Programme

College President Carma Elliot will open our inspirational two-day programme.

Join us at the opening of our capstone event in our golden jubilee year. The year-long celebrations have honoured all that we have achieved and recognised those who helped us to get here today. But in order to meet the demands of the future, the UWCSEA Forum is the first step in taking up the challenge to reimagine how we might bring our mission to life through a holistic, sustainable education over the next 50 years.

Format

Online and in-person audience

Good Work For Our Time: From Ideas to Impact

Drawing on two decades of qualitative research as one of the Founding Directors at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Good Project, and sharing insights from recent research on the role of education in a good society, Professor Gardner will explore the meaning of good work and civic participation.

After a 30 minute lecture, Professor Gardner and members of his team will answer questions from the audience as we explore the nature of education and its power as a force for good in society.

Format

Online and in-person audience

Holistic Education in a High-Tech Era

Andreas Schleicher will share reflections on teaching and learning in a post-pandemic world, and the role of mission-led schools offering holistic education in an every-changing world.

Format

Online and in-person audience

Coming of age in the natural world: The role of outdoor experiences in a sustainable holistic education

Over the past eight years, Drs. Gassner and Wolsko have been conducting a longitudinal investigation into the effects of the UWCSEA Outdoor Education programme on adolescents’ development and psychological well-being.

This presentation emphasizes the unique characteristics of learning outdoors, the critical importance of maintaining a multidimensional connection with nature in an ever-urbanizing world, and the powerful and enduring Outdoor Education experiences of students at UWCSEA. For more background on this work, see these UWCSEA Perspectives links:

• Flourishing People in Place: Understanding the Impact of Outdoor Education (first published in Dunia magazine 2017/2018)
• Journey as a Destination: Evaluating the UWCSEA Outdoor Education Programme (first published in Dunia magazine 2014/2015)

A number of key research findings are highlighted from several years of focus groups, in-depth interviews, participant observations, and surveys with students in Grade 6 and up:

• Consistent patterns of experience on outdoor expeditions facilitate positive socioemotional development among students, as reflected in the UWCSEA profile
• In turn, such positive development predicts higher psychological well-being and academic achievement
• Resilience, social bonding, and connection with nature are among the most profound experiences realized in Outdoor Education at UWCSEA
• Students who experience more connection with nature on their Outdoor Education expeditions report higher psychological well-being one and two years later
• Students who demonstrate more resilience on their Outdoor Education expeditions report higher levels of grit one and two years later

The logistical challenges of maintaining an effective Outdoor Education programme during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the necessity of initiating local Singapore trips, have coincided with UWCSEA’s increased focus on deeply understanding and mitigating of the ecological consequences of travelling far and wide to experience the outdoors. With an eye on sustainability, this talk concludes by examining the trade-offs associated with exploring nearby nature versus accessing unique environments abroad.

Format

Online and in-person audience

The UWC Movement

At this session, Musimbi Kanyoro, Chair of UWC International, Leon Toh, UWCSEA Governor and Carma Elliot, UWCSEA College President will have a conversation about the role of UWC in building a more peaceful and sustainable future.

As they reflect on 50 years of making education a force for good, they will also look to the future of the Movement, the role of UWCSEA within the Movement and the need for the global UWC community to ensure our mission remains both an inspiration and a positive call to action.

Format

Online and in-person audience

Commitment to Change

Faith Abiodun, new Executive Director of UWC International, will share his vision for the Movement, followed by an onstage conversation with a student panel, including questions from the audience.

The conversation will be wide-ranging, from the origins of the Movement to the change we must embrace to ensure we stay relevant and active in an evolving global community.

Format

Online and in-person audience

World of Work – Towards the Future

This session leads with a discussion on the importance of holding on to one's ideals when embarking on a career; the need to remain curious as an important career life-skill while the future grows more complex and uncertain; and an exhortation to students to use their generation's technologies to do good in the world.

Forrest and his team will then take questions from the audience.

Format

Online

The Power of Education - Transforming the Lives of Refugees

As the recent events in Ukraine and Afghanistan have shown, the number of refugees grows every year and today there are now more than 80 million displaced people around the world. It is often young people who bear the heaviest burden of displacement. As they get uprooted, their education is disrupted and future dreams shattered. Five years ago, two UWC alumni, Polly Akhurst and Mia Eskelund Pedersen founded the organisation Amala to solve a growing, global problem: the lack of high quality education available to young people who are displaced.

Amala has created the first international high school diploma programme for young refugees and offers transformational non-formal educational programmes in countries hosting large refugee populations including Jordan, Kenya, Greece and Malaysia. UWCSEA has been a committed partner since Amala’s founding, as staff, students and parents and supported Amala’s mission through curriculum development, providing expertise, volunteering, fundraising and raising awareness.

In this session, Polly and Mia will talk about their experiences of setting up Amala,the power of education in creating peaceful and sustainable futures in refugee communities and present on the future of their collaboration with UWCSEA and how the UWCSEA community can get involved. 

Format

Online and in-person audience

Can the 21st Century Remain Peaceful?

In this dialogue, Kishore Mahbubni and Carma Elliot will continue the conversation they began in September 2021 on the topic of peace in the 21st century. Covering themes including changes in global geo-political landscapes, the war in Ukraine and the role leaders in maintaining international peace, the conversation will be a fitting final session for our Forum, as we explore the learning that will shape the future.

Format

Online and in-person audience

Closing Remarks

Closing remarks from Carma Elliot, College President, summarising the conference and learning.

Format

Online and in-person audience