Can you imagine yourself in a summer camp where you meet, learn from and become friends with students from very different backgrounds all over the world?

Do you want to be exposed to new ideas, knowledge, and experiences; be challenged both physically and mentally; and have a most memorable time while doing a variety of community service, cultural and outdoor activities in China?

Do you want to learn some fundamental leadership skills to enable you to do grassroots projects that can contribute to the economic, social and environmental development in your local community?

Make it happen! Join us at the United World College Youth Leadership Summer Course in China in 2010!

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

High school and university students (aged 17-20) from all over the world are invited to join the United World College (UWC) Youth Leadership Summer Course in China in 2010.

UWC is the only global educational movement that brings together students from all over the world – selected on personal merit – with the explicit aim of fostering peace and international understanding. It has twelve colleges on five continents, 120 National Committees, and a variety of summer courses in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The Summer Course in China in 2010 will be an innovative experiential education program that enables young people from diverse backgrounds to learn and apply fundamental leadership skills for economic, social and environmental development in a globalized world.

The course will consist of four components:

VALUES

A strong emphasis on the residential and community Service programs will aim to build character and instill the following UWC values in the participants:

KNOWLEDGE

Through guest speakers, seminars and discussions, participants will gain understanding of the following issues:

SKILLS

Through interactive workshops and hands-on practical experiences, participants will develop the following leadership skills to enable them to initiate and implement grassroots development projects:

OUTCOME

As the focus of the summer course is grassroots projects in a development context, the course should end up with participants leaving with:

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Dates:

July 15 – August 2, 2010

Locations:

The majority of the program will occur in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in western China which is on the ancient Silk Road. Its geography is characterized by the Yellow River, desert, and the Helanshan Mountains. The majority of its population is Hui Muslim

The rest of the course will be in Beijing, China, where participants will be able to visit famous sites such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

THE ORGANIZERS

The China Summer Course is organized by current and former staff and students from the Red Cross Nordic UWC (RCN-UWC) in Norway.

It will be hosted by two of our partner institutions in China: Ningxia University and Gengdan Institute of Beijing University of Technology

Xiaohang Sumner, Course Director

China, Canada. International Baccalaureate (IB) Teacher, Examiner and Workshop Leader. Director of the Creativity, Action, Service program at RCN-UWC in Norway.

Anne Ginestier    

USA, France. Former Registrar at the Toronto French School in Canada. Former University Counselor at the RCN-UWC in Norway and at the Adriatic UWC in Italy. Alumni Coordinator at RCN-UWC.

Summer Course Advisors:

Dr. John Lawrenson, UK, Principal at RCN-UWC.
Arne Osland, Norway, Dir of Development at RCN-UWC

APPLICATIONS

Applicants must be 17-20 years old in August 2010 and able to understand and communicate in English. Applicants must be recommended by their school Principal, Guidance Counselor or Teacher. A school may recommend several candidates. Parents' or Guardians' permission must be obtained.

Download the Application Form from http://csc.rcnuwc.no/, save it as a file, fill it in on a computer (except Section C), then print and sign it. Give the printout of Section C to applicant's school official to fill in and sign.

Deadlines

April 15, 2010 (APPLY BY FEBRUARY 28 AND GET A EURO 200 DISCOUNT!!!)

The completed application form with relevant signatures must be received:

By post: China Summer Course, Red Cross Nordic UWC, 6968 Flekke, Norway
By email: info@1stopcostarica.com
By fax: +47-5773-5555

A non-refundable deposit of 100 Euros must be received.

Students will be notified of acceptance by Email by April 30, 2010. Once accepted, full payment must be received by May 15, 2010.

PROGRAM FEE

The standard program fee is Euro 1,450 and the regular application deadline is April 15, 2010. Students that apply by February 28, 2010, are eligible for an Early Bird Special rate of Euro 1,250. For our INTERNAL RECORDS, please, use ONLY the attached application with the JKTG2010 code on top of the first page.

Program fee covers:

• Pickup from Beijing airport on July 15 and delivery to Beijing airport on August 2
• Domestic flights between Beijing and Ningxia
• Food and accommodation at host universities
• Summer course programs and tuition

Program fee does not cover:

• Participant’s own travel to and from Beijing
• Participant’s health and accident insurance
• Participant’s personal spending money

Students needing financial assistance should apply for financial aid on the application form.

Financial Aid

Limited financial aid may be available to qualifying applicants. Please indicate the need on the application form.

Payments

Methods of Payment:

1. Pay via credit card/PayPal online at http://csc.rcnuwc.no/

2. Pay via bank transfer directly to the following bank account and indicate that the transfer is for:

"China Summer Course - For Student xxxx":

Account Name:  Red Cross Nordic United World College
Account Number: 3700 15 02744
IBAN: NO76 3700 15 02744
Swift code: SOFJNO22
Bank: Sparebanken Sogn og Fjordane, 6800 Forde, Norway

UNITED WORLD COLLEGES

The United World Colleges (UWC) are a group of thirteen international schools. Founded during the Cold War, the United World College movement aims to promote understanding between different nations through education and through interaction between young people from different countries, living and working together. UWC selects students from around the globe at a pre-university level, based on merit, regardless of their financial status and ethnic, religious or educational background making UWC scholarships highly competitive. The schools are very famous worldwide since they give the students the opportunity to develop a global and tolerant mind combined with strong academic skills. UWC graduates have access to a wide array of opportunities to further develop their intellectual interests at many universities and organisations worldwide.

The UWC international organisation is a British based foundation that comprises thirteen colleges in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Norway, Singapore, Swaziland, the United States, Venezuela and the United Kingdom, Costa Rica and Bosnia and Herzegovina and, as of September 2009, a newly opened College in the Netherlands; National Committees in more than 130 countries; a network of more than 40,000 graduates from more than 181 countries[1], and an International Office in London. The United World Colleges usually accept students who are between 16 to 18 years old, with exception of the Colleges in Singapore and Swaziland, which also accept younger students, and the vocational College in Venezuela which accepts students at tertiary level. Each UWC typically comprises between 200 and 300 students from about 90 different countries.

History

The first UWC, the United World College of the Atlantic, located in a 12th Century Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, United Kingdom was founded in 1962 with the initiative of Kurt Hahn, a renowned German educationalist. His vision was based on his post-war experience at the NATO, where discussion between former enemies fascinated him. He wanted to transmit a spirit of mutual understanding to young people to help them overcome prejudice and antagonism through living and working together.

Hahn envisaged a college educating boys and girls of age 16 to 20, from different origins. The selection would be based on personal motivation and potential, regardless of any social, economic or cultural factors. A scholarship programme would facilitate recruitment of young people from different economic backgrounds. The project was realised in 1962 with the inauguration of Atlantic College in Wales.

Since 1967, under the presidency of Lord Mountbatten, new Colleges were founded in order to give more people access to the UWC system. In 1971 the United World College of South East Asia was established in Singapore, followed by the UWC of the Pacific in Canada in 1974. Under the presidency of Prince Charles, four more UWCs were inaugurated: 1981 in Swaziland, 1982 in Italy and in the United States and 1988 in Venezuela. The rhythm accelerated with the foundation of three Colleges within five years: 1992 in Hong Kong, 1995 in Norway and 1997 in India, thus raising the number of Colleges to ten. The eleventh and the twelfth Colleges in Costa Rica and Bosnia & Herzegovina were opened in 2006. The thirteenth and newest College opened in September 2009 in Maastricht, the Netherlands

The threat of an international conflict decreased with the end of the Cold War, but regional and inter-ethnic conflicts have since then increased. UWC has been attempting to establish links between individuals of different ideologies and perspectives. Its mission is to answer Lester B. Pearson's interrogation: "How can there be peace without people understanding each other; and how can this be if they don't know each other?"

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan has been President of the United World Colleges since 1995. Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been the honorary president of the UWC since 1999.

Academics

All of the United World Colleges offer two years of pre-university education (with the exception of the Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture in Venezuela which offers an agricultural diploma). After these two years, all UWC students are holders of the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a prestigious high school diploma recognized worldwide. The International Baccalaureate has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and three administrative offices in New York City, Buenos Aires and Singapore. The Examinations Office is in Cardiff, United Kingdom, in part due to the influence of nearby United World College of the Atlantic in its early development. The three working languages of the International Baccalaureate are English, French and Spanish. Eleven of the thirteen UWCs use English as the main language of teaching and communication. Pearson College in Canada teaches certain subjects in French and Spanish while the UWC of the Adriatic in Italy and the Red Cross Nordic UWC in Norway require that all students study Italian and Norwegian respectively in order to facilitate their relationship with the local populations. The teaching in the Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture in Venezuela is in Spanish, with English language classes. That college is for slightly older students and offers a diploma in agricultural administration. United World College of Costa Rica is the first College which offers a bilingual IB Diploma in Spanish or English language. Previous knowledge of the language is not necessarily needed.

Students at the college are eligible, after graduation, to participate in the Shelby Davis Scholarship programme, which funds undergraduate study (based on need) for UWC students at 76 universities in the United States.

Activities

The CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) programme - one of the requirements of the IB Diploma - is an integral part of UWC system. At most UWCs, CAS is merely a part of routine College life. It is because of this fact that UWC students significantly exceed the amount CAS hours required by the IBO to obtain an IB Diploma. In fact, CAS and indeed the IB programme itself have their roots in the United World College of the Atlantic: During the creation of IB programme, the daily academic and social lives of students at Atlantic College were taken as examples. UWCs take pride in the fact that they are not involved with the CAS programme because it's a requirement of the IB. On the contrary, the IB requires CAS because CAS was an integral part of life at United World Colleges.

Among those activities particular to UWCs are the Coral Monitoring Service at Li Po Chun United World College and the partnership between the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and United World College of the Atlantic. At Mahindra United World College of India students tutor local 4th to 7th graders in English and Math, helping to prepare them for the Akshara Program, an NGO that provides supplementary education to rural secondary students and runs out of the college. At the United World College in Mostar the CAS Program contributes to the divided post-conflict Mostar society.

Mission Statement

UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.

Vision Statement

UWC believes that to achieve peace and a sustainable future, the values it promotes are crucial:

* International and intercultural understanding
* Celebration of difference
* Personal responsibility and integrity
* Mutual responsibility and respect
* Compassion and service
* Respect for the environment
* A sense of idealism
* Personal challenge
* Action and personal example

Former Mission Statement

Through international education, experience and community service, United World Colleges enables young people to become responsible citizens, politically and environmentally aware, and committed to the ideals of peace and justice, understanding and cooperation, and the implementation of these ideals through action and personal example.

Admissions

Entry into a college is based on academic performance, personal engagement and the personal maturity of the candidate. The vast majority of students attending United World Colleges are awarded scholarships through National Committees. The UWC National Committees are located in nearly 130 countries; if an interested applicant resides in their home country, they must apply through the National Committee.

Applicants for United World College scholarships are interviewed by National Committees, all of which have a slightly different system but are unified by the UWC mission and vision. In Egypt, for example, the places are offered on the basis of a system of national competitions and specialised interviews, whereas in the Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and Italy shortlisted applicants attend a two-day residential with an interview, various games and debates. In Hong Kong, suitable applicants will be invited to attend a day-camp named "Challenge Day" where they will be engaged in different activities eg. debate, learning a new language, group games etc. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to attend a final interview before gaining admission.

The Colleges

United World College of the Atlantic
(Llantwit Major, United Kingdom) - opened in 1962

United World College of South East Asia
(Singapore) - opened in 1971

Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific
(Victoria, Canada) - opened in 1974

Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa
(Mbabane, Swaziland) - opened in 1963, joined UWC in 1981

United World College-USA
(Montezuma, USA) - opened in 1982

United World College of the Adriatic
(Duino, Italy) - opened in 1982

Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture
(Ciudad Bolivia, Venezuela) - opened in 1986, joined UWC in 1987

Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, China) - opened in 1992

Red Cross Nordic United World College
(Flekke, Norway) - opened in 1995

Mahindra United World College of India
(Village Khubavali, India) - opened in 1997

United World College Costa Rica
(Santa Ana, Costa Rica) - opened in 2000, joined UWC in 2006

United World College in Mostar
(Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina), opened in 2006

United World College Maastricht
(Maastricht, Netherlands), the 13th UWC opened in September 2009 in Maastricht, Netherlands. The school is a joint venture of the International School Maastricht, the Joppenhof International Department Primary School and the United World Colleges.

Notable Alumni

• Anne Enright (Ireland/PC): 2007 winner of the Man Booker Prize
• Douglas Alexander (Great Britain/PC): current Secretary of State for International Development, UK
• HRH Crown Prince Pavlos (Greece/AW) : Crown Prince of Greece and Denmark
• Lene Feltman Espersen (Denmark/PC): current Minister of Occupation and Minister of Economy, Denmark
• Mervin Silva-Royal Jester Sri Lanka
• HRH Princess Raiyah bint Hussein (Jordan/AC): princess, daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor
• Pentti Kouri (1949- ), Finnish economist and venture capitalist
• Marjan Šetinc (1949- ), Slovenian politician and diplomat
• Jorma Ollila (1950- ), former chairman and CEO of Nokia Corporation
• Chris Morgan (1952 - 2008), Welsh journalist
• Philippe Niarchos (1953- ) Greek shipping heir
• Priscilla Ratazzi-Whittle (1956- ), author and President of the College's US Foundation
• Kari Blackburn (1954 - 2007), BBC reporter
• Aernout Van Lynden (1954- ) war correspondent and journalist in the Middle East
• Hakeem Belo-Osagie (1955- ), Chairman of the United Bank for Africa
• Fernando Alonso (engineer) (1956- ), Head of Airbus Test Flight Division (A380 First Flight Crew Member)
• Jonathan Michie (1957- ), Director of the Department for Continuing Education and President of Kellogg College, University of Oxford
• Pedro Alonso Fernandez (1957- ), Founder of the Manhica Center of Health Research
• Julie Payette (1963- ), Canadian astronaut (1982)
• Willem-Alexander (1967- ), crown prince of the Netherlands
• Eluned Morgan (1967- ), politician
• Saba Douglas-Hamilton (1970- ), conservationist and TV presenter
• Karen Mok (1970- ), singer, actress and songwriter
• Ghil'ad Zuckermann (1971- ), linguist
• Adnan Akant, managing director of global firm Fischer Francis Trees & Watts
• Serena Olsaretti, Cambridge philosophy don
• Louise Leakey (1972- ), palaeontologist
• Horatio Clare (1973- ), author
• Kara Miller (1974- ), writer, director and presenter
• Felicitas von Lovenberg (1974- ), German journalist and author
• Nicholas Broadway (1978- ), Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics
• Ian Khama, President of Botswana
• Richard E. Grant, actor
• Colin Bailey, "Skunge"; Artist and printmaker
• Alan McGregor, Dean of Medicine, King's College
• Matthew Parris, journalist
• Fernando Honwana
• Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Housing in South Africa
• Zeni and Zindzi Mandela
• Thulani Gcabashe, former CEO Eskom
• Robert Tine, novelist
• Alan Whiteside, health economist
• Monwabisi Fandeso, Chairman, Shell South Africa
• Xolile Guma, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of South Africa
• Nku Nyembezi-Heita, CEO, ArcelorMittal