People of RCN

Zooming In Leaving Norway during the pandemic left me filled with uncertainties. First, I had to go to France to get my US VISA since the border closures prevented me from going home to Senegal. With God’s grace, it was granted to me, and now, about 5 month later, I can assert that Macalester College in Saint Paul Minnesota is my new home for the next four years [...]

Working for Climate Neutrality Almost exactly one year ago today, the new Austrian coalition government took up its work, including one Minister responsible for the broad portfolio of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology. Widely labelled the “Super-Ministry” it is tasked with ensuring Austrian climate neutrality by 2040 – in other words, the transition to a decarbonised society and economy and thus climate-friendly future. At that time, [...]

Simon Mayson and Chann de Villiers on the main stairwell in Troyeville House.(Photo: Chris Collingridge) Being awarded the scholarship to attend Red Cross United World College in 2005 blew on the changemaker fire sparking within me, and it continues to burn today. At UWC I was immersed in a microcosm of the world and granted considerable freedom to initiate and lead projects at only 17 years old. [...]

After having spent most of my summer traveling around Asia visiting friends and taking some time to reflect upon my UWC experience, I started studying Liberal Arts and Sciences at Leiden University College in The Hague. Here I got involved in the UNICEF Student team, where I spend most of my time organizing different events ranging from movie nights to lectures, to raise awareness about our ongoing projects. Currently [...]

After graduation from RCN I had decided to take a gap year, with my only plan being working and visiting friends. But when everyday life began after RCN, it was very anticlimactic. Slowly the days however started looking brighter, I could appreciate my job as a handicap assistant more and I had decided to study glass blowing in Sweden. So things were falling in place. Then I left for [...]

Escaping the Echo-Chamber During Lockdown: About her road to starting a Podcast on Social Integration I consider myself lucky to have experienced very little loneliness in my life. I have felt alone at times, yes. But lonely? Whenever my inner commentator gets too loud in my personal echo-chamber, I switch on the radio – admittedly, the BBC and German radio serve as little more than a diversion, but an [...]