United World Colleges - History

History

The first UWC college, the United World College of the Atlantic, located in a 12th Century castle set in 90 hectares of grounds in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, United Kingdom, was founded in 1962 with the initiative of Kurt Hahn, a German educationalist who had previously founded Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, Gordonstoun in Scotland, and the Outward Bound movement; the castle was gifted to UWC by Antonin Besse II, the son of Sir Antonin Besse. Kurt Hahn's vision was based on his post-war experience at the NATO Defence College, where he had observed discussion and collaboration between former enemies. 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. 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.

There were 13 colleges in UWC but this has dropped to 12 with the closure of UWC Simon Bolivar (opening date given for each):

• United World College of the Atlantic (Llantwit Major, United Kingdom) – 1962,
• United World College of South East Asia (Singapore) – 1971,
• Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific (Victoria, Canada) – 1974,
• Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (Mbabane, Swaziland) – 1963, joined UWC in 1981,
• Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (Montezuma, USA) – 1982,
• United World College of the Adriatic (Duino, Italy) – 1982,
• Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture (Ciudad Bolivia, Venezuela) – 1986, joined UWC in 1987, closed as of 2012,
• Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) – 1992,
• Red Cross Nordic United World College (Flekke, Norway) – 1995,
• Mahindra United World College of India (Village Khubavali, India) – 1997,
• United World College Costa Rica (Santa Ana, Costa Rica) – 2000, joined UWC in 2006,
• United World College in Mostar (Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina), 2006,
• United World College Maastricht (Maastricht, Netherlands), 1984, joined UWC in 2009.
• United World College of South East Asia East Campus (Singapore) - 2012

The Robert Bosch United World College is scheduled to open in Freiburg, Germany in September 2014.

The UWC movement presidents have included Lord Mountbatten (1967-1978), Prince Charles (1978- 1995), Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan (1995-present). Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been the honorary president of UWC since 1999.

The philosophy of the schools is in accordance with a thought from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lester B. Pearson: "How can there be peace without people understanding each other; and how can this be if they don't know each other?"