IB Diploma Programme (DP) students at UWC Atlantic College, Wales, UK are engaging in co-curricular activities around current international crises with a focus on the plight of refugees.
John Walmsley, Principal of UWC Atlantic College, wrote: “People across Britain have been deeply disturbed by the recent events not only in Paris but in Beirut, Iraq and Egypt, to name but a tragic few. In our community, in a castle in a little coastal corner of South Wales, these emotions have been keenly felt.”
One way the students are getting involved is by holding workshops and debates about the international crises and a recent student-organized Refugee Week conference discussed matters from ‘The real situation in Syria’ to ‘Why some Europeans want refugees to go home’. Doing this effectively created a place where students from the UK could explore real-life topics with their peers from those conflict regions. Walmsley explained: “Young people need to be able to express their views safely, knowing that if that view is not shared, it will be respected and listened too."
Students have also attended an event at the House of Lords to share their personal stories. Their intention was to highlight how an internationally-minded approach to education can provide young people with the means to create a positive change. Another two students have been sharing positivity and compassion through their Paint the World scheme with an aim for it to serve as a platform to promote and foster unity – it is just as important to learn about the culture and beauty that exists in these conflict areas. On a local level, the students are also spending time working with refugees in Cardiff, teaching English and helping them adjust to UK life.
Walmsley concludes: “The approach we take to education will dictate the decisions pupils make for us in the years to come – so we better get it right. […] As the atrocities continue around us, we’re ever more convinced that our approach gives a glimmer of hope for a more united future.
Read the full article on The Telegraph’s website here.
 students at UWC Atlantic College, Wales, UK are engaging in co-curricular activities around current international crises with a focus on the plight of refugees.){kind=icon}