United World Colleges

The United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organisation was founded on the principles of German educator Kurt Hahn in 1962 to promote intercultural understanding.

Today, UWC consists of 18 colleges on four continents. Young people from more than 155 countries are selected through a system of national committees and pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma; some of the schools are also open to younger years. UWC runs the world's largest scholarship programme in international secondary education, with over 80% of students selected by UWC national committees to attend one of the colleges receiving financial support. To date, there are almost 60,000 UWC alumni from all over the world.

The current President of UWC is Queen Noor of Jordan (1995–present). Former South African President Nelson Mandela was joint-President (1995–1999), alongside Queen Noor, and, subsequently, Honorary President of UWC (1999–2013). Former UWC presidents are Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1968–1977) and, when he was Prince of Wales, King Charles III (1978–1995).

The movement, including the colleges and national committees, are linked and coordinated by UWC International, which consists of the UWC International Board, the UWC International Council, and the UWC International Office (UWCIO), based in London and Berlin. These entities work together to set the global strategy for the movement, oversee fundraising, and approve new colleges. Faith Abiodun, who joined the movement in 2021, serves as executive director of the International Office, and Musimbi Kanyoro has been the chair of the International Board since 2019.

UWC was originally founded in the early 1960s to bridge the social, national and cultural divides apparent during the Second World War, and exacerbated by the Cold War. The first college in the movement, UWC Atlantic College in Wales, United Kingdom, was founded in 1962 by Kurt Hahn, a German educator who had previously founded Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, Gordonstoun in Scotland, the Outward Bound movement, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.

Hahn envisaged a college educating boys and girls aged 16 to 19. He believed that schools should not simply be a means for preparing to enter university, but should help students prepare for life by developing resilience and the ability to experience both successes and failures. The selection would be based on personal motivation and potential, regardless of any social, economic or cultural factors. A scholarship programme would facilitate the recruitment of young people from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was involved with Atlantic College from its early days, and encouraged the organisation to adopt the name United World Colleges and to open an international office with operations distinct from that of Atlantic College, to indicate a global reach and ambition beyond a single college. In 1967, he became the first president of United World Colleges, a position he held until 1977. Lord Mountbatten supported the organization by gaining support from heads of state and politicians and in fundraising activities. Under his presidency, the United World College of South East Asia was established in Singapore in 1971 (formally joining the UWC movement in 1975), followed by the United World College of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1974.

During the tenure of Prince Charles (now King Charles III) as president, he supervised the rapid growth of the movement, until it encompassed nine schools around the globe. Of Charles, UWC said, "his work in raising the profile and vision of the UWC movement is still felt today".