UWC Pastoral Care Conference

2018-10-16T09:32:35+01:00August 2nd, 2016|

In mid-June, a UWC Pastoral Care Conference was held at Pearson College, Canada over five days. It was designed to bring together residential staff from all UWCs in the spirit of connectivity and collaboration. We were delighted that there were representatives from all the UWC schools and colleges, including the two prospective campuses in Thailand and Japan.

All the teams present at the conference are committed to providing a strong, supportive and responsive pastoral progamme on each of our campuses.

The RCN Delegation consisted of Larry (Rektor), Alistair (Deputy Rektor), Judit (House Mentor), Lena (nurse) and Arne (Director of Development).

Jens Waltermann presentingWe were delighted that Jens Waltermann, the Executive Director of UWC, joined us for the majority of the programme – eager to listen and learn about pastoral developments in all our colleges. Laurence Nodder and Larry Lamont, Rektors of UWC RBC and UWC RCN respectively, were the Heads present and responsible for the conference. For Larry’s welcoming address, please click here.

The residential teams present at the conference came together having listened to feedback on respective campuses from residential staff and having brought many student ‘voices’ (experiences, struggles, mental health issues, and personal UWC challenges) in their backpacks.

The programme consisted of presentations, workshops and discussion groups on many pastoral subjects including: health and wellness, safety and security, supporting students of concern, gender and sexuality issues, mindfulness and social and emotional learning, dealing with trauma, promoting regular sleep patterns, and much more.

The main objective of the conference was for participants to share experiences and learning and then to take back what we learnt to our respective schools and colleges. In essence, this was a conference designed to provide professional development, a springboard for ongoing collaboration and support, for the benefit for the students on our campuses.

The Annual UWC Admissions Meeting was organized to coincide with the Pastoral Care Conference – and we spent one day with a shared agenda.

Thank you to the hosting team at Pearson who succeeded in delivering a highly stimulating conference and creating a welcoming atmosphere for all participants.

Sarah Hamilton, Director of Boarding at Atlantic College, captured the spirit of the conference in the final plenary session: ‘I have worked at AC for over 20 years and this conference has helped me feel part of a global UWC community for the very first time. Thank you.’

Galdhøpiggen with the Red Cross

2018-10-16T09:32:36+01:00June 6th, 2016|

The RCN representativesThis year a group of students and teachers from RCN again participated in the annual Til Topps event, organized by The Norwegian Red Cross. It was the 10th anniversary of this amazing hike to Galdhøpiggen that is, with its 2,469 meters elevation, the highest mountain in Norway and with that the highest mountain in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Til Topps is the year’s most energetic multicultural integration event, supported by a phenomenal team of volunteers who ensured that the day ran smoothly and safely. Over 1500 people joined the event this year.

Six students and two staff members left the College early on the last day of term together with a group of refugees from the Fjaler Kommune to join the Sogn og Fjordane Red Cross delegation in Forde and, from there, Lom.

The evening before the hike, participants were treated to a culture evening with delicious food and exciting entertainment, including live performances by international bands.

The big day dawned, we packed up our rucksacks and were bussed to Juvasshytta, where we registered for the hike, received harnesses for the glacier crossing, and set off! The weather was spectacular, not even a single cloud in the blue Norwegian sky. The walk was challenging, even for hardy Norwegians, but as always, the thought of reaching the top and the encouraging words and smiles of other participants and the Red Cross organizers provided all the motivation we needed.

The view from the top was stunning and made up for all the efforts and the fatigue!

We are very grateful to the Sogn og Fjordane Red Cross for including us in their team, giving us the opportunity to have this extraordinary experience.

På Flukt (‘On the Run’)

2018-10-16T09:32:37+01:00June 6th, 2016|

Waking up

This weekend, the College in tandem with the Norwegian Red Cross ran the annual På Flukt (‘On the Run’) simulation for first year students. There had been much preparation in the build up to this event (marking the end of the first year RCN experience) including a Global Concerns Day on migration, a visit from Mina Moghadam earlier in the week (UWC AC alumna, Norwegian National Committee member and former political vice president of the Norwegian Red Cross Youth – and currently Children/Youth Care Coordinator at Mysebu Transittmottak), and many interactions with local mottaks.

Avis (RCN’s Red Cross Coordinator) and Andreas (the team leader from the Norwegian Red Cross) – with support from a selection of Red Cross Youth Volunteers and RCN Education Staff – put together a simulation which saw students imagining themselves migrating from Somalia to Norway. The weather was absolutely stunning over the weekend – clear blue skies and up to 30’c – which made for challenging conditions for the students as they tackled the 24 hour simulation.

På Flukt is an integral part of the RCN Red Cross Diploma and aims to encourage students to look through the lens of others. At the final session in the auditorium, an RCN student who had been a refugee was given the final word – he explained to all gathered that no simulation can possibly recreate the uncertainty that comes with being a refugee but that he appreciated that the Red Cross and the College ran an event which challenged students based here in Norway to develop their perspectives, compassion and understanding of the refugee situation in the world today.

A huge thank you to Avis and her team for the extraordinary amount of work that they put into preparing and delivering this for students.

A Day on the Island of Svanøy

2018-10-16T09:32:37+01:00May 25th, 2016|

We set off at 0730hrs, wet, cold, windy. A joy to be on a boat! For the hour journey most stayed below deck … fast asleep. When we arrived we quickly huddled under the nearest trees which offer too few leaves to shelter under and too few trees to make much of a difference.  As we descended to the rocky shore to carry out some biology field work we quickly came to the sobering realisation that the conditions were not ‘challenging’, ‘interesting’ or even ‘formidable’, but rather they were terrible! We beat a hasty retreat to the Deer Centre and all agreed that the less said about quadrants and transects the better.

Trygve met us at the marvelous Deer Centre and after David read a rather spirited and entertaining set of parish notices he invited us in. We were all quite taken with the taxidermy found on all walls and tables, a myriad of deer from the majestic Red to the exotic Sika and the downright adorable Munjac. As we waited for the next group to arrive we had time for some well deserved rest and a bit of drying out time.

At the Deer Centre

At the Deer Centre

When the others arrived on the boat we all gathered to hear Trygve talk about his life on Svanøy and how he fits into the world of farming, hunting and conservation. It was entertaining and very relevant and the experience of a man who lives what he preaches is always fascinating. After this we broke for lunch and prepared for Dugnad, a voluntary contribution to making our communities better places to live. We cleared forestry to make parkland for the Red deer, we cleared driftwood from the shoreline grazing for the Fallow deer and we collected a disgusting volume of plastic and refuse from the beach areas.

During this we had a great opportunity to get up close with some beautiful beasts in the shape of a group of Red deer hinds (females). To hear them called by song and have them emerge form the woods and pick their way down the steep slopes to be  admired up close is something we will all remember. After this close encounter we headed back to the deer centre before the rain decided to ruin the fun.

Judit, Mariano and Alistair then had a series of discussions and spirited debate about many aspects of humans in the environment and the role of hunters and eating meat, among other topics. All the while the backstage team of Briony, Laura, David and Simon were doing their level best to not burn, mangle or otherwise render inedible what can only be described as far, far, far too many pølse! As the rather successful BBQ died down we looked around to see Trygve was only getting started. He was demonstrating a rather particular method of ancient viking diplomacy. Namely, dual wielding double headed axes and hurling them with some skill into huge targets of wood.

As we tided up Mariano wanted to share his experience of the island with a new generation and set off to take students from the later boat on a hike to visit some charming 17th century ruins and the rest of us prepared to depart. As we left we started to reflect on a day which marked the beginning of the end of the sorrow of absent friends. We had managed a full day without the second years and although there was still some sadness on the boat back the atmosphere was now largely one of smiles and tiredness rather than doom and gloom.

(Written by Biology teacher, Simon Ramsay)

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