United World College Costa Rica

Children & youth

May 28

Who: United World College Costa Rica

What: Grieg Foundation Scholars

Where: Santa Ana, Costa Rica

Project period: 2019-2024

Web: United World College Costa Rica

With an aim to bring together youth from different nations to become champions of peace through an education based on shared learning, collaboration, and understanding there began The United World Colleges (UWC) movement in 1962 at the height of the Cold War. The mission calls for making education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Today 18 schools and colleges are a part of this UCW initiative, delivering a challenging and transformational education to over 9,500 students each year.

In 2006 UWC Costa Rica became the 11th college in the UWC movement and the only one in Latin America and the Caribbean. The college evolved from the SOS International Children’s Village High School. Mr. Per Grieg, founder of the Grieg Foundation made this transition possible. The generosity of the Grieg Foundation has been imperative for UWC Costa Rica to deliver transformative educational programs to enable positive impact around the world.

In 2019, NOK 2 million per year (2019-2021), made possible for nine Grieg Foundation Scholars coming from 6 different Latin American countries and vulnerable financial backgrounds to become ambassadors of leadership, resiliency, and strong potential as agents of change.

Access to quality education

The nine Grieg Foundation Scholars have access to the best-ranked educations program in the region. The UWC Costa Rica education is designed to intentionally challenge and deconstruct concepts to enable safe spaces for all students to become the best version of themselves. Living alongside peers from 72 nations and collaborating in positive social transformation projects is the essence of the UWC Costa Rica experience

Main Mission

UWC Costa Rica’s mission is to educate UWC graduates each year who, through their own action and personal example, can become leaders in their communities and demonstrate their commitment to making a positive difference in the world.

All activities and learning opportunities incorporate one or more of UWC Costa Rica´s six competencies:

● social responsibility

● diversity

● conflict transformation

● Sustainability

● Leadership

● Healthy lifestyle.

Developing Young Agents of Change

The educational program encompasses three main areas: Academics (International Baccalaureate Diploma), Co-Curricular and Residence Life.

Wellness Program

UWC Costa Rica strives to give their students the best environment possible so they can understand the importance of mental health and promote it for the rest of their lives. They want them to learn how to take care of themselves and also those in need. Mental health is everyone’s business and also an individual responsibility. They consider everyone at UWC Costa Rica to be a contributor to the wellbeing of the entire community. The program has the priority to train student leaders and residential staff on the basics of peer-to-peer support, a culture of respect and wellness, prevention of mental health crises, mental health emergency intervention, and coordinated mental health care within the UWC Costa Rica structure.

Agents of Change Program

This experiential learning adventure allows students to become aware of their capacity for positive change, form their own project teams and partner with local communities or organizations while getting trained step-by-step in designing, implementing and evaluating a project from a social entrepreneurship approach. The program aims to provide students with a mindset and skill set for them to put ideas into action, while exploring different paths to do that: social entrepreneurship, activism, STEM. The program is made out steps that are called "The Agents of Change process" based on the Ashoka´s Change Maker process. This process allow students to learn how to recognize themselves as agents of positive impact, work collaboratively and put empathy on practice.

Out in the World

Upon graduation in May 2021, and due to their educational merit and full-ride scholarships, six of the nine Grieg Foundation Scholars will advance their studies in prestigious colleges and universities in the Unites States and will continue positively impacting the lives of those around them.