The UWC movement makes education
a force to unite people, nations and cultures
for peace and a sustainable future.
As a mission driven organization, UWC Day is one of those days that sets us apart. We follow up talk with action, we walk the walk and that's one of the things I love about this place. UWC Day is a reminder of who we are as a college and what we are all about, it's a celebration of our values, the very essence of UWC-ness. But what does the UWCSEA mission statement mean for the Infant School? How does a 4 year old grasp the complex concepts of sustainability, nations and cultures? Do our youngest students embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping a better world? Are our Infant School students provided with opportunities to consciously reflect on their academic achievement, service to others, environmental stewardship, teamwork and leadership? Absolutely!
K1 - Uniting People, Nations and Cultures....
In K1 classes the focus for UWC Day was people, nations and cultures. Each class was allocated a high school tutor group, with such diversity the rooms very quickly became a mini United Nations. It was wonderful to walk though and hear mother tongue being spoken between 4 and 17 year olds, globes spun and explored, song and dance enjoyed. The young children asked the high school students, "what is your world? what does the world mean to you? what do you do, eat, speak in your world? how are we the same? teach me about our differences." How incredibly fortunate are we to be provided an opportunity to learn the Macarena from a Spanish speaking, ukulele playing big kid? Or Bollywood dance moves explained and performed by a G12 dance group? How about a Bergamo regional style bruschetta cooking class?
It's these authentic real-life, relational experiences that will lead to "tolerance, respect,
acceptance and an appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human." In the Infant School we foster this through "knowledge, openness, communication, and freedom of thought, conscience and belief", (UNESCO, 1995).
K2 - A Sustainable Future....
Inspired by the short documentary Caine's Arcade we decided to take part in the Global Cardboard Box Challenge in K2 as our UWC Day project. This is an annual event initiated by the Imagination Foundation that celebrates child creativity and entrepreneurship in children around the world. The aim is to raise a new generation of innovators and problem solvers who have the tools and strategies they will need to make their very best ideas a reality in this constantly changing world. Our K2 children were invited to plan, collaborate and execute the construction of anything they could dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. Classrooms were piled high with collections of recycled materials and during my visits I was not surprised to see the high school students just as excited and motivated about this project as our K2s! They worked alongside each other, thoughtful discussion and concise engineering guiding their creations. Used cardboard boxes have never looked so amazing!
The final piece of this project was the sharing session out on the playground. The queues for some of the creations resembled Universal Studios on a Sunday! The buzz and excitement was palpable, students big and little beaming with pride.
G1 - For Peace....
Our Grade 1s focused on the idea of peace for UWC Day. Teachers and students from Grade 1 and High School engaged in a day of yoga, mindfulness and activities related to peace in order to help them understand:
- “The only way to bring peace to the earth is to learn to make our own life peaceful.” Buddha, and,
- “Peace - it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work, it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." Unknown
UWC Day activities began with sun salutations, a mass yoga story telling session with the message that, "when we work together, choosing equity and sustainability over greed, dignity and courage over exploitation we can make our earth green and peaceful." The playground had transformed into a zen garden of colourful mats and super calm yogis!
Following Yoga, the Grade 11&12 buddies introduced G1 students to inspirational peaceful people and concluded with the message that we can all bring peace and change the world in small ways, no matter who we are. Students collaborated to create 'peace paths' and 'mindful mandalas', and also took a moment to practice being present in the here and now.
The Infant School at UWCSEA Dover campus experienced this very special day with the UWC mission, vision and values embedded in hearts and minds. Sentimental words, but perhaps that's exactly the kind of experience 4-7 year olds need to gain a meaningful
understanding of what drives us, what we are all about. Did we successfully deliver a challenging and transformational educational experience to a diverse cross section of students, inspiring them to create a more peaceful and sustainable future? Absolutely.
So, that's how a 4 year old grasps the complex concepts of sustainability, nations and cultures. This is how our youngest students learn to embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping a better world. This day was just one example of the numerous opportunities we provide our students that enables them to consciously reflect on their academic achievement, service to others, environmental stewardship, teamwork and leadership.
References:
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, 16 November 1995, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/453395954.html [accessed 23 September 2016]
