Multe școli din întreaga lume studiază în prezent Programul de Diplomă al Bacalaureatului Internațional (IBDP), un curriculum care promovează creativitatea, activitatea și serviciul.

Dar noi ducem principiile sale mai departe.

Comunitățile noastre școlare diverse îi încurajează pe elevi să exploreze perspective diferite împreună cu colegii lor, în loc să le învețe doar din cărți.

Explorăm arta și cultura din împrejurimile noastre la prima mână și luăm în considerare modul în care creativitatea și imaginația ne pot ajuta să înțelegem și să schimbăm lumea.

Iar accentul nostru pe serviciul în folosul comunității merge mult mai departe de îndeplinirea cerințelor IBDP sau de stimularea aplicațiilor universitare ale elevilor. Îi ajutăm pe elevi să descopere cauzele care contează pentru ei și să învețe cum să le transforme în inițiative, proiecte și activități care îi pot ajuta pe cei din jurul lor timp de mulți ani după ce au lăsat în urmă școala și activitățile extracurriculare de la UWC.

Acest lucru înseamnă că, în calitate de student UWC, veți construi obiceiuri care nu vă vor fi de ajutor doar în timpul școlii, ci și de-a-lungul vieții.

Activitățile noastre extracurriculare variază în funcție de școală, deoarece mediul specific al școlii UWC va fi cel care va determina activitățile care sunt posibile și inițiativele de serviciu care sunt necesare.

Creativitate

“Even if you’re not going to pursue art, you learn to think like an artist here"

^{- Ramila Patel, Head of Visual Arts, Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa}

Art and creativity aren’t just about being able to paint, or play an instrument. They are about discipline, imagination, and being able to express the things you experience and feel.

At UWC, we’ll encourage you to explore that creativity and channel what matters into art, dance, photography and music. We explore the culture and craft of our local areas, and give you the confidence to perform and play with others. This might involve taking to the stage for theatre or dance, learning about art history, visiting cultural sites, or performing for your school community and beyond.

Activity

“It’s not just about competition. If you want to play basketball at another school, you might have to be really good. But at UWC, if you’re really good, you teach other people so they can play too. It’s an environment in which you learn, and learn that it’s okay to fail, and that gives you the opportunity to try.” 

 ^{- Saijai Liangpunsakul (Pearson College UWC, 2006-2008)}
 

Every UWC school draws from the community around it, and that applies to sport and activity as well.

Our students get the chance to play the sports they grew up loving, from football to basketball and tennis. But we also make full use of the environments around our schools, whether that means kayaking across beautiful lakes or hiking on snowy mountains.

We believe that activity and exercise is a crucial part of our school experience. But it also gives us a chance to explore our surroundings, and truly experience the world around us.

Service

“I suppose that’s something I’ve been carrying around with me since UWC: This energy to push for things, even when they’re tough or go against the status quo.” 

^{- Luísa Gonçalves (UWC-USA, 2008-2010)}

We aim to make sure that every student realises that they can use their education to make a difference.

That goes beyond the curriculum. It’s part of every day.

At UWC, our classes encourage students to identify changes they can make in the world. It allows them to consider how they can act to improve lives, both as individuals, and together.

Every year, we see students set up projects and initiatives that tackle issues head-on, from waste recycling to outreach and education. We see people leave with the confidence to stand up for what they believe in, and do something about it.

Student initiatives can run as part of the school’s co-curricular service programme for other students and staff to join. In some cases students will have the chance to enter these projects into UWC-wide grant programmes such as Young Aurora, which allows students to enter a humanitarian project and win a USD 4,000 grant to further develop it, and Go Make A Difference, which grants up to USD 1,000 to UWC student projects each year.