Helen Pörtner (RCN ’16-’18)
Gallery
Helen Pörtner (RCN ’16-’18)

People of RCN

Helen Pörtner (RCN ’16-’18)

Lasse Markus2021-05-03T09:56:48+01:00April 29th, 2021|

Bringing Climate Justice and Human Rights to the International Court of Justice

The connection between Human Rights and the Climate Crisis has become clearly visible for anyone who cares to see it. However, in international climate action treaties there is still a lack of language that emphasizes the immediate danger to Human Rights, especially in the Majority World. The global youth-led campaign “World’s Youth for Climate Justice” is attempting to change exactly that. We are working towards an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice that would ultimately set a norm for states to include such language in their treaties. Supporting the initiative put forth by the Pacific Island State of Vanuatu, we are youth from all over the world rallying for civil society support to convince as many state’s representatives at the UN to vote in favor of our effort. I was recently able to join the campaign that was initiated by a group of law students from the South Pacific.

I had been active in climate action before coming to RCN and through studying Human Rights as part of the IB curriculum was able to make a lot of new connections. I feel that now, four years later, many of the loose ends which I was exploring at RCN are coming together. My time at RCN paved the way for my focus on Climate Justice and made me constantly question my positionality as a white woman from the Minority World. After my time at RCN, stories of the impact the climate crisis is having on my friends’ communities are having a much bigger impact on me and motivate me to make use of my privilege. In my work with “World’s Youth for Climate Justice” I aim to follow the role of solidarity support and try to stay as much in the background as possible. My effort is to amplify the voices from youth of the Majority World through the networks that I have been able to establish as well as using my privilege to act as, for example, one of the treasurers of the campaign to open up possibilities for my friends in the campaign.

Our campaign is very idealistic and we are putting a lot of trust into international politics that have often disappointed us in the past. Still, we believe that pursuing change through international law is a powerful path and we are not being discouraged by slow bureaucratic processes and pessimism. Staying optimistic is hard sometimes but I am constantly encouraged by stories from my RCN friends who show up as active citizens and are making change wherever they go. Although everyone has moved on from RCN and is building their own little worlds elsewhere, still feeling part of this strong community empowers me to keep going and persist in working towards real and just climate action.

If you’d like to know more about “World’s Youth for Climate Justice” or would like to join our campaign, please reach out! We welcome all backgrounds and levels of engagement!

Check out our website: https://www.wy4cj.org/

Our facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WY4CJ

and instagram: @wy4cj

People of RCN

In People of UWCRCN you find stories of alumni or other members of our community. Here are the laterst.

Magnea Gna Johannsdottir (RCN ’17)

Judit Dudas2022-05-23T16:34:06+01:00May 23rd, 2022|

Magnea Gna Johannsdottir (RCN '17) is the youngest person ever elected to the Reykjavik city council. Her political party Framsókn (English: Progressive Party) gained 18,7% of the votes, [...]

Gunvor Norddal (RCN ’01 – present)

Judit Dudas2022-01-05T13:08:00+01:00January 5th, 2022|

The Little and Big World Gunvor Norddal vividly remembers her first full working day at UWC Red Cross Nordic. On the way home from work she received the shocking [...]

Fabiana Irigoyen (RCN 16-18)

Judit Dudas2021-10-19T11:55:52+01:00October 19th, 2021|

Passionate about Diversity and Food When I left Bolivia, at 16, to attend UWC Red Cross Nordic, I could not believe how much I was going to learn [...]

Go to People of RCN Archive

Dorothy Dix (RCN 1996-1998)
Gallery
Dorothy Dix (RCN 1996-1998)

People of RCN

Dorothy Dix (RCN 1996-1998)

Lasse Markus2021-03-04T13:13:32+01:00March 4th, 2021|

Making Ideals Reality: Creating Better Futures For Children In My Home Community

Dorothy Dix (UWC Red Cross Nordic, 1996-1998) was born into poverty in Zimbabwe. She relied on handouts throughout her childhood but after showing potential at a local school in Zimbabwe, she was given the opportunity to study at UWC Red Cross Nordic at age 16.

Speaking of her experience at UWC, Dorothy says “UWC helped me to escape the challenges and poverty of my upbringing in Zimbabwe while simultaneously instilling the values of empathy, responsibility, and lifelong action.” After graduating from the University of Reading, she founded Creating Better Futures, a charity helping orphans and vulnerable children in her home communities in Zimbabwe. Dorothy’s leadership has lifted 5,000 children and their communities out of poverty by providing education, health, feeding and development programmes. In 2020, the charity also jumped in to protect children from COVID-19 by installing sanitation infrastructure and helping communities pushed into poverty by the lockdown. Dorothy wrote to us to share her story of how UWC got her to where she is today and what keeps her drawn to the work she does helping communities like the one she came from in Zimbabwe:

As a child I could never have expected to end up anywhere like UWC. I was born into poverty in rural Zimbabwe. I was raised by a single Mum who, despite making huge sacrifices and working extremely long hours, struggled to pay my school fees. It was only a combination of her hard work and an international sponsor that enabled me to attend school, even before UWC came along.

This wasn’t the only thing I received from Mum. I shared her work ethic and the value she placed on education. This allowed me to work hard for a scholarship to attend UWC. At the age of 16, I received a life-changing opportunity to attend UWC Red Cross Nordic in Norway.

When I arrived – it was a total culture shock. Growing up in Zimbabwe I had never seen snow.
But the atmosphere at UWC, and the brilliant friends I made, helped me to settle into this entirely different climate, country, and culture. And it was UWC’s emphasis on individual action and social change that inspired me to think about my place in the world, and how I could make a difference back home.

I wanted to make things better for people in my community. Growing up in Zimbabwe I always knew that things could be better. I had personally experienced that through a stranger’s kindness. They unleashed my potential when contributing to my education. Why couldn’t others do the same for young people in my community?

My UWC education played a key role in making this vision a reality. Two values stood out: a sense of idealism and personal challenge. I adopted these values to set out my idealistic vision for my charity – one where every child in rural Zimbabwe would grow up to achieve their potential and every community would be free from poverty. And thus, Creating Better Futures was born.

I found a real purpose in the sense of personal challenge required to deliver this change. I believed if I could just change one child’s life, my life would be complete. I looked back on my experiences at UWC – moving thousands of miles from home to study, having the opportunity to speak at the United Nations – as proof that this change was possible. I knew ideals could become reality.

My mission to give back to my home country of Zimbabwe was grounded in the core UWC values: compassion and service. By attending UWC I was fortunate to receive one of the most rounded education’s on the planet. Unfortunately, many of my close friends back home didn’t have this opportunity. Our paths quickly diverted. Some continued with school, whilst others couldn’t afford their fees for college. I wanted everyone to have the same opportunity I had.

But of course it has not all been easy, the conditions in the communities we work alongside are a significant challenge. Last year it was estimated that 70% of Zimbabwean children were living in poverty. These conditions don’t just impact their daily lives, they also limit what they can hope to achieve over a lifetime. Our mission is to deliver programmes that enable people to overcome these conditions.

So what keeps me going through these challenges? Belief. Belief that things can be better. Belief in myself, and my dedicated team, to play a role in making a difference.

We also know the costs of inaction. People misunderstand poverty. Living in poverty doesn’t just mean you don’t have much money, or limited access to resources. Poverty conditions everything you do. There have been children who have dropped out of school, not because they wanted to – but because it was the best thing they could do to save money. I am driven to give these people the best opportunities.

And then of course there is the inspiration I gain from the enthusiasm and kindness of the young people we help. During the pandemic I received several reports of sponsored children in ZImbabwe who, with schools closed, had taken on extra care responsibilities for housebound elderley relatives. To think that these children, who often have very little themselves, still make huge sacrifices for others, is hugely inspiring.

Finally, I was asked to comment on why, amidst the many causes in need of our help, we should continue to support education and empowering youth. My answer is simple: empowering young people gives them their lives back. Everything is possible for a healthy, happy and financially secure young person. I was so fortunate to receive the support I did as a girl. Every child deserves the same opportunities I was fortunate enough to have been given by supporters of UWC.

Thanks to UWC International for letting us use this story. It was originatly published as an UWC Impact Story

Anna Sene (RCN ’18-’20)
Gallery
Anna Sene (RCN ’18-’20)

People of RCN

Anna Sene (RCN ’18-’20)

Lasse Markus2021-04-22T12:12:09+01:00February 4th, 2021|

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 of undergraduate life.

2020 being similar to no other year, my college experience described in one word would be Zoom. From classes to events, meeting people, and building connections, life has never been more virtual. Nevertheless, I am grateful for how my first semester at College has turned out.

I applied and got into a civic engagement group on campus called Lives of Commitment. Joining them gave me the opportunity to volunteer at a kid’s homework center, Skyline. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I help one or two kids with their homework from 2 to 3 p.m. I learnt a lot about patience, kindness, and compassion working with kids on problems that are easy for me but a real struggle for them.

Alongside my work at skyline, I also applied and got into the Student Academic Affairs Committee of the college. Here I meet with other students and staff members to discuss and find solutions to issues and concerns that impact student life at Macalester.

In addition, I have been journaling for the College Archives for a semester, as part of a project that seeks to represent more voices from minorities or groups that are often discriminated against. I wrote from a standpoint of a Black Muslim woman, Senegalese, and first generation student. I also wrote a couple of articles published in the College weekly newspaper.

This semester, I will join the Admission office as an International Student Ambassador for Macalester. I hope to interact with prospect students and help them get to know the college better.

My time at RCN has certainly helped me a lot to get all these beautiful opportunities. I still have a lot to learn and discover here at Mac and could not be more excited. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or just want to talk.

Anna Sene (RCN 2020)