The topic for this term’s Global Concern was migration, a particularly pertinent focus given the reality of our world today. The events of the day were largely organized by students and consisted of informative, engaging workshops and a plenary session on International Humanitarian Law, given by Espen Persønn Flagstad, Legal Advisor to the Red Cross on IHL. Students and teachers from Nordahl Grieg VG joined us for the day, enjoying a reunion with Student Council friends and participating fully in workshops and other happenings.

Workshops were led by students and visitors. Youth from a local reception centre for asylum seekers contributed to the story-telling sessions, sharing migration stories alongside our students, some of whom elaborated on their own stories. A music therapist who works with the Fylkeskommune, Jorunn Bakke Nydal, shared her own journey of working with asylum seekers, refugees and the local Norwegian community through the International Choir she started and other projects. Students and staff were deeply moved by an exercise in empathy in one workshop, while the Marshall Plan, the current EU situation, and right-wing movements in Europe were discussed at length in others. There were cooking sessions in the Høegh, considering the migration of food, and creative juices flowed in the Art Room, where students collaborated on a picture book for children of asylum seekers, introducing them to Norwegian ways with drawings and text in both Norwegian and English.

It is with deep sadness that we inform our alumni and staff community that Marín Rós Tumadóttir, our 2001 RCNUWC graduate from Iceland, has passed away in Reykjavik.

Expressions of condolences to Marín’s parents, Allyson McDonald and Tumi Tómasson, can be sent to their address – Njörvasund 2, 104 Reykjavik, Iceland.

Memorial service for friends and family of Marín Rós

On Friday April 8th from 3pm-5pm we will come together and celebrate the life of Marín Rós.
The gathering will be held in the main hall of the YMCA (KFUM&KFUK) at Holtavegur 28, Reykjavik.

If you have nice pictures of Marín you’d like to share please send them to anna.tumadottir@gmail.com.

The funeral service will be held in private.

Address:
YMCA (KFUM&KFUK)
Holtavegur 28
104 Reykjavik
Iceland

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Marín’s sons, Eiríkur Tumi Briem and Haraldur Nökkvi Briem.

Their Icelandic Savings Accounts:
Eiríkur Tumi Briem 0310-18-950901, kt. 060905-3120
Haraldur Nökkvi Briem 0310-18-950902, kt. 220907-3090

If preferred you can also donate via PayPal by transferring to the boys’ aunt, Anna Tumadóttir (anna.tumadottir@gmail.com), and she will transfer to their respective accounts within Iceland. Kindly include a personal note for them about how you knew their mother that we can share with them.

The family will also be gathering together memories from those who would like to contribute to a website dedicated to Marin at MarinRos.org to help us all remember the lovely girl we knew. If you have anything you’d like to share there please send it to her sister (anna.tumadottir@gmail.com).

From Adelin (co-year to Marín):

For those of us who aren’t able to attend due to distance or finances, we thought it would be appropriate to organize something fun, the sort of global action Marín might have organized herself.

The goals would be to:
Create a lasting legacy from around the world for her two young sons (ages 8 and 10), to be shared with them when they are a little older;
To raise awareness within the UWC community and beyond, of the need to look after each other, talk about our mental health, and prevent similar tragedies.

So, what do we want you to do?
Using bright red lipstick (Marín’s trademark color), draw a heart on your cheek (or ask a friend to if you think it’ll get messy);
Take a photo of your cheek;
Share the photo on FB, Twitter, or Instagram, and tag it with ‪#‎marinros‬, #{your country}, and #{your firstname}
We’ll use these hashtags to compile the photos for the boys.

If only 10 of us share photos, that in itself will be a huge success and a great way for us to remember Marín.

On March 12th, UWC Red Cross Nordic hosted its first TEDx event and the first one in Sogn og Fjordane. The organizing committee involved 11 students, making it the first TEDx event to be organized by youth in Norway. The theme was “One Step Forward”. A total of 14 speakers (8 guests and 6 from the campus) shared a variety of stories and ideas involving areas such as gender identity, world conflicts, climate change – and chess. TEDxUWCRCN was attended by an audience ranging from the local community to Oslo, and the full day of emotional and inspirational talks was live streamed around the world and featured on NRK local radio. With over a year of planning, TEDxUWCRCN was a welcome success that will serve as a foundation for future events to take place at UWC Red Cross Nordic.