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The United World Colleges (UWC) are a group of twelve international schools. Founded during the Cold War , the United World College Movement aimed at promoting understanding between the different nations through education and through interaction between young people from different countries, living and working together. The UWC select students from around the globe at a pre-university level, selected on merit, regardless of their financial, ethnic, religious or educational background and regardless of their ability to pay. The international organisation of UWC is a British based foundation that comprises twelve colleges in Canada , Hong Kong , India , Italy , Norway , Singapore , Swaziland , the United States , Venezuela and The United Kingdom , and, as of August 2006, newly opened eleventh and twelfth Colleges in Costa Rica and Bosnia And Herzegovina ; National Committees in more than 130 countries; a network of more than 36,000 graduates 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 ones in Singapore and Swaziland. Each UWC typically comprises between 200 and 300 students from about 90 different countries. HISTORY The first UWC, the Atlantic College , 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 antagonism through living and working together. Hahn envisaged a college educating boys and girls of age 16 to 19, 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 the Atlantic College in Wales . Since in Hong Kong , 1995 in Norway and 1997 in India , this rising the number of Colleges to ten. The eleventh and the twelfth College in Costa Rica and Bosnia & Herzegovina were opened in 2006 . The threat of an international conflict decreased with the end of the Cold War , but regional and inter-ethnic conflicts have since then increased. The UWC have been attempting to establish links between individuals of different ideologies and perspectives. Their 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 Organization has its headquarters in Geneva , Switzerland , and three administrative offices in New York , Buenos Aires and Singapore . The Examinations Office is in the United Kingdom . The three working languages of the International Baccalaureate are English , French and Spanish . Ten of the twelve UWC 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 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 universities, such as Harvard University , Princeton University or Columbia University , in the United States. ACTIVITIES The CAS programme ( Creativity, Action, Service ) is an integral part of the UWC system. 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 Atlantic College . At United World College In Mostar the CAS Program contributes to the divided post-conflict Mostar society. MISSION STATEMENT The current mission statement UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. The 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 majority of students attending United World Colleges have been awarded scholarships through National Committees. Applicants for United World College scholarships are interviewed by National Committees, all of which have a slightly different system. 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
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS National Committees:
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