FAQ
UWC
What exactly is a UWC short course? The aim of UWC short courses is to take UWC's mission and values to a wider audience. Courses are generally organised by groups of UWC alumni or National Committees. You can read more about UWC short courses here.
Who is organising this? We are a team of coordinators, you can read more about us here and contact us for more information.
What is emPOWER E.V and why is it involved? emPOWER E.V. is a German registered charity, created by UWC alumni for the purpose of having a legal entity through which to organise UWC short courses and other educational initiatives.
In what ways can I get involved? You can be a part of Connecting Borders in several different ways.
Participants: take part in the courses activities for two weeks.
Coordinators: have a fundamental role in the design and implementation of the course, as well as a responsibility to encourage participant involvement and provide emotional support.
Local Coordinator: will take on the logistics of the course on the ground, contacting local organisations, finalising transport arrangements, food, day activities, etc.
Donors: make the course possible! There is a wide range of options to support us, from small financial gifts (through our crowdsourcing drive) to larger grants, we also accept donations in kind for items like stationery, t-shirts, water, snacks, etc.
Participants
Who can be a participant? Participants must be between the ages of 16 and 18 and be from (or permanent residents of) one of the target countries.
What countries will be involved? It is hard to say exactly as that will depend on nominations, visas, funding, etc. We are open to all applications from Europe and the Middle East.
How can I apply? The initial nomination of participants will happen through UWC national committees. We approach a number of them and they will nominate the candidates that fell just short of a UWC scholarship, but they deem to have a potential to make exceptional contributions to the UWC short course. The Connecting Borders team will then invite candidates from the list of UWC national committee nominees. The coordination team will have no input into the initial national nominations.
The second application process will be an open call for applications for any candidate from the target area. These applications will be reviewed and evaluated by the Connecting Borders team.
When will the open application process start? Applications will open on 15th March, 2018.
How do you choose among candidates? We follow guidelines used by UWC national committees to evaluate applications and then decide on invitations following criteria of potential (as per the evaluation) and diversity (national, cultural, socio-economic). We aim to get as exceptional and varied a group as possible!
How much will I have to pay if I am selected? Funding is being sought to minimise the cost per participant. While it is unlikely scholarships will be available for everybody, we aim for finances not to be an obstacle for participants. We will assess needs of candidates and estimate a fee that they could afford. The full fee for UWC national committee nominees is a subsidized 600€. The full unsubsidized fees for independent candidates is of 700€.
Are participants covered by insurance? Yes, participants will be covered for the two weeks they spend at the UWC short course.
Coordinators
What do coordinators exactly do? Facilitators have an integral role in program development, on site preparations and the execution of the course itself.
Can I apply to be a coordinator? If you are 18 or over, passionate about youth empowerment and inter-cultural understanding, we want to hear from you!
Is the position paid? No. We will cover the full stay for coordinators (room, board and local transport). Contingent on fund availability, we may be able to help with cost of travel to and from Turkey.
When will I hear back from my application? You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 3 days of submitting your application. The recruitment timeline may vary each year. Please check the Coordinator section for more information.
If I am successful, will I be insured? Yes. As a coordinator you will be insured while you are involved in UWC short course-related activities.
Funding
Where does the money come from? There are several streams of income for the project. We seek grants and sponsors, run crowdsourcing campaigns, and we ask participants who can afford it to pay the full fee.
I would like to donate, where will my money be used? We are flexible on how you would like your gift to be used (to support a participant from a specific country, for a specific organisational purpose or for greatest need).