The UWC Heads’ meeting
Monday, 21 March 2011
The numbers of agenda items for our UWC Heads’ meetings seem to grow exponentially for each meeting. This time, the meeting considered a mix of procedural and strategic topics. Among the vast range of procedural matters were aspects of implementing the new UWC Students’ Common Code of Conduct, implications of the establishment of new National Committees, plans for next year’s 50th anniversary celebrations, college-to-college collaboration, the induction of new colleagues, implications upon existing Colleges of the establishment of new UWCs, developing a common strategy to select International Quota (IQ) students, progress on developing a common set of “Principles of Best Practice for Staff” and progress towards developing a new UWC protocol for accreditation and evaluation. This last point was especially significant for my own College as we will have our next UWC self-evaluation visit in late October this year. We also welcomed several visiting speakers, including Jennifer Dueck (UWC 
International Office) to discuss UWC Outreach, James Tucker (Pamoja Education) to discuss IB online courses, and Tian Bersey (UWC International Office) to discuss relations with National Committees.
By far the most significant strategic issue discussed was the development of the common UWC Educational Model. This is a key objective in the UWC Strategic Plan, and responsibility for this task has been delegated to the Heads’ Committee.
In some ways, developing an articulated educational model for UWCs - an organisation that is almost half a century old - must appear like trying to build the foundations of a house that has been inhabited for several decades. That analogy is actually fairly accurate, and it helps us to understand why the process must be done gently, sensitively and without undue haste.
Like all models, the UWC educational model can be viewed at a variety of scales. At the broadest scale, the UWC Mission Statement (“UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”) is a big picture statement of the UWC’s educational model. At the finest scale, the educational model is expressed through each individual teacher’s lesson plans. The task of the UWC Heads Committee is to develop the intermediate level of the model’s scale.
The Heads felt that some elements of the model were already in place. Specifically, we have the mission statement (see above), we have a set of core values, and since October last year we have had a set of Guiding Principles. The major outcome of this meeting was to progress to the next step by developing a draft document that bridges the gap 
between the Mission Statement and the Guiding Principles. This was achieved by clarifying the raison d’être for UWCs in terms of six elemental statements of purpose.
I would love to share this working draft with you here, but etiquette demands that it be seen first by the UWC International Board and the staff in our schools. In summary, however, I can reveal that the six elements identified as the basis for the educational model were peace, sustainability, social justice, compassion, leadership and community.
More work will be needed to translate these six elemental statements of purpose into the detailed facets of the educational model. As an initial step towards achieving this, each College will be asked to identify instances of current practice that exemplify each of the six areas, and these will be used to construct a narrative of current UWC educational best practice. This seems a sensible way to proceed, because in the words of Carl Sagan, “extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence”.
And UWCs DO make extraordinary claims!
After the Heads’ meeting concluded at Gilwell Park, all the Heads travelled to the UWC International Office, which is located near Holborn in central London. Following a lovely shared lunch and some small presentations by each of the Heads to the office staff to express our appreciation for their great efforts, we had a question and answer session with the International Office staff. Perhaps surprisingly, this was the first time that the Heads had ever met with the International Office staff as a group, and it was a wonderfully encouraging time of sharing experiences, ideals, hopes and aspirations. It was a special privilege to be given the opportunity to articulate answers to questions such as “what do you like most about being Head of a UWC?”
At the end of the session, which lasted for several hours, I was humbled to be presented with a beautiful gift as a farewell present to honour my seven years as Head of LPCUWC - it is still four and a half months before I move to Houston, and this lovely gesture seemed a little premature until I realised I would almost certainly not see any of my fellow UWC Heads again before I finish my duties in Hong Kong. The UWC Heads are a remarkably talented, visionary and professional group, and I will certainly miss their fabulous collegiality and regular contact, although I am equally sure that our friendships will endure for many, many years into the future. Nonetheless, the farewell speeches made me realise that my move to Houston is now most definitely one step closer!
On that same evening, the UWC International Board and UWC Heads jointly hosted a reception with alumni, donors and other UWC supporters. About 80 people were present in the grand surroundings of the Royal Courts of Justice. This was quite a stirring event, and it was a great encouragement to meet some of the great figures who had been involved in the early years of LPCUWC as well as the other Colleges.
It was inspiring to be reminded what a special and important purpose is served by the United World Colleges in building a better world and a shared sustainable future.
Trees overhead on a very cold afternoon this week at Gilwell Park Scouts Centre
