Dear SC participants, and everyone else who is interested,
We as the team believe that this course was a great success and showed that UWC Short Courses have the potential to spread the values of the movement further - and honestly, they aren't that hard to organise. In order to support anyone who is interested in taking one forward, we have put together some resources from this course and the UWC Short Course "Shaping Society!" that some of us organised in Germany in 2009.
You can find those resources on the UWC Extranet: http://extranet.uwc.org/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=263. The Extranet is a webforum for the UWC community - if you have attended a college or a short programme, you can sign up for it (just follow the link and either sign in or sign up) - it's not yet the most active platform, but should become a more and more interesting tool to stay in touch with people and with the UWC movement.
If you are not a UWC alumnus (or don't like the Extranet), drop me an email (lukas.wallrich@uwc-shortcourse-swaziland.org) and I will send you a link that lets you access the files without further protection. You can also email me if you have any questions/requests with regard to organising UWC Short Courses.
Let's take this forward, and allow more young people to "experience UWC in a nutshell" as one of the participants in Germany put it, and gain the motivation and skills to change their world for the better.
“It was one of the best times I’ve ever had so
far” I say when I remember the UWC Short Course. It was a whole different
experience for me; I’ve learnt many things about everything. When I found out
it was in Swaziland, I was very thrilled to get involved. I knew it was very
distant from Turkey, but still I wanted to go and explore Africa. I was also
familiar to UWC from my friends who had gone to the short course in Germany,
with their acquaintance we had an opportunity to get into the Together for
Development Team.
I’m in a club in my school which is called
NICS(National International Community Service) with that club I have done four
projects so far. Three of them were with European Youth Programme – Youth in
Action. The other one was with the contacts we had from all over the world and
UWC short course in Germany. I took part
in as a group leader in one of the projects.
Apart from that, it was my first time as a participant, with that
experience I had a chance to empathy the participatory feeling and logic;
according to what I’ve found out we started to make schedules and programmes in
our project more carefully. We took lessons about Individual Projects; these
lessons with the facilitators really helped us learn how to manage a project,
pitching, advertising for funding etc. I used what I’ve learnt in my project
club to make our project more sufficient.
As Together for Development, I can truly say I
learned many things about development theories, economy, health HIV,
environment, politics, Swaziland culture and more. I had a chance to feel
Africa and see how the things work with my own eyes. At first, I was very
anxious about travelling to Swaziland with just my girlfriend by ourselves,
because it was a long journey from Turkey to Swaziland, South Africa. After we
landed I couldn’t believe myself that I was there and the dream was actually
coming true. I was very excited and ready to explore. The best part of the
project was the community service part; I was in Team Malolotja and it was the
coolest place and adventure I’ve ever been to. Also those friends are my best
friends in the project; we had a great chance to get to know each other more.
I think the short course really boost my
confidence with the activities and presentations. I gained so much from it and
I will use them in my entire life. I really would like to thank the
facilitators who had worked so hard for the short course, my school administrator
who gave us this opportunity and all my UWC friends who made the short course
unforgettable. Hope to see you again.
One
of the major ways that the short course has affected my life is the realisation
that people learn more in a relaxed atmosphere; where one can probe into
serious matters while having something to eat—an apple or a biscuit, or
whatever—and not be labelled as being playful and not giving such matters the
seriousness they deserve. I must have learnt so much during the short course
than what I learnt in an hour-lecture jam-packed with note-scribbling and
zero-questions from the audience during my undergraduate days. The manner in
which the short course was structured validated the English saying that; “All
work and no play made Johnny a dull boy.”
On
another note, the short course emphasised the fact that there are as many ways
to live as there are humans on the planet. We may not like it but that is how
it is. Now, directly relating this point to the theme of the
course—development—one would say it became clear that there are many ways to go
about implementing it. Yet regardless of that, the people for whom the
development is meant must be involved in every step of the way. Sky-scrappers
and other forms of modern architectural innovations do not necessarily mean a
life altered for the better for the ordinary man, especially in the so-called
Third World where I happen to live. The simplest solutions i.e. potable water
and medical services in close proximity, mean a lot more to the rural folk than
tall buildings in towns, which if I may add, they may never see the inside of. In essence,
the short course has helped me to view this animal called “development” as
simply a process of building sustainable lifestyles with the people.
What
also struck me during the course and will undoubtedly stay with me for the rest
of my life is the diversity of the people who are interested or work in the
field of development. I found out that some are just curious. Like a crawling
child exploring their newly-found environment, they are fascinated and want to
know how it’s like living out there, in conditions of squalor and poverty
(forgive me for not explaining these terms). The other type of people in
development is those who want to be seen as “saviours”, the foregoing label, I
reckon, serving to ease their consciences. This type is aloof and condescending
in their manner in engaging the subjects of development. They are trying to
help yet the unconsciously shut out other development ideas they do not
understand. The last type is the one of genuine people who have the intention
to learn not necessarily teaching the people they deal with how to live. They
balance their views with the situation; they engage the people and together,
they find lasting solutions. This last part sounds very idealistic but that
should at least be the approach towards all development efforts.
Lastly,
the short course reminded me that tensions (i.e. racism) and serious
disagreements will always arise where people (especially of multi-cultural,
social and religious backgrounds) are gathered, irrespective of their supposed
like-mindedness and sense of common purpose. Yet that is not a problem, than
the solutions we undertake to rectify the shortcomings that pop up. Sincerely, Mark Mngomezulu
Last December/January 2011/2012, I
had the pleasure and privilege of travelling to Swaziland to participate in the
United World College Short Course “Together for Development.” When I was
informed by Pearson College that a Short Course was happening in Swaziland, I
was extremely excited as I had actually wanted to travel there for the past few
years and was eager to participate in a United World College program. For the
months leading up to my departure, I was anxious and looking forward to meeting
such a wide range of students from all over the planet and talking about the
broad and weighted term “development.” When I arrived at the college, it was
incredible and a bit surreal to meet all the people who I had been talking to
over Facebook before the course and get to know each other face-to-face.
At the Short Course, there were
around fifty participants (not including the awesome facilitators) from around
the world all there for the same reasons – to talk about development, be
immersed in other cultures, and connect/network with those around them. The
whole idea of being surrounded by “like-minded” people being such an enriching
and empowering experience definitely applied there, but of course with our
“like-mindedness” regarding an interest in humanity and development came a
multitude of perspectives and ideas about those topics. Hearing other student’s
viewpoints and backgrounds challenged me to try to keep an open mind and
consider not only the perspectives of other Canadians, as I often focused on
before, but the perspectives of citizens everywhere pertaining to global
development issues. The chance to embrace other people and their
knowledge/backgrounds in a diplomatic and respectful environment is an
opportunity that UWC provides students with, and it has been invaluable for all
of us.
My group project work was in
Bulembu, a small northwestern Swazi community where hundreds of child orphans
live and grow up in homes and orphanages run by several organizations. Visiting
Bulembu was an emotional experience for me as my close family friends adopted a
baby boy from there three years ago. I even talked to several children who
remember him and recall when he left for Canada, an important time for them.
Seeing where he was born and spent the first ten months of his life was so
powerful and means I can answer questions and show him pictures until he is old
enough to visit there himself. It was also interesting getting to see firsthand
how an organization runs their programs, the philosophies they have, and how
the kids feel living in a place like Bulembu. Of course, as with all
organizations, there were aspects which I admired and thought were successful
like their efforts to become sustainable and their housing program (where
children lived with a “mother” and five other kids), as well as parts which I
struggled to accept such as the religious nature of the programs. Although I
know Swaziland is a largely Protestant/Zionist/Catholic country, that aspect of
religion really struck a chord with me as well as many of the other
participants in my group. It was definitely a learning curve for me and a
lesson for if I ever start or dedicate myself to an organization, as I believe
it is important for me to agree with the fundamental aspects and goals of a group
before giving my support. I am grateful for my times in Bulembu, particularly
having the opportunity to speak to the kids who had been a part of the
orphanage program since they were babies. Their strength and optimism was
apparent and inspiring, and gave us all a lot of insight into how their life is
there. It was awesome coming back to Waterford Kamhlaba and hearing the other
groups’ stories from their projects – we all were able to benefit from the wide
range of volunteer activities.
I am so grateful for the
opportunities the Short Course has opened up for me even after returning from
Swaziland. In August I took a three week trip to Argentina/Uruguay to visit
three members from the Short Course and had an absolutely incredible time learning
about their culture and the rich history of Argentina. Having friends there
made me feel safe and comfortable and allowed me to experience the country both
through tourism and staying with them, learning their habits and routines. (I
don’t know if I could ever adjust to the late night dinners and even later
discos, sorry Cani, Juan, and Emi!) They were happy to answer my hundreds of
questions and made excellent hosts who I knew I could trust and rely on. Now I
am planning my next trip in the spring likely to visit Europe, and I intend to
visit many of the other members from the Short Course and learn more about
their communities and countries as well.
This year attending my first year
of post-secondary school, I am realizing more and more how much the Short
Course impacted me. It is incredible to sit in my cultural anthropology lecture
and understand concepts that before UWC were unclear to me such as the term
“cultural relativism” or the history and facts about the spread of HIV/Aids in
the world. Having insight into topics such as these from skilled, knowledgeable
people has been extremely beneficial for me and made me more confident in a
university setting. My time at Waterford Kamhlaba has also forced me to think
critically every day about development in all its connotations and challenges
me to analyze global and local issues in a more objective and critical way.
I can’t believe it was about nine
months since I arrived home, as I still hold my experience in Swaziland close
to my heart and all the things I learned are so relevant every day. The connections
we have all made will continue to benefit us for years to come and I would
definitely recommend anyone interested to participate in a Short Course!
Finally, I want to share the video
that my high school grad class created. It is a fairly new school tradition for the grad class to create a project that leaves a lasting impact on the school, community, and/or world. Our town has been affected by several
teen suicides over the past few years, and my grad class sadly lost two of our
well-loved and long-term friends to suicide. We made this video as an attempt to help the
students and families in our community cope with the recent suicides, as well
as provide new students at our school with a “handbook” for how to survive, and
even thrive in a sometimes stressful and intimidating high school setting. High
school can be an extremely challenging time for students and depression is an
often unspoken but prevalent issue. This video is meant to encourage people to reach out and
ask for help when they need it – as well as offer a helping hand or shoulder to
lean on for others who may be struggling. A lot of hard work fundraising and
organizing went into the project, but so far the response has been positive and
overwhelming J
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Lately I've really been reminiscing about my entire trip to Swaziland and meeting all the incredible students from around the world who came to Waterford with bright ideas and open minds. Obviously when I got home I missed everyone a bunch and I had EXTREME reverse culture shock but with a bunch of tests and an exam a few days after I arrived I couldn't even look back. Amongst all the craziness of school and work and life I honestly didn't have much personal reflection time or even a moment to take it all in. Everyone was asking me all the classic questions: "Can you tell me everything?!," "What was the best part?" "Did it change your life?" etc. The list goes on. I always laugh at those - you really want me to some up the last month of my life for you and start weighing each experience on a value scale? Needless to say, I still haven't told my friends or family all that much about my trip, which is really weird. It's not even that I don't want to or that there's anything particularly painful to talk about - I just don't know where to start! I randomly share experiences when I feel comfortable doing so but for now it's all still internalizing. It was a truly incredible time and I am grateful to have met everyone and learned everything that we did.
With regards to my community project, it was sort of funny: I came home, and there was already a peer mentoring program being put in place by a few teachers in the school who didn't know about our potential project. I was sort of relieved to find that out because I have several other projects on the go right now that are related to the same issues. As a background story, my small town has suffered from huge losses in the past few years due to teen suicides. We have lost 5 students in the past 3 years and it has been extremely difficult on our entire town for people of all ages. My graduating class alone has lost 2 of our friends which has been devastating. As a grad class we want to ensure that suicide does not affect the other students in our school and community as it has us and many others. We want to remember the students respectfully, raising awareness about clinical depression/depression in a way that honours their lives and also is in a positive way that uplifts our youth and makes us all feel more united and positive about life. We've decided to make a short video about how beautiful life is and how special our town and its youth are. I'll let you guys know when the video is completed and post a link for you to see.
Sending so much love and positive energy to all of you scattered around the world.
