August 2013 Newsletter
SNAPSHOTS
Becoming Friends
Table of Contents From the Head of College . . . P.2 Summer Stories . . . P.3-12 Integration Week . . . P.13-16 Alumni Stories . . . P.17- 20 Alumni Reunion . . . P.21-22
Publication Design and Editing by Raïsa Mirza (c) Office of Outreach and Communications
THEME OF THE YEAR:
SATAT
We are going beyond sustainability... By engaging with the theme ‘satat’ which means longevity , we are undertaking activities which will make sure that the College will be around for a long time while reducing negative impacts on future generations. • Can we harvest and use the rainwater falling on our hills and buildings? • Can we recycle our sewage water and reuse it for our garden & washing vehicles? • Can we map our existing sewage and water supply network so that we can improve it in future? • Can we enrich the plant biodiversity on our campus by creating plant nurseries of indigenous trees, and planting these trees using an ecosystems approach? • Do we recognize all the different trees that we have on campus and can we make a pictorial database of this amazing plant diversity? Activities will be PHYSICAL and ACTIVE! They start in September and will continue throughout the year. Get Involved! Ask how!
Live. Act. Create Impact.
How will you celebrate UWC Day? SEPT. 21st ALL AROUND THE WORLD!
POST YOUR ACTION OR FIND EVENTS NEAR YOU at http://UWCDay/uwc.org
From the Head of College... Dear Friends of the College, I am primarily addressing myself to 15 years of former students, and parents of our current students, I appreciate there may be many others connected with the college reading this letter and I welcome all of you to a new year. The year has started calmly and purposefully after the excitement of the college’s third reunion, attended by almost a hundred former students from the classes of 2003 and 2004. For Cyrus, Usha R. and me this was the first reunion we have attended in a formal way in our combined 45 years of UWC service. This year we were on the hill and it was a pleasure and an inspiration. For Cyrus and Usha R. particularly, it was déjà vu to see the same individuals in college meetings, discussing global affairs, just as they used to, but now sharing 10 years of UWC life in the real world. I wish to thank all who returned for the effort they made, for their enthusiasm and commitment and for the support they have offered. One request was made to increase the transparency with which we communicate and this is firmly on the agenda of our communications and outreach office. The year got off to a purposeful and relaxed start as we welcomed many new faculty, academic interns, musicians in residence and volunteers returning to UWC or now discovering it as well as 120 new students arriving from increasingly diverse backgrounds and cultural contexts. We thank the local community for their typically warm and open hospitality in welcoming all 240 students into their homes for an overnight visit during orientation / integration week. It is evidence of the strong bonds that our Akshara team have established in the local villages that they were able to arrange this. Feedback from students made clear that this was a really meaningful experience. We are getting our hearing back after the Paud drummers renditions and are now settling into our academic and Triveni routine. The monsoon is fading away, the sun is shining and the celebrations will soon be starting for Ganesh, “Ganpati bapa, mouriya! Pudcha varshi, laukar ya!” - Hail Lord Ganesha, please return soon next year. We look forward to seeing you return here too. Please do not hesitate to write to tell us what you are doing and how your UWC experience as a former student or parent has made a difference for you, for your family, friends or community. I hope you enjoy this newsletter and please keep in touch.
Pelham Lindfield Roberts Head of College P.2
SUMMER STORIES
From one pair of earrings to six designs, one student to eleven villages, and one hobby to a budding social enterprise. A grassroots social enterprise, Seema empowers women and children from numerous villages near UWC Mahindra College through jewelry making, personal development, and community collaboration. It features an earring collection of meticulous paper work and high quality supplies to be sold to an international market. All of the profits will be shared between the local women fashioning the jewelry as well as the Akshara Program, which provides educational opportunities for underprivileged children. Seema began with a single pair of paper quilled earrings made by a young girl from the Akshara Program. Inspired by their unique design, I decided to couple this style with my twelve previous years of experience as a jewelry designer and founder of Brite Jewelry. By revamping the traditional art of paper quilling and collaborating with local silversmiths and suppliers, I designed a new collection and a new program to commission over forty women in the communities around the College to produce the jewelry. The program brings together dozens of low-income women from varying villages into a burgeoning group of social entrepreneurs. Instead of simply providing a marketplace for experienced artisans, Seema works with those who would not otherwise have such an opportunity. This aligns with the organization’s belief that every individual has the potential to become an artist and an income-generating member of their community despite previously having no relevant skills or capabilities. Jewelry lessons are taught regularly in each of the villages and at larger monthly meetings at UWC Mahindra College. With all of the participants present, these meetings also serve as platforms for group activities and as communal discussions in which plans and ideas are shared. The women, currently in the training process, will begin producing the collection in early fall to be ready in time for Christmas sales. To learn more about Seema and to pre-order the jewelry now, visit www.seemacircle.com. by Alisha Fredrikkson (Class of 2014/Canada) P.3
SUMMER STORIES Learning Social Research and Community-Based Conservation in a wildlife Sanctuary in India I had been going to Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary since four years as a wildlife enthusiast. This time was different. I was going there to do some research. I had to come back with relevant data or risk my IB diploma (I was doing research for my Extended Essay here). My research aimed to learn about the effect of conservation policies on the people living inside the wildlife sanctuaries. Human-wildlife conflict is what I intended to study. So I packed my bags, took a prepared questionnaire with around 40 questions that would help me understand the condition there. I stayed in a cozy room outside the sanctuary and walked to the village I was studying. After 4 days I returned and found out that I had some numbers to show but no answers. Along with that, I read about how straight-forward questionnaires led to a change in perceptions of the interviewees which I did not want. For my next visits I decided to go to without any questions in mind. This time I decided to go for home stay. I planned to get all the data I need only by casual discussion and observations on the field. And the results were staggering. I thought that large predator movement threatening their livestock would be a big concern but it was not. They had accepted the fact that they live in a forest and all the losses they face were rather like octroies they were paying to the forests. Some also considered it as a payment for the resources they take from the forest. To impose this principle they give some parts of the forests and some species a divine status, they are considered sacred. These people had tackled some problems much bigger that wildlife conflict in today’s world. They had devised ways to account the environmental costs of natural resources and free goods. They were doing so by displaying tolerance towards the forest and animals in it. I brain stormed a lot and found the main reason for their success was the connection they had with the forest and its resources. I tried to figure out why couldn’t we as urbanites do that. I being brought up in a city suffered a Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) and was unable to build the connections no matter how much I wanted to conserve the forests. With the excuse of my extended essay I could develop better connections with the forests and look at nature though a completely different paradigm. by Anish Kirtane (Class of 2014/India) Photo by: Anirudh Chaoji
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SUMMER STORIES
Service Leadership in Southeast Asia I have been involved in SEALNet (Southeast Asia Service Leadership Network) since 2009.This summer the organization had their first Youth Leadership Summit 2013 (YLS13).YLS13 is an inaugural program that brings youth from diverse backgrounds together for a week-long service leadership summit. Over the course of this program, they shared their past and current service work experiences, widened their perspectives, expanded their understanding of different cultures, and grew as service leaders alongside their peers from across the region. Through collaborative work and experiential activities, these 18 participants built the foundation for long-lasting friendships with their counterparts— from which future collaborations that will drive our region forward are bound to blossom. With a myriad of workshops and a speaker series covering topics ranging from social entrepreneurship to self-development, these youths further honed their service leadership skills in preparation for future service work. Before coming to the Summit, I have struggled with two biggest questions: Who I am and what I want to be in the future. Big confusion struck me with choosing a path for my life that I have yet to find. Through YLS13 leadership workshops, invaluable lectures on Southeast Asia, inspirational sharing from friends across the region, I could really feel connections that bring us altogether. It’s the passion to serve others and to make impact on the people around us. It is the enthusiasm to share major turning points of our lives, what has brought us here today and what we have done for the community. It’s the empowerment that comes not only from lectures of successful speakers but from touching stories and unique experiences by our peers. Every moment of the Summit is really special to me, for I can learn much more about my own region, about my friends’ inspiring stories, and especially about myself every step I take along the way. by LanAnh Pham (Class of 2014/Vietnam)
Pursuing a Passion in Nuclear Physics in India
Memorable Conversations in Jamaica Over the summer I travelled to Mandeville, a city in Jamaica to volunteer in a hospital and a local medical care centre. In Jamaica, I was lucky to see the country as it truly functions for the people who live there, far away from commercialized and touristic influences. I volunteered for most of my time at a government owned hospital called, Percy Junor Hospital where i learned and observed from doctors in the paediatric, male/female surgical, psychiatric and OPD wards. With a few other volunteers, I carried out free vital sign screenings for the members of a parish who gathered at a local medical care centre. During my stay i also got trained and certified by Red Cross International in First-Aid and infant, child and adult CPR. The most memorable lessons are the ones I gained from the numerous conversations I engaged in with the patients, doctors and nurses in the hospital, where the people made me feel the most welcome I have felt in any professional setting. I admire the way Jamaican culture has seeped into the professional setting to create a vibe, which i’m sure is the reason for the patients and doctors being as friendly and open as they are to volunteers like my self poking their noses in their lives and professions. I took away with me cultural understanding and appreciation, a love for reggae music, and stories and experiences, not only my own but of all the people I encountered. by Bianca Pais (Class of 2014/India)
I had written to the Secretary of Atomic Energy in India regarding a possible summer course in nuclear energy, specifically nuclear fusion. First surprised that a high school student even has interest in plasma nuclear physics, he asked me for a possible resume which he later forwarded it to ITERIndia (International Thermonuclear Energy reactor)- India. My enthusiasm in this field was primarily the reason they created a pilot course as this was the first time they allowed a high school student to enter the premisses (security clearance for minors is a hassle). ITER is the world’s largest international initiative ever taken comprising of the EU, USA, Japan, South Korea, Russia, China and India to build the world’s largest tokamak device which is expected to prove that controlled nuclear fusion is a possible source of energy on Earth. ITER reactor is being built in France and each of its members (the 7 mentioned above) is expected to provide equal assistance, either monetarily or via R&D. India’s headquarters for ITER is based in Ahemdabad, and it is over here that I was able to do my summer internship under Dr. Ujjwal Baruah. My main project was to compare and analyse the different fusion devices currently in research- from inertial confinement lasers to Z-pinch machines. During my time here, I was also able to interact with multiple scientists deeply engrossed in their research, see the laboratories in which they work and most impressively, see the SST-1 (India’s largest tokamak reactor). My experience here helped me reinforce my love for this particular field, and one day I hope I can come back and work in ITER. by Anand Lalwani (Class of 2014/India) P.6
Turtle and coral reef conservation in Malaysia Amrita (Class of 2014/India) and I volunteered in Malaysia for an organisation called Turtle and Coral Reef Conservation in a state on the east of peninsular Malaysia: Terengganu. This project was first started by Daniel Quilter, founder of an international volunteer organization - Ecoteer. This project was initally called HOPE (Help Our Penyu - Turtle in Malay). It’s primary objective was to double the number of nesting turtles on the beaches of the Perhentian Islands (the place where this project is based) by 2060, beginning in the year 2004. So basically, the main duties of the volunteers are turtle watch night shifts (two shifts - 8pm to 3am and 3am to 8am the next day) and to watch out for poachers during the night shifts. When turtles come up to the beach to nest, volunteers will have to record details of the nesting such as the weather, size of turtle, size of the turtle tracks, the number of eggs laid, species of turtles, time of nesting and so on. During the day, volunteers will go for snorkels, beach cleanup, jungle trekking and catch up on sleep. Volunteers can stay from a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights till however long they want to. Also, because the island where this project is based at is also a resort (Bubbles Dive Resort), volunteers also have to give turtle talks to guests to raise awareness and wake them up (to whichever guests wants to be woken up) when the turtle is nesting in the middle of the night. Then, Daniel handed over this project to another facilitator and the name changed to Turtle and Coral Reef Conservation somewhere in 2012. As the name suggested, the turtle night watch duties remains the same. However, there are now additional duties. Volunteers now have to stay for a minimum of 2 weeks (a period long enough for volunteers to learn diving) and once they have learnt to dive, they will need to head out to clean corals and help and do some coral gardening. There is also a new addition to the place - the hatchery. The project has come into terms with the government fisheries of the area to allow us to keep a maximum of 20 eggs per nest to keep in the hatchery and release the hatchlings when they’ve hatched. Thus, volunteers now have to care for the hatchery too, looking out for nests that have been disturbed by any natural predators, or movements that suggest that the hatchlings have already hatched. by Melisa Bee Ling Chan (Class of 2014/Malaysia)
SUMMER STORIES
Teaching English in Refugee Schools in Lebanon This summer, I was part of the Unite Lebanon Youth Project where I had training to teach students of 7th, 8th, 9th graders from UNRWA schools (which are schools that provide basic education for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon living in the Refugee Camps across Lebanon), the teaching sessions took place over a month and a half during four days a week (from Monday to Thursday) from 8:00 am till 12:30 pm. The picture above is a photo of the class I taught. by Wael Haider (Class of 2014/Lebanon)
Inter-UWC Leadership Training This past summer, I was a facilitator with the Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership which is held every year at UWC Pearson College in Canada. As a whole, the seminar was inexpressible. Instead of teaching me on what a leader is, it taught me how a leader is. Instead of teaching me to care for others, it taught me how to love. Each day began with a 45-minute community building session in which everyone sat in a circle, did energizers (songs, games, etc.), had a check in (to see how everyone was feeling mentally, physically, and emotionally), and conversed about issues in the community (such as curfew extensions). Most days also included a Spirit Spot in which everybody would go out into nature and simply sit and reflect for 45 minutes. It might seem cheesy (it surely did to me at first), but it is amazing how much staring at a tree can tell you about yourself. Also, many days had a Carpe Diem (seize the day) time when we would do some physical activity. Through games, songs, workshops, and many special days throughout the summer, we got to deeply acquaint ourselves with one another. We jumped in the freezing bay together, danced salsa together, made decisions together (always using consensus), shared our talents together (many shows), and spent every waking hour of the day together. Oh, and our favourite shape became a circle. The Earth Game was the first huge day that brought us together. It was a simulation of the world and participants were divided into countries. Having the objective of building the best country possible, they fought for resources and assets. At the end of the two-hour game, we better understood the world and how privilege and power continually affects the place we call home. Adventure Day was just what it sounds like; a day of enjoyable activities in the outdoors. I spent time canoeing, hiking, and ending the day at a beach. ITAK Day, standing for It Takes All Kinds, brought together prominent people from across Canada to speak with us and inspire. Then, BITTS, Bring it to the Streets, brought the PSYL spirit to Victoria. We gave tons of free hugs, sang songs, did meditation on street corners, and I had the chance to make people honk if they were happy! That was followed by a huge flash mob on Parliament Lawn. Leaving PSYL, I feel more confident about my self-awareness. by Naman Shah (Class of 2014/India)
P.8
SUMMER STORIES Creating a Culture of Peace in the Middle East
It started from nothing. “There is a place for a Moroccan for the UWC Short Course in Israel, we got scholarships, and we can get visas”. Then, I looked a bit more closely to this random announcement. Three weeks, 40 young people from 16 to 18 years old, 22 nationalities, 6 destinations, “Environmental Leadership and Cultural Bridge for Peace and Conflict Resolution”, one course: the Arava Valley of Peace. That same nothing was the starting point of an experience that I can call metanoic. At that time, I made the quick decision to jump. Later on, I packed my bag and left the 5th of August without knowing what to expect, picked my visa in Istanbul and rushed to Tel Aviv. I was going to miss two weeks of campus life for this supposedly unique experience. I sacrificed a learning experience for another and I don’t regret it one second here and now.You’ll understand why. I had the chance to put myself self in the leading position for a compassionate listening workshop. I’ve trusted the people around me and shared a conflict impacting my life. The same people had to reflect back at me the facts, the emotions and the values that they understood from my story. I was literally shivering and shaken emotionally. I was surprised to see how connected I felt to the group, how the group could read behind my lines, how easy it was to build trust. P.9
I had the chance to see an astonishing sunrise in Ramon crater, at the top of a mountain. The wind in this area of the world creates a dense courant of clouds falling from that same mountain. Nature. God. The end of the course was significant to me.Arriving in Jerusalem and starting with the Holocaust museum and its genius architecture commenced the journey. I was amazed by the religious and historical connections of Islam, Christianity and Judaism to Jerusalem. From one perspective, it is a city that is so culturally rich and enriching. If you look a little bit more closely to the details and if you are aware, awake, this becomes another type of experience: why having a holy city when there are no holy people as my Palestinian friend said. Only details reveal the conflict all over Israel. Everything shows off the conflict in Jerusalem, the occupation of land, the over-identification to nationality, the separation, the apartheid? That was what stroked me the most. Images come and go now: the provocative settlement decorated with six Israeli flags in the middle of the Muslim quarter, the superposition of Al Quds and the Western Wall, the hateful look of the security guard who told me I wasn’t covered enough in the mosque, a Jewish young guy splitting on his Arab Palestinian fellow, the Jewish quarter. These images are etched on my memory. I even cried once or twice.
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I also had the chance to realize that it is not always and only about politics. It is about the people coming together, understanding and bonding. Politics weren’t our main focus, friendship was.
Thanks to that, I made more friends than enemies in the bubble we were in. I’ve been inspired by a friend who made a decision to go against a deeply rooted system, by the coordinator of the course who put an eight month effort to make this camp happen, by the passionate of birds, scorpions and biodiversity, by the tutors and the participants, lectures, workshops, places. I inspired people, made best friends for sure and died laughing. I had deep discussions that made me mad, that confused me and made me question things, all the things on Earth. What more did I take with me from the Arava Valley of Peace apart from forty five new friends? In a few words: I brought the delicious and famous Halva, a future organic toilets project from the Kibbutz Lotan, and awareness of my ecological footprint. Along the way, I gained more confusion hand in hand with more understanding of the Palestinian Israeli conflict. I got with me tools for leadership that are simply “caring, asking, grouping, acting”. Today, I have energy and more confidence that allow me to write this article. Brought all the way from the Arava Valley of Peace, today I have ambitions for maybe spending sometime in a Kibbutz, for being a tutor next year in the same summer course, for studying in Jerusalem but overall for developing into a better person and for striving towards more fairness in the world. Namaste, Salam, Shalom Doha (Class of 2014/Morocco) P.10
SUMMER STORIES
Experiencing Incredible India Mahindra UWC provides many opportunities for the students to explore and experience the place they are living in. Not just the spectacular view of the valley from the campus, but also the villages around the neighborhood, and most importantly, India. Apart from Project weeks(Varanasi), Travel weeks(Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Ahmedabad), Art trip(Ajanta & Ellora caves), the winter break and summer break allows the students to travel India for a longer time. Last year, during winter break, couple of friends and I traveled in North India for a month : Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Agra, Delhi, Calcutta, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Mandu, Mumbai and Pune. This Summer, I spent my two and half month vacation in Jaipur, Delhi, Shimla, Dharamsala, Manali, Leh, Srinagar, Amritsar and Bangalore (and also went to Kathmandu, Nepal). India welcomes bag-pack travelers. The transport, food and accommodation are ranging from ‘free of cost’ to ‘highest you can imagine’. ‘You Live Only Once’, shortly put, is the philosophy that I have in mind when I travel. Grueling bus rides, day long train/bus rides, dusty mopeds, hustling markets, bathing in the holy river, jumping into moving trains, crashing while driving a cycle rickshaw, answering endless questions from curious Indian travelers, trekking, mountain biking, sleeping on a houseboat..etc are amazing experiences that I gained but it is ‘meeting new people’, ‘sharing stories’ and ‘seeing how different people live’ that really attracts me to step in a new place. When I was traveling alone, I barely had any occasion when I had to eat alone. I always had someone, other traveler from the other side of the world, and we used to share one of our ‘crazy’ India traveling stories. I learnt something more than just reading books or even from travel guides, the experience I gained is priceless. by June Soo Shin (Class of 2014/South Korea)
P.11
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Orientation Week began with the second year show, which intimidated us and absolutely amazed us.
-Leila (Class of 2015/Costa Rica)
INTEGRATION WEEK...
-John Roy (Class of 2014/Portugal)
Find many more photos on www.flickr.com/uwcmahindracollege
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Where did they come from? These first years rocked the house and sure will continue doing so!
INTEGRATION WEEK... Across the globe, subliminal messages attempt to steer the individual to obey consumerism. My culture is fundamentalist in this ideology. Like much of the West, people believe that an exaggerated amount of materialistic objects will make them happy or happier. I myself have been conditioned to think same, and to an extent I have. However, while “things” may make life more convenient, simplicity is a beautiful thing too. My homestay in the village of Gawadewadi showed me just that. I was greeted at the bottom of the road by barefoot children, smiling timidly. There punjabis were coated with transparent dirt that still illuminated the beautiful Indian fabric. As I walked up the path I arrived at the house, a concrete building that would shock most families in the west. There was no furniture, the kitchen didn’t have conventional oven nor a refrigerator and there were no bedrooms. As I looked around the rooms I didn’t see many things, distractions such as paintings, board games or books. Objects in my own home that I am accustomed to. My hosts were young girls ranging from six to fifteen. I sat on a small tarp as they poured me chai, I knew small words like “shukria” and “bha chat” to express my thanks but most of my conversations were through facial expressions. I was given a tour of the village, downtown where I stayed had two other houses where extended family lived, uptown was the temple. The children held my hands as we walked they were so excited to show me what they called home. The mother of the household was traveling to give a present to her brother who lived far away - a tradition this time of year. Because of this, Gouri, the eldest daughter took the the third position in the kitchen preparing. As dinner time approached the Aunties and Grandmothers of the household became to roll chapati dough in one corner of the house. A round divot was made in cement and an cast iron plate rested on top. After Gouri was not needed she came out to give me and my second year, Diskit, Mahendi on our hands and arms. Dinner consisted of multiple portions of rice, daal and delicious spicy potato. I never felt uncomfortable at the home stay, yet I was overwhelmed by the generosity of my host family especially given their economic status compared to the west. From an outsiders perspective it would seem the families of Gawadewadi have nothing, they should be sad because they don’t have big houses, indoor plumbing or even a bed frame. What they do have is happiness and they spread it like a disease. My true orientation at MUWCI started when I experienced sleeping on a hard concrete floor, waking up to chickens and then given chai and boha in the morning before school. To use Gouri’s words, “we are no longer strangers.” by Rhiana Peck (Class of 2015/USA)
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I knew small words like “shukria” and “bha chat” to express my thanks but most of my conversations were through facial expressions.
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During my integration week I felt so out of my comfort zone like I have never felt before, but being out of it in no way felt bad, it actually gave me the opportunity to challenge and let myself out.
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One thing I am sure of, is that in a future, when I look back at my first week at MUWCI two words will pop into my head: awkwardly funny. I will often ask myself how was it possible that I got the opportunity to laugh my lungs off and scream till my last breath with people whose name I had not learn yet. How was it possible that I felt so comfortable talking to the “guy in the red shirt” or the “girl with the short hair” when I did not even know what religion he/she was part of. How was it possible that you were joking around with people whose social background you were not afraid of and it still felt a bit like home. I am going to tell you how is that possible… because MUWCI gives you the opportunity to join countries, cultures, religions and much more in a single place. MUWCI gives you the opportunity to start your story again, to try new things and explore a new world that was never shown to you before. MUWCI is the place where you can open your mind and think of things through new perspectives that are being displayed to you. MUWCI is a place in which you better stop being “chai” and talk to everyone. During my integration week I felt so out of my comfort zone like I have never felt before, but being out of it in no way felt bad, it actually gave me the opportunity to challenge and let myself out. Never when I thought of coming at MUWCI did I imagine my first week here was going to be the way it was. I might have pictured with lots of awkward conversations and lack of social skills… instead I found myself playing mud games at 6 in the morning right after you were woken up by (your adorable) second years, I found myself showering with a frog right next to me and I found myself growing up confidence everyday a little more. One thing I am sure of is that in a future when I look back at my first week at MUWCI four words will pop into my head: That is my family. The first week at MUWCI will be kept in my heart forever. If my next two years, are in any kind of way similar to my first week in here, I am totally in. by Maria Jimena Jurado (Class of 2015/Columbia)
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PEACE EDUCATION My experience at UWC Mahindra College was eye-opening and I owe it to MUWCI in a big way for helping me be who I am today. I spent 13 years in Leh, Ladakh as my dad had moved there from Srinagar due to increased violence and destruction in the early 1990’s in Kashmir. MUWCI gave a new positive dimension to my experiences of being a Kashmiri adolescent who constantly had to deal with the brutal consequences of living in a violent society. After MUWCI, I went to Luther College (Iowa, USA). I loved the liberal arts education I got with my double degree in Psychology and Mental Health, and Peace-psychology from the University of Nottingham in UK (during my “study-abroad” in the third year of college). I started Paigaam as a student conflict-resolution organization at Luther and after graduation, stayed back and established the organisation into a registered peace nonprofit. What started as a health-peace initiative for youth in Kashmir, has evolved into a growing US registered international NGO. Paigaam’s motto is to transform thinking thus transforming lives; and our goal is to help secure a more sustainable, increasingly peaceful, global future. Currently we offer peace-education and awareness workshops in USA & India, have a healthyouth empowerment initiative in Indian-Kashmir, and a cross-cultural Arts for Peace Initiative for orphans and children with violent pasts in Indian-Kashmir, Pakistan, Angola and USA. We recently added an initiative called the Gift Initiative under which we provide sanitary products for orphan-girls and hope to soon sponsor education for a few of them in Uganda. This initiative is dedicated to Sylvia Gift Nabukeera (MUWCI 2006; Luther 2010), a dear friend, who was murdered in Kenya in 2011. Currently, I am back in Kashmir, establishing a local chapter here (Paigaam being the first & only peace-education based org. in Kashmir) and working on to start building a ‘community peace-recreational center’, especially for after-school youth programs. I also volunteer/work as a peace-psychologist with many NGOs and schools in Kashmir. For instance, at Dolphin International School, in central Kashmir, I have started peace-education as a weekly course for 1st to 9th graders, mainly taught through experiential activities and simulations, for better learning, healthy self-expression, and psychosocial empowerment. Most of my friends and family still don’t understand what I do because it sounds very unconventional to them. But I love what I do and I am living the dream. Peace is a journey and on this path, I get to see the transformation happening right in front of my eyes; I get to see everyday how we all are connected to each other at a global, universal, humane level; thus, spreading the message, one peace at a time. For more info. on Paigaam, visit: www.paigaampeace.org by Ufra Mir (Class of 2007/India) P.17
ALUMNI STORIES
Do you have a story to share? Do you know someone you think should write for us? Please e-mail us at communications@muwci.net!
“Most of my friends and family still don’t understand what I do because it sounds very unconventional to them. But I love what I do and I am living the dream.”
P.18
ALUMNI STORIES
Do you have a story to share? Do you know someone you think should write for us? Please e-mail us at communications@muwci.net!
EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO LEARN After MUWCI, I attended Middlebury College in Vermont and then did a Masters in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Managent from SIT Graduate Institute. I am now the Executive Associate to the CEO. I work to coordinate her schedule, travel and external engagements. I work on producing media content, research reports and briefings and also coordinate board meetings and senior leadership team meetings. Most recently I’ve been working on strategic planning and realigning our organizational impact metrics. For me, MUWCI was a pathway to exploring what existed beyond my physical and personal boundaries. I gained a deeper awareness of my role as a global citizen, local resident and how best to bring the two together and find a way to do what I love as part of my work. I became passionate about making connections and about the idea of building community. The best part of my work and my education is learning how to train young leaders who can create these communities worldwide. I’m passionate about making this my life’s goal because I have been deeply impacted by teachers and colleagues from MUWCI who believed in me and gave me a chance to develop and grow. by Ria Schroff (Class of 2005/India)
“MUWCI was a pathway to exploring what existed beyond my physical and personal boundaries. I gained a deeper awareness of my role as a global citizen, local resident and how best to bring the two together and find a way to do what I love as part of my work.” P.20
ALUMNI REUNION
Classes of 2003 and 2004
P.21
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The 03/04 reunion was incredible and overwhelming: so many amazing people, who are doing so many amazing things, back up on the hill after 10 years - and yet it felt as if we had just left this place yesterday. It was a wild week-end packed with intensities: emotionally, intellectually and hedonistically … I can’t wait for our next encounter!!! -David Tappesar (Class of 2004/Germany)
FROM the OUTREACH OFFICE It is always a pleasure to see how even after a decade away from the Hill, alumni pick off right where they left off. Although the intensity of the reunion surprised a few, what would MUWCI be without packed schedules, conversations into the night and very little sleep after all? Thank you to those who came back. Thank you to those who helped to organize the event. Thank you for committing to supporting future generations of UWC scholars. Thank you to all our alumni who are the reason we exist in the end... You are the ones that carry the education and values we offer here on the hill to the many corners of the world. It is inspiring and humbling to see your commitment to our movement and to your College. Please stay in touch! We love to hear from you. Much love,
Nandita, Usha S. and Raïsa Contact us at outreach@muwci.net
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WE OFFER SUMMER PROGRAMS! SPREAD THE WORD
UPCOMING EVENTS @ MUWCI 20 September
Peace One Day Conference
21 September
World Wide UWC Day! Please get involved in your local area. http://UWCDay.uwc.org
22 September
Indian Regional Evening
2 October
Gandhi Jyanti Day Conference
11-13 October
UWC-CI Model UN Conference
16 November MUWCI- Fest
If you would like to join us for any of these events or know of speakers (including yourself) please e-mail us at outreach@muwci.net to arrange your visit. In addition to these events, we also welcome guests every Thursday for a Faculty Lecture Series. We welcome alumni, parents and guests for this on varied subjects. Please email us if you are interested.
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CONTACT US!
communications@muwci.net