United World Colleges Pipeline of Racial Equity Policy Influencers
As an educational movement that unites people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future, UWC’s program equips students, leaders, staff and partners with the skills, tools, strategies, resources and relationships to be effective advocates and change makers. As a pipeline for youth development, policy awareness and community engagement, educational institutions like UWC can support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and their wisdom in the structures and foundations of leadership and decision making.
There are five main components of this program:
- Summer courses for youth in three countries
- 11-12th grades experiential learning guided by professional fellows-in-residence and build capacity for advocacy and activism
- BIPOC university students’ support system to create equitable lived experiences
- Internships for undergraduates & graduate students and alumni) to produce impact to structures and policies in growing measure and influence as participants advance along the pipeline of opportunities
- Community engagement around racial healing
Dismantling unjust systems that perpetuate racism, and re-imagining new ones in their stead demands new kinds of policies and cultural narratives — even within institutions founded to address issues of social justice. Educational institutions are uniquely positioned to catalyze new policies and cultural narratives countering the reproduction of racial inequalities. Building on the tools of social justice movements, virtual connectivity, and open source collaboration, there has never been a more opportune time to dismantle unjust systems and influence their remaking, centering racial equity in a new narrative of intergenerational responsibility and opportunity. To effectively meet this challenge in the coming decade, thousands of knowledgeable people committed to completely transforming the racial equity landscape must strategically influence the policy and practices of every institution they encounter, with racial equity a primary guiding principle preparing students to build new global legacies of inclusion, access, and justice.
“While at UWC I realized that true celebration of diversity doesn't always equal acceptance or even tolerance of the opinions, customs, and actions of others. It is more about constructively engaging - and sometimes disagreeing - with each other in an effort to fully understand where the other person is coming from.”