Being with Paul

2018-10-16T09:33:38+01:00August 20th, 2014|

On Monday, August 25th, the RCN community was fortunate to receive a presentation by Paul Bloomfield on ‘career prospects’ in which he shared his own experience in the humanitarian field. A lawyer by education but not by passion, Paul was lucky enough to realise at a certain point in his life that the profession he had chosen did not provide him with the satisfaction he thought fundamental to make something meaningful out of his work. According to the serenity and peacefulness that he emanated throughout the presentation I would say he did indeed find the satisfaction he was seeking. He is now a ‘sower of peace’, as I like to call people who, like him, dedicate their lives to raise awareness on the very pragmatic importance of peace in everybody’s life – managing, at the same time, not to flatten out the metaphysical and unfathomable beauty that lies in the concept of human peace.

The concept of sowing, of ‘disseminating peace’, permeated his whole talk, which was enriched by anectodal tips on how to manage a life which, as imaginable, is no bed of roses. His insightful presentation included the screening of a documentary about the college and its involvement in peace-building in the world. The video raised a number of very interesting philosophical questions regarding peace, among which I found two were standing out because of their fundamental role in any model of peace-building one may consider.

First of all, it raised the question of whether the presence of a ‘charismatic leader’ is essential in building world peace. It was extremely clear, even from our few glimpses into his personality, that Prem Rawat – around whose visit to the college the documentary revolved – is an extremely charismatic person who selflessly dedicated his entire life to the cause of peace. Max Weber tells us that ‘men

[and women] do not obey [a charismatic leader] by virtue of tradition or statute, but because they believe in him’. It is undoubtable that through his speeches and conferences Prem Rawat did manage to be listened to, and managed to disseminate countless seeds of peace throughout the world. He is the figure of this peace-building movement, exactly as Jeremy Gilley is of Peace One Day. But what contribution can a person not gifted with such charisma make to the development of peace in the world?

This leads to the second point raised in the documentary: the importance of individual will and responsibility to make the effort of so many charismatic leaders effective. ‘I do but throw a seed of peace’, Prem Rawat reminded us during the documentary. The complexity and the beauty of any peace-building process arise exactly from the need of everyone’s contribution, from the need of everyone’s help to water the seed so that a beautiful tree can grow from it. If not everyone actively engages in this process, as challenging as it is essential, words will remain only words. This is the point that Prem Rawat in the documentary, and Paul Bloomfield in the presentation, made very clear.

written by Marco Malusà (RCN 2013-15)

Bridges to China

2018-10-16T09:33:38+01:00August 19th, 2014|

Since the early years of the College, there has been a strong co-operation with partners in China, not the least fostered by our founding Director of Development, Magne Bjergene. Today our students taking Chinese as a foreign language display strong motivation and performance – which is also reflected in this year’s examination results. Through the Confucius Institute Bergen we receive highly competent subject teachers.

At the start of the new term we received a visit from alumnus Mark Wang and our former teacher Xiaohang Sumner. Mark is currently the Chair for UWC Changshu China, which has received preliminary approval to start up in 2015. Xiaohang Sumner is Director General. They have both worked with dedication for the establishment of this UWC for many years. During their visit they emphasized the active support they have received from Norway over the years. The plans they presented in our auditorium promise some very exciting years ahead for this work to make education a force to unite people. 

End of the Summer Course

2018-10-16T09:33:39+01:00August 18th, 2014|

Elias Rodriguez (Argentina) makes his way to the top of AldenFor the final four days of the 2014 Summer English Course, students and staff moved out to Værlandet, a beautiful island off the west coast. Accommodation was in the cosy former island school. Here, students and staff cooked together, held discussions, played sports and watched movies together. A warm and close friendship between the Summer Course students was one very noticeable outcome of the stay. Sunny days were spent swimming, hiking, playing soccer and volleyball. It was a great way to end what has been a fantastic Summer Course!

Staff Intro Week

2018-10-16T09:33:39+01:00August 16th, 2014|

During Staff Introduction Week we were fortunate to have Andrew Turney from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Angus Ford-Robertson from Battersea Yoga in London visit us to lead workshops and discussions for new and returning staff.

At one of  the Circular Economy workshopsAndrew spoke about the Foundation’s work in promoting its belief that the circular economy provides a coherent framework for systems level re-design and as such offers us an opportunity to harness innovation and creativity to enable a positive, restorative economy to reach a sustainable future. Andrew provided us with an introduction to the thinking behind the circular economy – it was an interactive and practical training in system thinking and a good platform to discuss how it might be included within the RCN teaching and non-teaching profile.

Angus, who is based in the UK, and who teaches Yoga and Mindfulness internationally, led a day-long workshop introducing us to the underlying principles and key skills of Mindfulness, and was included in the Staff Introduction Week as part of RCN’s ongoing commitment to the psycho-social work environment.

Other presentations, delivered by members of staff, included Nynorsk for beginners, a  day-long English workshop for support staff, and an introduction to Entrepreneurship in Education led by Arne Osland and Ivar Offedal from University College, Sogndal.

Our thanks got to all our visitors and workshop leaders who helped make the Staff Intro Week such a stimulating start to the new term.

 

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