United World College Belgium

12 young Belgians have been selected to participate
in a unique school experience

Brussels, 19 March 2018. The United World Colleges Belgian National Committee (UWC Belgium) has selected 12 young Belgian students, aged between 16 and 17. The students will embark on two years of International Baccalaureate courses in the different UWC’s around the world.

What is United World Colleges?

United World Colleges (UWC) is a global network of schools that brings together young people from different countries, religions and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. The organisation, which counts today 17 schools worldwide, was founded in 1962 by Kurt Hahn and Lord Louis Mountbatten, with the desire to learn from the Second World War. They believed that international understanding was the cornerstone of a peaceful world and thus founded a school for young people based on the principles of diversity, international understanding and respect for the environment.

The UWCs that have been selected this year for Belgian students are: UWC Atlantic College in South Wales (UK), UWC USA in New Mexico (USA), Mahindra UWC of India in Pune (India) ), UWC Dilijan (Armenia), UWC Robert Bosch in Freiburg (Germany), UWC Adriatic College in Duino (Italy).

A unique experience

United World Colleges offer youth a two-year course in an international environment, with a focus on respect, mutual understanding and service to the communities surrounding the different schools. The 17 schools of the UWC movement teach the renowned International Baccalaureate program, which offers students a solid academic base with a strong emphasis on studies, sports and creativity. Young people of more than 150 nationalities live and study together at these colleges, representing the countries that have selected them, using their differences as opportunities for learning and discussing the challenges of their generation.

Individual commitment and responsibility are at the heart of a UWC; students devote more than 250 hours to social engagement each year, from helping seniors to climate activism. Most often, the students themselves choose and organize these extracurricular activities .

A strong presence in Belgium

UWC Belgium is a non-profit association of volunteers, mainly alumni, who have taken turns since the 1970s to recruit and send as many young Belgians as possible to the various UWCs. Every year, UWC Belgium selects students based on their abilities, motivation and potential through a process that combines a written application file with interactive games, written essays and interviews. About forty alumni participate each year in this selection of future Belgian UWC students.

To enable young people from all socioeconomic backgrounds to benefit from this education, UWC Belgium actively engages in fundraising. Thanks to the support of the National Lottery, the Inbev Baillet Latour Fund and other donors, UWC Belgium offers scholarships to families of successful candidates who can not bear the full cost of this program. The UWC experience, for whose success diversity is essential, is open to all.

UWC Belgium strives to attract as many interested candidates as possible. To do so, UWC Belgium is active on social networks, present at trade fairs for school experiences abroad and our alumni visit secondary schools to encourage young students to join this project.

UWC Belgium congratulates the 12 students selected this year and wishes them a successful UWC experience.


Some facts & figures about UWC

The UWC project was established in 1962
In 2017 the organization is composed of 17 schools in the world representing 150 nationalities
Students spend at least 250 hours a year on social services
Students determine and organize most extracurricular activities themselves

Maximum cultural and socio-economic diversity supported by scholarships
Global network of 60,000 graduates and 3,000 volunteers
UWC project information: www.uwc.org
Information on UWC Belgium: www.uwc.be and UWC Belgium on Facebook


For more information
Basiel Bogaerts
basiel.bog@gmail.com
+32 494 75 26 88
www.uwc.be