News from the College

The UWC RCN Outdoor department held the Kayak Leader Course on the weekend 16th to 17th of September for staff and students at UWC Red Cross Nordic, enabling the successful participants to lead kayak trips for the students at the College.

The course was in two parts over two days. On the first day was in the Flekke fjord by the College to learn the basics of paddling with a lot of rehearsing techniques and practicing rescuing capsized kayakers. On the second day we moved the classroom out to sea and started of at Korsunded close to the open sea. This day was set up as a day-trip circumnavigating the Island of Lutelandet. Very calm seas and good weather made for a good experience for all. Some of the participants seems to have thought it was too warm and ended up taking a swim out at sea, giving a few of the others a chance to practice rescues again.

The newly qualified kayak leaders are Chisato, Kimi, Marco, Mikkeline, Hari, Raavi, Emelie and Amina as well as Taren and Jenny from the staff.

For an album of photos, see here.

Her Majesty Queen Sonja will visit UWC Red Cross Nordic on September 21st – 22nd for our programme on inclusion in education: ‘The Power of Diversity’. We are working with the Education Committee and the Administrative Team in Sogn og Fjordane to connect with schools and educational projects in our region dedicated to inclusion. We see this as an opportunity to share and draw on each other’s experiences in the changing landscape of Norwegian education. Please click here for a link to the programme.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to HM Queen Sonja’s visit and the events with great anticipation.

Vidar in action

Progress is being made on the construction of the Baking House and wood shed – to partner the Silent House as part of the ‘Nordic Tun’ on the south side of the campus; this building will contain a baking oven and will be an educational resource – and a source of enjoyment – for our students, Red Cross summer camps, and other visitors. Here is Vidar, the Project Manager, in action on the building site.

Climate Change Adjustment 2017, is an annual conference held for the development of responses to climate change and green technology. The conference connects the world of scientific research with Norway’s political and corporate landscape for a more sustainable future.

Elias (Norway) and Yash (UAE) from RCN took part in the conference on the 30th and 31st of August. On the first day they were part of the youth seminars on the everyday effects of climate change. One topic was the hidden carbon footprint of electric cars. The students met Carlo Aal, a leading climate scientist in Norway and they participated in debates about measurements that would slow down climate change. In a documentary, one man was shown trying to do his part in what is required; it highlighted the difficulties in establishing a low-carbon lifestyle and posed questions about whether research and technological improvement is the way to go. Elias and Yash held a presentation on the current effects of climate change, sharing experiences of some UWC students.

On the second day the Western Norway Research Institute and others from Sogn & Fjordane County held presentations. Methods for the local regions in adjusting to the effects of climate change were discussed. Elias and Yash got an insight into the logistics of clean energy production and facilitation locally, and the ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions in, for example, transport. It all ended with an informative political debate and made an interesting finale for our students as they got a glimpse of local networks and their attempts to contribute to solving this global crisis.