An Introduction to UWC National Committees

The UWC National Committees are committed to selecting students from

within their own communities and cultures based on merit and regardless

of the ability to pay

What do National Committees do?

• Represent UWC in their country• Promote UWC opportunities• Select students in a fair and transparent way • Prepare the students they nominate to the

Colleges for their UWC experience• Raise funds• Act as a hub/focus for UWC

graduates in their country and from other countries

• May do outreach and community service activities

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National Committee Structure

• NC Members are volunteers, freely giving time, skills and energy to UWC

• They come from a variety of backgrounds including UWC graduates, educationalists, community leaders and other interested supporters

• At least 2,000 volunteers mobilise each year to help select and prepare approximately 1,200 students from over 10,800 applicants each year

• National Committees vary hugely in size, age, structure and funding – there is no one ideal structure, each NC should find the model that allows them, in their local context, to develop good and careful selection with wide and varied promotion

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How are National Committees monitored?

• National Committees are responsible to the UWC International Board of Directors through the UWC International Office (UWCIO) and select for thirteen UWC Colleges

• NCs must comply with Board policies

• The National Committee Team at UWCIO support and monitor NCs• Each NC annually reports to UWCIO on the previous year’s activities• The NC team meets annually with the College Heads to discuss the next year’s

offers and the previous year’s experiences with students and NCs• NCs are encouraged to establish a formal/legal identity in their own country

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National Committee relations with Colleges

• The UWC Colleges delegate the responsibility of selecting their Students to National Committees

• The NC year starts with the offers process. An NC will receive from UWCIO (in November) a summary letter detailing the (unconfirmed) offers made to that NC for entry to the UWC Colleges in the following September (January at Waterford-Kamhlaba UWC)

• Each College will then confirm the offer and its details to the NC

• Each College has its own Board and Governance structure. NC s need to understand the differences between the Colleges and cannot assume that the same rules apply to all Colleges

• This knowledge of the Colleges also becomes beneficial at the point of selection in order to allocate places effectively

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National Committee relations with Colleges

• Where there is both a College and a National Committee in a country, an appropriate division of responsibilities will be agreed between the two entities and clearly communicated to the International Office

• UWCIO strongly encourages NCs to designate a member to be responsible for communicating with the Colleges. This is especially important during the busy selection and nomination periods

• It is very advantageous for NCs to build a good working relationship with College staff. This will allow for the frequent sharing of information which should alleviate any potential problems

• Colleges will report on a student’s progress and contact a NC if an issue arises.

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Representing and Promoting UWC

• National Committees represent UWC in over 120 countries around the world

• In many countries, the NC is the only face and voice of the UWC organisation

• NCs promote UWC to encourage applications and raise funds

• NC work often goes beyond this promotion and extends the UWC mission and values to many more young people than the students selected to attend a College through selection camps, short courses and other community outreach activities for example

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Selection:Responsibility

• NCs recognise the immense responsibility of selecting students for UWC and ensure they run a fair and transparent selection.

• UWCIO provides Selection Guidelines which detail the policy set by the UWC International Board of Directors

• Students are selected based on their personal merit and potential and irrespective of race, religion, politics and their ability to pay

• NCs should carefully consider the impact the student will have on the College and conversely, the impact the College will have on the student.

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Selection:Transparency

NCs ensure they run a fair and transparent selection by:• establishing a selection process (agreeing stages and

methods, people involved, costs etc)• writing eligibility criteria and clearly communicating

this to potential applicants• agreeing before selection the criteria they will use to

assess an applicant’s merit and potential • creating a selection environment where all applicants

are able to do their best• declaring a conflict of interest early and withdrawing

from that year’s selection• dealing with questions from applicants and parents in

an appropriate mannerAn Introduction to UWC National

Committees 9

• NCs ensure they run a fair and transparent selection by establishing clear eligibility criteria

• Most NCs define an age limit, the level of schooling required and whether nationality and/or residency in their country is necessary in order to apply

• NC eligibility criteria must be available in writing and clearly communicated to potential applicants

• UWCIO can provide a skeleton application form, but many NCs simply use this as a starting point. Each year a UWC application form is produced in at least 35 different languages.

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Selection:Applications and eligibility criteria

NCs use a variety of methods to assess a candidate’s merit and potential

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Selection:The selection process

•Interviews•Exams (particularly useful in countries without standard educational assessment)•Group activities •Group discussions•Community service activities•Selection camps (sometimes to combine the above)

Selection:Selection Criteria

NCs set their own assessment criteria under the following headings:

• As an individual – for example tolerant, adaptable, able to cope with life at the College

• As a Group member – willingness to co operate with others, team work, leadership skills, communication skills

• As a member of Society – social responsibility, commitment to own Country

• Skills and Interests, Academic performance

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NCs consider the following when preparing students and their families for the UWC experience

• Administration – air tickets, visas, passports etc• UWC values and organisation – introducing

students to the wider family• Life at the College – managing time demands,

sharing a room, missing home etc• Starting a lifelong journey – why this is just the

beginning• Building a relationship with parents/families• Keeping in touch with the Colleges and student

progress

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Selection:Preparation

Fundraising

• All National Committees finance their own selections – unfortunately, there are no funds available from UWCIO

• Some NCs also raise funds to supplement scholarships or in some cases to run additional programmes and courses

• For many NCs fundraising is a great challenge, but they have developed innovative ways to support their work

• Many NCs have had great success with gifts in kind, for example, nearly 80% of NCs in 2007 received all or part of a flight ticket for a student for free

• Some NCs receive personal donations, corporate donations, support from local or national government and other organisations

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UWC Graduates

• NCs provide a hub/focus for the UWC graduate community in their country

• Graduates are often keen to give back to UWC and can provide an NC with a source of volunteers, a fresh and recent UWC College experience and funds

• Many NCs use the internet to keep graduates up to date and organise opportunities to regularly meet up

• It is easier to build this relationship before graduation and keep it going than have to start this years later – good records are essential

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In countries where there is no National Committee, applicants have to apply through the International Quota System:

• Applications through the International Quota System can only be made once the interested applicant has verified that they are unable to apply to UWC through a National Committee, either in their country of residence and/or, where different, in the country where they are citizens

• International Quota candidates can apply directly to only one of the United World Colleges, through the application form distributed by the College of their choice, having first established that there is a place available to apply for

• Unfortunately, there are no scholarships for International Quota (IQ) candidates. Successful IQ candidates will generally be expected to pay their own tuition and board fees as well as all associated costs such as travel and pocket money

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Selection:What happens when there is no

NC?

National Committees:• Form the backbone of the UWC Organisation and

make it unique• Are the voice of UWC throughout the world• Are committed to a fair and transparent selection

process• See the potential in a student, give them an

amazing opportunity and watch them grow• Contribute to making education a force to unite

people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future

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The National Committee System

National Committee Members:• Join the UWC family• Freely give their time and energy• Learn new skills and enjoy new experiences

through their volunteering• Are rewarded by witnessing the

impact of a UWC experience • Make a difference

Thank you!

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The National Committee System