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DESPITE the general disquiet and uneasiness that enveloped Bahrain this weekend and resulted in many events being cancelled or postponed, a small group of volunteers, committed to education and social change, gathered to brainstorm in a private residence in Saar.
Organisers and national committee members of the United World Colleges (UWC) from Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Palestine ignored the news relayed by the international media and flew into the kingdom to participate in the first workshop to be held in the Gulf region.
Advocates of UWC say it is an educational experience designed to help young people take a leading role in bringing peace and understanding in the future as conflict and mistrust continues to manifest around the globe.
Dr Jennifer Dueck, director UWC Middle East and North Africa, said: "We have the mission to use education as a force to unite people for a sustainable future.
"The question is what kind of world we want to live in. It is not about the qualification you receive at the end of two years, it is about what you can do as a person to make the world a better place to live in.
"UWC is a lifelong journey. It inspires you to serve your community and your world to make a difference and gives you the tools to do so.
"To be a change-maker, you need to learn to interact with people, observe and understand their needs, learn to give the people dignity even when you are helping them ... and most importantly, you need to communicate effectively.
"Our education model is experiential,students learn by doing, and in the process learn about themselves and understand their own strengths and abilities," she concluded
UWC offers a chance to students from Bahrain to undertake two years of pre-university education from some of the world's most prestigious educational institutions. Students have to apply and go through a rigorous selection process before getting an invitation to join the select set.
Students aged 16 to 19 take a two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) that aims to provide an internationally-accepted qualification for entry into higher education and is recognised by many leading universities worldwide.
Currently 1,500 students from more than120 countries graduate from one of 13 UWC schools and colleges every year. Among them is Bahraini Yasser Hammadi, who was the first from his country to go on a programme to UWC-USA in New Mexico and will graduate this summer.
In September last year Yasser was joined by Arsal Sohail, Nabeel Mohamed Al Hassan and Jeanice Vacarizas who were awarded varying amounts of scholarship to study at Lester B. Pearson UWC in Canada, UWC of the Atlantic in Wales and UWC-USA and by Aaratrika Bose who had applied directly to UWC International and was awarded a 50 per cent scholarship to Li Po Chun UWC in Hong Kong.
The workshop in Bahrain was focussed on training UWC national committee members to select the right candidates from diverse backgrounds to take advantage of the experience.
Bahrain's UWC committee is currently accepting applications from Bahrainis and long term Bahrain residents for a scholarship in any one of the 13 colleges worldwide from September this year.
The deadline for sending the applications is March 25, for more information visit www.bh.uwc.org
