support the change

01 Jul

Posted at 13:13h in Homepage, support the change
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In our 'emPOWERgirls Stories' we highlight the power women in UWC Maastricht's community. This week you can read about Larissa Stutterheim, who is working at UWC Maastricht as English teacher.

There is an activity I often did with my Environmental Systems and Societies class as part of our revision for exams. Over the course of two years, we had discussed so many global environmental issues, as well as the policies and initiatives to address them, and the ways in which so many of these elements were connected. I asked them to create mind maps for the different units of study focused on different global concerns. I then asked them to make connections, to indicate how different issues, like water scarcity and pollution and soil degradation and overpopulation, were connected. And then the most important question was always “Where do we begin?” The realization that so often struck so many students during this activity was that the best place to begin is with the education of girls and young women. Providing young women with education changes everything. Not only does education empower these girls to take charge of their own bodies, their future, and their communities, but it has a monumental ripple effect on the economic, environmental, and systemic well-being of their communities.  ------ Another way in which I have witnessed female empowerment in education is through an ongoing student-led project at UWCM  that I have been lucky enough to take part in supporting. Why Are We Still Talking About This? is a project through which a group of our female students tell their stories on stage of their experience of being a woman. Their monologues, spoken word poetry, and skits convey stories of being objectified, overlooked, held back, taken for granted, silenced, and assaulted, but they also convey a powerful commitment to speaking up and standing tall, to questioning the status quo and rejecting stifling social stereotypes, breaking through stigma, protecting each other, and taking ownership of their life and their story. The project offers these girls the opportunity to create and claim their own truth and to empower others to do the same. It also awakens their male peers to the layers of experience that have shaped them and their worldview, offering them insight into the struggles and challenges of being a woman.  

Larissa Stutterheim| UWC Maastricht, English Teacher

24 Jun

Posted at 14:19h in Homepage, support the change
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In our 'emPOWERgirls Stories' we highlight the power women in UWC Maastricht's community. This week you can read about Kate Doyle, who is director of our Secondary School.

"Having worked in South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini (former Swaziland), as well as at two United World Colleges, I have witnessed the direct impact that educating girls & empowering women can have on a whole society. Educating one girl does not just affect her individually. Her education & empowerment can have a direct influence on other girls in her area; can allow for women's voices to become part of decision making in society & can change future generations. The ripple effect of educating one girl will be seen & heard for many generations. It is that powerful.  One of the highlights of my career to date was being a founder member of Brave Girl. This fantastic initiative continues in the Kingdom of Eswatini & is one that I would love to see grow in other parts of the world. I am thrilled to be a supporter of Empowering MENA (brave!) girls via UWC Education."
 

Kate Doyle (South Africa) | UWC Maastricht, Director of Secondary

28 Apr

Posted at 09:24h in support the change
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In our 'emPOWERgirls Stories' we highlight the power women in UWC Maastricht's community. This week you can read about Sundus Al-Shibani, who comes from Oman and graduated from our school in 2014.

It was a dream come true for Sundus to be accepted to UWC Maastricht. The idea of living and learning with peers from all over the world appealed to her. In Oman she was merely exposed to people with similar perspectives and never really stepped out of her comfort zone. As she likes to challenge herself and acknowledge the room for personal growth, she applied to UWC, got selected and made her way to the Netherlands. Even though she was so eager to learn about various cultures, values and religions it took Sundus some time to overcome the shock as a result from the diverse student population. It was after a year that she saw so many similarities instead of differences. A mindshift that happened due to UWC creating this “pressure cooker”. Sundus also struggled to find a balance between the rigorous academics and all the social and extracurricular activities that she could endeavour into. But once she had faced this, nothing could stop her.  Based on her academics and the person that she had become, Sundus obtained a grant to study in the US. As one of the few Omani girls, she graduated with honours for her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. She is now very proud to be working for an energy giant that is committed to produce natural gas as part of it’s net-zero emissions objective. The diverse and international environment combined with her employer’s ambition to become more sustainable and create circular energy, fits Sundus like a glove. Her drive towards sustainability, her technical as well as social skills made her an outstanding candidate in the process that was set up especially to hire female engineers. UWC Maastricht's Female Empowerment Network, to empower the next generation of girls from countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by offering them a place at school, forms a perfect match with Sundus' personal beliefs. With her decision to come to UWC, she inspired her cousin who followed her example to study abroad and broaden her horizon. And Sundus hopes to be an inspiration to many other girls in the region too.

Sundus Al-Shibani (Oman) | Graduated from UWC Maastricht in 2014 and is working as a Petroleum Engineer for Shell Oman..

22 Apr

Posted at 07:43h in support the change
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In our 'emPOWERgirls Stories' we highlight the power women in UWC Maastricht's community. This week you can read about Roua Adam, a Sudanese alumna who is planning on going back to her country to run a sustainable eco-enterprise one day.

Roua, a Sudanese graduate from UWC Maastricht is working in the tourism and hospitality industry. She started her internship in Aspen, USA to help a resort grow that operates in harmony with the laws of nature. A perfect combination of her urge to be mindful of our environment and her passion for hospitality. She liked it so much that when she was offered a job after graduating, it wasn't a hard decision to make.  One day, Roua wants to have her own resort in Sudan, in the town where she is originally from. She would provide jobs for the local community, teach them English and work with the neighbouring farms for local products; a sustainable eco-enterprise. Sudan has a lot to offer: mountains, rivers, pyramids and deserts. She is proud of her country and she hopes more people get to enjoy the beauty of it. Our alumna cherishes fond memories of her time at UWC. She grew so much as a person and was provided with a proper toolset to interact with people from all kinds of backgrounds, histories and views. The experience was so overwhelming that she only noticed what she had learned and experienced, when she took some distance from it all. Her memory of spending new years on campus has stayed with her. Being away from her Sudanese family, it was then she realized she had become her own independent self, and that she’d created her own UWC family around her. After her graduation, Roua returned to Sudan. Her first months outside of the UWC bubble felt strange as people have different views. “One can often get frustrated because you want to have discussions with people outside of UWC, but I also didn’t want to get into conflict with them. After a while I realised that it was ok to challenge various perspectives as long as it is done being done in a respectful manner”. Roua is very excited to hear about UWC Maastricht's initiative to empower the next generation of girls from her and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa by offering them a place at school. “Women are treated as second citizens to men in the MENA region. In Sudan, for example, boys are sent to school while girls are expected to follow and adhere to certain cultural aspects. UWC Maastricht's initiative to focus on young women in the MENA region will help plant the seeds of the future by tackling issues at a young age. By equipping girls with tools to unlock their full potential they can reflect on the social and economic aspect of the MENA region. Our future is in hands of the coming generation that will not be silenced for their sex/gender. UWC Maastricht's initiative will hand the tools of success to these young women, and allow them the chance to be something more by adding a vital contribution to the labor markets and meaningful and dignified work”.

Roua Adam (Sudan) | Graduated from UWC Maastricht in 2016 and is currently working in the tourism and hospitality industry in Aspen, USA.