OD-day is a day that takes place every year across Norway. OD stands for Operasjon Dagsverk or Operation Day’s Work.

Each year the organisation chooses a new cause to donate money to, the concept of the day is for Norwegian school students to participate in a day of work and send the money to the OD organisation. This year, first year students at UWC RCN, an international school located in Flekke, participated in OD dagen for the first time in the school’s history. Roxana Saucedo Villarroel and I, Leslie Nöelle Ndikumana, had the opportunity to work as the media crew and document all of the work happening in Førde. The four workplaces we got to look at in Førde were: NOREC with Nicola Maria Tembo, Rofayda Fayed, Piotr Suchecki and Tenzin Norbu Lama, PULS Førde with Enrico Bazzana, Sport Outlet with Abigail Katherine Napier and Mubashra Iftikhar and the Sogn og Fjordane Kunstmuseum with Maya Atmani and Lakaw Lin. In total 90 students participated in OD dagen across Fjaler, Holmedal, Askvoll, Hyllestad and Førde. The students took part in a variety of activities including serving customers in cafes, playing bingo with residents in a nursing home, gardening in people’s homes and helping a local art gallery prepare for an exhibition opening. A fun but meaningful day was had by all!

Operation Day’s Work says: “we are Norway’s largest solidarity campaign by and for youth. We strive for a better future by putting global development on the agenda in Norwegian schools. Our vision is a fair world shaped by young people. Through ODW, students in Norwegian schools can contribute to a more just world through solidarity action. ODW believes in youth participation, solidarity and education for development.” UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. We are therefore proud to be representing UWC RCN and working with the OD organisation. This year’s OD is called: Bulletproof future, it’s about identity and indigenous people. All the money collected will go to youth organisations providing alternatives for violence. “Colombia is one of the world’s most dangerous countries to be a human rights defender in. Despite this, young people stand together at the front and fight for their rights. It is not just about protection, but about strengthening one’s own future and present. Young people need safe communities, opportunities and alternatives to violence so that fear never surpasses hope for the future. Together we create a bulletproof community and a bulletproof future.” (Operation Day’s Work, 2023).

NOREC is a Norwegian competence centre for international exchange. By giving young people international workplace experience, we get a better, more sustainable future. The first year students were separated into 2 groups, one working on icebreakers for an upcoming course, and the other working on contacting other countries and partners. The courses aim to educate about a range of different subjects, from preparation to work abroad to workshops around sustainably, crisis management, global understanding and intercultural challenges and opportunities. Icebreakers are a good break from long and heavy workshops, while adding some positivity and fun. Collecting all associated emails and making data entries might be lengthy, but required and still important work for an organisation such as NOREC. Overall the first years had a very enjoyable experience and appreciated the opportunity.

PULS Førde is a gym located in Alti Førde shopping centre. It’s a facility on the top floor with an incredible range of machines, a cardio room, strength room, spin room and even a studio for dance, yoga, pilates, workouts and more. Enrico was set to work cleaning and organising the gym, afterwards he was allowed to test out the equipment and we were all invited back another day. It was a great change of environment and an appreciated learning opportunity.

Sport Outlet is a store located in the same building as PULS Førde, the two businesses having an agreement where you get discounts for membership at the gym. Abigail and Mubashra worked as store clerks, unboxing, labelling and organising clothes for the store.

Sogn og Fjordane’s kunstmuseum is setting up a new exhibition, opening on the 3rd of November, called: Rolv Muri, eg målar med jord under neglene. It directly translates to Rolv Muri, I paint with dirt under my nails. Maya and Lakaw helped preparing for the new exhibition, as well as sorting and documenting artworks of different artists to know what’s available for other exhibitions. Contributing to preserving and enhancing the community around us is something important to all UWC students, and they were both grateful for the opportunity to work there.

NOREC, PULS Førde, Sport Outlet and Sogn og Fjordane kunstmuseum’s collaboration with UWC RCN and OD has given us the great opportunity to work hard for a cause, to provide, help and contribute even from such a great distance. Fulfilling both the UWC values and what OD stands for. We are thankful and happy for such great help, and hope this continues on being a tradition for everyone coming after us.

A huge thank you to the following businesses who hosted our students at work for the day:

UWC Connect
Joker Flekke
På Håret Dale
Nordisk Kunstnarsenter
Fabel Kafé og Motel
Allmuen
Fjaler kommune
Fjaler sjukeheim
Jakob Sande senter for forteljekunst
Dale Ungdomslag
BUA / Fjaler Frivilligsentral
NOREC
Sport Outlet Førde
Puls Førde
Sogn og Fjordane KunstmuseumHelle Knivfabrikk
POWER Askvoll
Jensbua Kystkultursenter

You can read more about this year’s OD campaign here: https://www.od.no/skuddsikker

The photos and words here were produced by our OD dagen media crew: Shaunna Wu, Anni Tietäväinen, Mariam Salek, Ángel Axel Méndez Mejía, Elizabeth Chiu, Leslie Nöelle Ndikumana, Roxana Saucedo Villarroel

UWC Day is a celebration of UWC ideals, our mission and values which falls on the UN International Day of Peace each year. In 2023 this occasion was full of inspiration, learning, and connection that lasted for three days, rather than the usual one day celebration. Under the theme “Shaping a Sustainable Future” our community came together with youth from our local area and with the help of a vast range of experts we discussed and learned about the different levels and aspects of sustainability. Students and our guests challenged each others’ views on sustainability and explored regional differences in the approach to creating a sustainable future.

The day began with all members of the RCN community walking into the fjord together. Some just dipped their toes in, while others went for full body immersion! It was a great way to mark this day as a change in our usual programming, and to connect with nature first thing in the morning.

The dip in the fjord was followed by an opening ceremony in the Auditorium, where Rektor Pelham Lindfield Roberts, along with students Benjamin Matzen and Maria Santos, set the tone for an exciting day ahead. Their words echoed our commitment to making a positive impact on the world and fostering intercultural understanding.

Our first guest speakers Thor Inge Sveinsvoll, President of the Norwegian Red Cross and Anne Bergh, General Secretary of the Norwegian Red Cross, highlighted the importance of humanitarian efforts specifically talking about the role of Red Cross locally, national and international leaving us with a deep sense of purpose to contribute to global causes. Their session was followed up with a workshop titled “Sustainable development through volunteerism” focusing on how NGOs can help to accelerate the sustainable development goals.

An intercultural speed dating session, expertly guided by Deputy Rektor Natasha Lambert and student Asta Gabriel, allowed first-year students and guests to connect on a personal level, highlighting the strength of our diverse community. Board members, visiting speakers, local school children and RCN students discussed answers to questions such as “What was your first intercultural experience and how did you react to this?” This was a great way to break the ice and get to know one another on a deeper level.

Workshops throughout the day encouraged students and guests to explore creative problem-solving and teamwork, providing tangible solutions to global environmental challenges. There were 18 workshops available  to take part in, which endeavoured to answer questions such as “How do we ensure that we can harvest resources from the sea for future generations?”, “How should businesses lead by example when it comes to sustainability?” and “Can Haugland become a net positive energy society in the future?”.

Later in the afternoon, Professor Henrik Syse from the Peace Research Institute Oslo gave an inspiring talk in the auditorium that focused on how to preserve values when everything is changing, and reflections on morality in a time of rapid change with concrete examples from history to learn from.
As the day concluded, students Benjamin Matzen and Maria Santos delivered heartfelt closing reflections, reminding us of the significance of our collective efforts in shaping a sustainable future.

Two distinctive dinners capped off our day. The first, a casual dinner at Kantina, provided a relaxed atmosphere for attendees to unwind and share their experiences. The second, a formal dinner attended by Her Majesty Queen Sonja, was a night of elegance and celebration of the UWC spirit.

In the late afternoon, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway arrived on campus to join in the UWC Day celebrations. H.M. began her stay with a guided tour of campus where H.M. met with our student council representatives before an introduction to the new boat program on campus teaching student boat sailing techniques and how to take care of old wooden boats. The tour then stopped with children from the Red Cross Haugland Rehabilitation Centre which meets weekly with our students before visiting campschool (leirskule) pupils who got to sing their school song. The tour finished with tea and cake in Sweden House 101. In the evening, Her Majesty attended a dinner with students, staff and visiting guests. The catering was provided by Christel Eide from Bygstad and the menu was made from locally sourced ingredients.

The evening continued with a captivating student show attended by Her Majesty, where our talented students dazzled us with their creativity and talents, very well hosted by second-year students Nico De Maria and Jorge Manrique Betancur. The students performed dances, traditional greetings, songs and spoken word pieces from all corners of the world. After watching the performances, Queen Sonja spoke directly to our students and said, “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 into 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.”

Our sincere gratitude goes out to all who contributed to making this UWC Day memorable. Your collective efforts inspire us to continue working for a peaceful and sustainable future.

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