Lauge Schøler (’06 – ’08)

I was always very interested in the idea of the suberb educational experience, the completely absorbed state of mind where time expands and you are fulfilling perhaps the most fundamental human need – the need for growth.

Going to UWCRCN as a student I was attracted to the dream of a social and intellectual flow state in the little utopia on a Norwegian fjord. I’m a psychologist now, recently graduated from University of Copenhagen (and also happily married to a fellow RCN graduate – Thi Qui). I now know that such flow states do not just happen. The physical and social structures must be in place – everything from proper curtains in the cubicles to good food to mental hygiene to the absence of bullying. You cannot start at the top of Maslow’s pyramid of needs. You must get the basics right. I learned that the hard way as a UWC student. It was a great experience coming back as an alumnus and giving a presentation on mental health to staff and students.

I am also a boarding school teacher now. Last August I co-founded a boarding school in southern Denmark with fellow UWC graduates. It’s a one year pre-high school program for 14-16 year olds and is, essentially, everything you ever wanted school to be! We are a bunch of learning geeks and we get to apply all the theory and experiences we have picked up along the way. I think we are creating a little educational utopia there.

2016-03-30T05:04:32+01:00March 30th, 2016|

‘One Step Forward’ – Tedx at RCN

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.

 

2016-03-31T13:20:26+01:00March 18th, 2016|

Communication Workshop at RCN

Lauge and workshop participants

At most schools explicit skills in maths, sciences, humanities etc are taught with discipline and rigor. The assumption is that maths takes lots of class hours, homework, tutorials and repetition to get right. Skills centered on  communication, negotiation techniques, knowing feelings, bringing up difficult topics, teamwork or how to be firm yet kind, are typically less central in the curriculum. At UWC RCN we have given priority to this area, not the least to our work centered around the 7 Principles of the Red Cross and the skills associated with it.

On the weekend of 5th-6th March, a stimulating, thought-provoking two-afternoon workshop was held, which very much complement the work that goes under the Red Cross umbrella.  For the eighteen students and staff who took part it was an introduction to the principles and practices of non-violent communication as developed by American psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. Through video clips, talks and lots of hands-on exercises we explored how to deal with ourselves and “difficult” people, gaining awareness of the importance of identifying and acknowledging needs and feelings in our interactions.

We were led by Lauge Schøler, a Danish graduate of RCN from 2008, who is a psychologist, having received his BA and Master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Copenhagen in 2015. In 2015 he co-founded a boarding school for 14-16 year olds in southern Denmark with fellow UWC graduates. Since his graduation from RCN he has taken an active interest in new generations of students selected by the Danish National Committee.

2018-10-16T09:32:45+01:00March 14th, 2016|

Elizabete Romanovska (’13 – ’15)

Before and during my time at UWC Red Cross Nordic I was told that I and the other UWC students would be the leaders of tomorrow. I had always thought that I would be under pressure to be the next president of my home country Latvia, or have to find a medicine to cure cancer. However, during my journey at the Nordic College I learned what it meant to truly be a leader of tomorrow.

One of my closest friends at UWC was Thupten from Tibet. A quote he always had on his desk said, “The planet does not need more ‘successful people’. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds. It needs people to live well in their places”. This is what my UWC story is about.

I came to Norway as a girl who wanted to help change the problems of the world, but I left as a young woman who was desperately interested in the world and had a huge enjoyment of being alive. I remember the night when my friend and I went to sleep at the top of the mountain. We fell asleep at sunset and we woke up at sunrise, and I could smell the fresh cold air and at that moment I knew – I choose to love and live this life for real.

After my graduation I moved to the USA to study at University. During the first weeks I began to talk to people who at first seemed very intimidating, but at UWC I had learned to celebrate the differences amongst people and appreciate the importance of getting to know people for who they are and not for who I think they are. And now I am good friends with many of them, and indeed they are the way I expected them to be. I strongly believe that my UWC story will never end, because the things I learned there follow me every day. As I reflect more every day, I learn more. Isn’t that an exciting life to live?

Elizabete is currently studying at Macalester College in the US.

For profiles and news of other students and alumni, click here.

2023-12-13T14:35:10+01:00March 14th, 2016|
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