Majesty off with a flag parade that symbolized the diversity of our UWC community.

Reflecting on these remarkable days, we extend our deepest appreciation to Her Majesty Queen Sonja for her enduring support and dedication to our school over the past 28 years. Her presence was a true honor, and her commitment to our mission of promoting peace and sustainability inspires us all.

Read about Her Majesty’s visit on the website of the Norwegian Royal Palace: https://www.kongehuset.no/nyhet.html?tid=223099&sek=26939

Photos by Kiran Acharya and Petra Poór / UWC Red Cross Nordic

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2023-09-19T16:25:44+01:00September 19th, 2023|

 Two Red Cross instructors spent two days on campus last week, and as a result, we have an eager group of first-year students with valuable training to do voluntary work.

UWC Red Cross Nordic has a group of wise, engaged, and friendly youth that give me faith for the future.” That is how instructor Anders Ekeland and Dina Tjelmeland Adeler from the Norwegian Red Cross Youth sum up two hectic days of Red Cross courses on campus in Flekke. All the first-year students got the chance to do the Red Cross Start course last Monday. This is a compulsory course for anyone who wants to volunteer for the Norwegian Red Cross. It provides an introduction to the history, the principles, the organization and basic skills for Red Cross volunteers. A dedicated group of students went further on their volunteering training with the Treffpunkt (Meeting point) course on Tuesday. Treffpunkt is the main activity of Red Cross Youth. Treffpunkt are open and social spare time activities, that are adapted to what youth are missing in their local community.

With having all first years completing the basic Red Cross course, we can proudly say that all form this year group became volunteers of Norwegian Red Cross,  that is an important milestone in the cooperation of the College and our most important partner, the Red Cross!

#The Treffpunkt course gave us tools to host groups of youths with various needs and taught us a lot about what it involves being a volunteer. During the course, we brainstormed ideas for Treffpunkts of various types, and discussed topics from how to approach organization in rural areas to how to deal with crises.” – Felix Klevnäs and Emilia Berndtsson explain. Two of the 19 students who successfully completed the course and now have a Red Cross Treffpunkt diploma in their hand, summed up their experiences:

The activities should create inclusion, friendships and meaningful experiences for youth, and can be anything from a movie night to a youth club, volleyball or excursions. Treffpunkt are for youth between 13 and 30 years, and organized by volunteers in the same age group. The course is meant to give new volunteers the knowledge, tools and motivation they need to organize activities in Treffpunkt. In the course, you learn more about Treffpunkt, the role as a volunteer, and how you can create safe and inclusive activities for other youth.” – said Felix.

It felt very positive to learn about an initiative combating loneliness, and we hope we can in the future use our fantastic campus to host a Treffpunkt with the skills we have learned.” – explained Emilia.

The students were actively taking part in the course. They were good at listening and discussed in groups and in plenary. It was very nice to hear so many points of view and also to experience how the students treated each other with respect” – concluded Dina their experiences at RCN. And we

would like to thank them their visit and see them soon again!

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The UWC RCN community was privileged to host Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, the Chair of the UWC International Board, who took time out of her visit to Denmark for a brief visit to RCN. Even Dr Kanyoro, with her experience of working with and travelling to the Nordic region, was amazed at the remote beauty of our fjord, travelling as many of us do on the ferry that makes its way from Bergen, up the western coast.

Her visit was brief and significant in the connections she made with us all, attending meetings and classes, joining our Madkulturen project, making pizza with the Rektor and sharing her experiences during a World Today session. She has left us with a strong sense of the importance of UWC in a turbulent world, we thank her for taking time to visit us to discover the very special things that happen in this remote and significant part of the UWC movement.

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H.M Queen Sonja visit UWC Red Cross Nordic

2023-09-01T12:10:46+01:00September 1st, 2023|

We’re thrilled to announce that on UWC Day, 21st September, the annual global celebration of the UWC mission and values, we will be joined by H.M Queen Sonja.

Queen Sonja has been a dedicated patron since the foundation of UWC Red Cross Nordic in 1995, and we look forward to welcoming her back to campus September 21st-22nd 2023.

The theme for this year’s celebration is Shaping a sustainable future.
Along with H.M. Queen Sonja, the president of the Norwegian Red Cross, Thor Inge Sveinsvoll and other special guests will participate in various events on Campus alongside our students and pupils from local schools.

For further details about the program and press accreditation, please reach out to the State Administrator in Vestland, Senior Adviser Edvard Høgestøl.

Email: edvard.hogestol@statsforvalteren.no
Telephone: +45 913 83 573

See the official press release here.

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