Since the founding of its first school in 1962, UWC has become known for its innovative model of education. Developed at the height of the Cold War, UWC’s education philosophy brings young people together from intentionally diverse backgrounds to live and study so that they may develop the knowledge and skills needed to make a positive difference in the world. We played a key role in crafting the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and continue to work closely with the IB to develop new educational pathways.
With a focus on peace and sustainability, our experiential curricula help enable young people to meet the pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. This is reflected in different ways across our 18 schools worldwide. All our schools and colleges offer the IB Diploma Programme alongside a rich and innovative co-curricular learning journey. Student agency and initiative is at the forefront of our educational model, with all our students supported to develop their talents, interests, and leadership in multiple ways. The IB’s CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) programme at UWC is more than just a list of activities and set of learning outcomes in our schools and colleges. In combination with our broader experience of residential and community life, it functions as a vehicle for profound personal development in service of the wider community. Several UWCs have joined the IB’s CAS pilot to further develop holistic learning journeys that integrate academic and co-curricular learning. In addition, two UWCs have introduced the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP), offering the option of a Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD) pathway to students at Pearson College UWC and focused tracks in music or sustainable business at UWC Maastricht.
In 2023, UWC and the International Baccalaureate embarked on a groundbreaking collaborative project by launching the first pilot of the new Systems Transformation Pathway (STP) at UWC Atlantic. 2024 has seen UWC South East Asia join this exciting project, which enables students to combine three Higher Level and one Standard Level IB subjects with a bespoke course designed to develop the skills, attitudes and abilities they need to tackle complex and interdependent systemic challenges. The Systems Transformation Pathway: Leadership For Just Futures at UWC Atlantic here focuses on action-oriented and transdisciplinary learning for changemaking, focusing on human-centred design and systems thinking. Students choose to focus on either Biodiversity, Energy, Food or Migration in the application of their learning, resulting in deeply personal learning journeys and real-world initiatives. The Systems Transformation Pathway: Leadership for Change is built upon the five pillars of Changemaker Mindset, Design Thinking, Leadership, Project and Change Management and Systems Thinking to empower students with hands-on experiences to turn their ideas into scaleable initiatives with real-world impact. As of September 2024, over 200 students across the two colleges have taken up the option of the Systems Transformation Pathway and will graduate with full IB Diplomas.
Their STP course is held equivalent to two Standard Level IB subjects and is assessed not through exams, but through authentic impact analyses, reflections and project portfolios. The STP initiative is part of a fundamental structural review process the IB is undergoing and exemplifies both organisations’ strong commitments to co-leading educational innovation at a global scale.
Do you believe in the power of education to meet today’s global challenges? UWC is currently raising funds for UWC Education for Climate Action
Help support us by donating via this link today