UWC Red Cross Nordic would like to take this opportunity to thank Arve Helle for his outstanding support of the College over the past 12 years in his role as Mayor of Fjaler. This morning, Larry (on behalf of the College) gave Arve a framed photo of himself and Her Majesty Queen Sonja from her visit in 2014 (and a special letter of thanks) as a reminder of Royal visits, a wonderful Jubilee and twelve years of support of this College.
At the UN General Assembly
The New Millenium Development Goals have been launched in the United Nations this week, setting ambitious and necessary targets in many sectors. We are proud to see our own alumna, Kanchan Amatya (Nepal) RCN 2010-2012, participating as a selected witness for the Sustainable Development Goals adoption at the UN.
It is with great pleasure, on the day of our Jubilee (celebrating 20 years since the opening of UWC Red Cross Nordic), that the College can announce that the Leif Høegh Foundation (Leif Høegh Stiftelsen) will make a gift of NOK 1 million to help launch the RCN Jubilee Fund. This donation will go towards financial support for a foundation year for those from conflict / refugee backgrounds who are unable to complete the IB programme in 21 months due to disrupted learning and / or language difficulties. The Davis-UWC Impact Programme, funded by Shelby Davis, will now match this donation from the Leif Høegh Foundation giving the College a total of NOK 2 million for its Jubilee Fund.
The Leif Høegh Foundation has made important contributions to this College and the UWC movement over the years. It was the Høegh Foundation which funded the Høegh Centre – a superb multi-purpose space here on campus. It is used for a huge range of activities – from the production of plays to ‘gammaldans’ with students and members of the local Fjaler community, from a banquet hall for the annual Council dinner to regular multi-cultural bazaars and performances – and is at the heart of our students’ lives as it provides them with space from the academic centre of the College and the intensity of daily living in the Houses in the Student Village.
The bust of Leif Høegh, located on the walkway to our Boat House and overlooking Haugland Bay, has observed nearly two decades of College activities – and we hope many more years to come.
We are hugely grateful to the Høegh Foundation for this extremely generous donation and for its continued support.
Richard D A Lamont
Rektor
UWC Red Cross Nordic
As part of our Jubilee celebrations and following on from the official opening of the Henry Dunant Building by HM Queen Sonja, we put together a special programme on the morning of Tuesday 22nd September which focused on UWC RCN’s partnership with the Norwegian Red Cross and the Rehabilitation Centre.
The session was launched with a superb lecture on the migrant crisis in Europe and the role of the Red Cross by Sven Mollekleiv, President of the Norwegian Red Cross – to a packed auditorium of students, staff, Jubilee guests, plus patients and staff from the Rehabilitation Centre. Liv Ronglan (RCN Board Member and representative of the Norwegian Red Cross) and Emma du Marchie Sarvaas (Student Council Red Cross Rep) gave an engaging introduction to the Seven Principles of the Red Cross and the current partnership between the College and the Red Cross. Professor Jurg Kesselring (one of the five committee members of the ICRC) gave an introduction to Henry Dunant (the founder of the Red Cross – please click here for a link to the biography hanging in the entrance of the Dunant Building) and was followed by Max Deneu (Director of the Special Fund for the Disabled) who gave us an insight into both the global projects of the SFD and its ambitions for inclusivity for those with disabilities.
All participants in the programme were invited to participate in workshops with the Red Cross representatives. Workshops included: first aid; an introduction to working as an ‘Arms and Violence’ advisor; Living the Red Cross Principles; working as a delegate in the field; the migrant crisis; an introduction to the College’s Survivors of Conflict Programme.
The programme ended with a session for first years on the role of the Sogn og Fjordane Red Cross and an introduction to the RCN Diploma.
The Red Cross definitely remains an important part of our identity – with shared values and philosophy at the heart of our work – and it was hugely enjoyable to celebrate this partnership and the 150th anniversary of the Norwegian Red Cross. Sven Mollekleiv gave, on behalf of the Norwegian Red Cross, a picture and a red bench to RCN as an anniversary gift.
We look forward to developing this partnership in the years to come with the Red Cross right at the heart of UWC RCN’s Strategy 2020. For we aim to forge a mutually beneficial partnership at regional and national levels – and the wider Red Cross movement.
