Of UWCSEAs, GCs & IFPs. I have always been impressed by the image our UWC brings to the world. By the way we construct this place of idealism and initiative, of empowered kids capable to fix the world, which is hardly deniable by anybody who reads this newsletter, because it is indeed as Di Smart, former principal of the school, once told me A magical place, where magical things happen. I cant help but to question myself whenever I read this kind of articles that shares the student work, that flatters the school by showing how independent and autonomous its students are; what is the price this students pay for organising any extra curricular event? What is the real work behind them? When I think of when I was at UWCSEA, I remember how challenging was to make anything happen. Because there was no time for it, because there was always homework due tomorrow, and because there was just not enough people dispose to sacrifice their time, in fact, many times most of the students were just helping to achieve the CAS requirements. (If you are reading this now and feeling outraged, just think about the amount of time you heard or said yourself: this is all bullshit, CAS is bullshit, service is bullshit, ToK is bullshit). I also remember the bureaucracy behind any event, how we had to undergo this process to book a place, a time, to notify everybody about the event we were doing, and to hope for it to be approved. Most of the time worked, but I also remember being denied to raise funds for the Valparaiso wildfire in Chile because we were not part of a GC and because the money was not going to a well known NGO and in a conversation I did not hold with the person in charge by my baby scholar (because that is something we do well, amongst the National Committee students, we create a sense of family that I feel we are spreading around the school, something beautiful goes on there...it does get lost in the way sometimes, but it is beautiful indeed) we were told that there was enough help to it...according to the media. All this big big BIG bureaucracy (and I hope there would be a bigger word to describe this) we have to do, can lead to weirdest advices too, some of my former teachers told me plenty of times that I was not putting my priorities well, I have heard of people there telling NC students that they are not making the best of their scholarship because of their academic performance. Now, to what extent is these work recognised? Nobody really uses the learning experience you gain through the work in GCs or in other activities, not too many teachers (neither students) really recognise (or if they do they do not use it) the amount of different things that can be used in their subjects from whatever learned in the field. So the work, since it has no apparent academic value, its worthless. It does get recognised on the newsletter, I mean at least that raises one spirit. At the end of the day, and try to think rationally, one of the criteria to put on a Global Concern is that the NGO to which it helps, needs to be economically sustainable with or without the help of the GC. Therefore, do we really make a difference, do we really help? Probably for most cases, no. We provide a certain amount of support which is always valuable for self-sustained organisations, but we are definitely not fundamental for the work of that organisation, and most of us know it (and I guess thats the reason why many people consider GCs a waste of time). I am very confused right now, because a part of me feels very angry when it reads the newsletter. Because it is so hard to do anything, to make the tent plaza a corner of brazil. Because the student led initiatives are never fully student led, because to tell the people they are needed has failed and are only some of the students on a 300 students badge the ones who really feel connectedness to this words. And of course my anger is because we keep flattering ourselves by showing the hard-work of some students who sacrifice their time, motivation and idealism to be at UWCSEA and work for the things they believe in. And the other part of me feels very happy, because there are still some of us who keep fighting to make this world a little better, some of who might not have the needed tools to make it on a big scale (and I am talking mainly about money...because as sad as it sounds, it does make a difference to have limited money to run your own projects) but who still work their asses off to do it as big as they can. UWCSEA, I love you, you have given me the opportunities of my life, yet there is still a very big wound you left of me, and today for the first time in forever I have no fear of making it public. UWCSEA I will always be resented of not getting the student initiative award for Peace Day Singapore 2013. UWCSEA...see you soon.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 13:27:35 +0000
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