What is the way of life that humans have been learning from the very beginning of humanity? Change. An inevitable crossing of the free will of humans, and for centuries, this species have evolved to be some of the greatest species ever to walk the face of the earth.
Scaling the timeline of humanity’s excellence in ordinance with change, humans have always been preparing and changing the world themselves. And to bring the great initiative to reality, the ideas are being incepted in the minds at a very young age through the effective, particular and personalized way of learning.
Schooling and the education system are nothing but the act of passing on knowledge from one generation to another. And witnessing this act and depicting human nature from it, Rumi once said,
“Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Understanding this ideology and its deep intricacies of a unique and personalized style of learning, The Knowledge Review ventured out to find some of the most efficient and trusted schools in the Netherlands.
And crossing its path with one such school, we came across United World College Maastricht. The school is a renowned international school in Holland for its exceptional personalized learning style, which is even recognized by trusted global academic curriculums and institution boards.
Further, in an exclusive interactive session with the Head of College at the UWC Maastricht, Lodewijk van Oord describes the school’s story and how it impacts students, society and the world.
So, let’s dive deep into the impactful story of UWC Maastricht and its unique personalized academic learning style!
A Truly Global Initiative
United World College Maastricht, in the Netherlands, is one of the 18 UWC schools worldwide. The school organization’s words for bringing the world together with education and making the world a sustainable place of culture and peace.
Initiating this at the very base of UWC Maastricht is driven by values that allow the student to flourish and excel physically, intellectually, emotionally, and ethically.
On the Nobel Mission of Uniting People
UWC Maastricht is on the noble mission to bring together young people from all walks of life to work together towards peace and a sustainable future.
By choosing education as its tool, the school offers students a personalized curriculum that allows them to excel in their abilities to the fullest. Elaborating on how the school achieves that, Lodewijk van Oord says, “We offer a state-of-the-art international education for students from age 4 in our primary school until age 19 in our International Baccalaureate Career and Diploma Programme in secondary school. At the moment, we host over 950 students of more than 100 different nationalities. At UWC Maastricht, we equip them with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to live a meaningful and flourishing life.”
Moreover, the UWC’s academic education experience has always been about knowing and acting. Adding further to this vision, Lodewijk says, “We nurture an understanding of the world and its major challenges and help students discover how they can serve others and make a positive contribution to society.”
World Class International Education
UWC Maastricht offers the International Baccalaureate (IB), a widely renowned international education program known for developing inquiring, knowledgeable, confident and caring society.
Lodewijk highlighting the advantages that come with IB, says, “It empowers school-aged students to take ownership in their own learning and help them develop future-ready skills to make a difference and thrive in a world that changes fast.”
“On top of this, our school is driven by the UWC values, in order for young people to flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically and become caring global citizens,” Lodewijk further adds.
Beyond the Classrooms
Being a trendsetter in the global education scenario, UWC Maastricht has started a unique program named Beyond the Classrooms, focusing on the holistic growth of the students.
Briefly shadowing the program intricacies at the UWC Maastricht, Lodewijk says, “These programmes allow students to choose courses with a focus on personal, academic and professional skills development and relevant service and work-related experiences.”
Further highlighting the co and extracurricular activities that further adds to the school’s and student’s holistic development, Lodewijk asserts, “UWC Maastricht offers many co- and extracurricular programmes. From sports, creativity clubs, music lessons and services to student-led initiatives. Students develop leadership and collaboration skills and participate in meaningful activities throughout the school and the Maastricht community.”
The Change Initiators
Being a renowned international school, UWC Maastricht is proud of its student-led initiatives for bringing society with noble initiatives like conferences, festivals, and musicals. During the organization, implementation and evaluation, students learn how to work in multicultural teams outside of the academic setting, train in extracurricular skills, gain new knowledge of different subjects and provide content to the whole school community and beyond.
Understanding the impact the school’s initiatives have on society and the students, Lodewijk exemplifies, “They also get the chance to meet experts, workshop facilitators, organizations and guest speakers from all over the world. Furthermore, students will develop contacts with other local and international schools which are participating in the events.”
Further adding to that thought, Lodewijk says, “Some examples of these student-led initiatives are conferences such as International Peace Conference, Youth Environmental Sustainability Conference or Sciences Conference. But also, an art festival, culture weeks, a musical and TEDxYouth Maastricht are part of them.”
Education: Way to Change the World!
UWC Maastricht believes education is the driving force that can change the world. And as an inclusive, personalized international school, it has kept its door open for every student worldwide. Today, the student at UWC Maastricht represents a wide variety of religions, political perspectives and cultures, from royals to refugees.
Further explaining how the schools draw the growth arc of the world, Lodewijk says, “We equip students with the attitude, skills and knowledge to live a meaningful and flourishing life by making a positive contribution to society. All students together spend more than 40,000 hours a year doing voluntary work in Maastricht and its region. Cooking for the elderly, handing out food to homeless people, picking litter, being a buddy to disabled children.”
Elaborating on the future roadmap of the school, Lodewijk further says, “At the same time, they identify challenges within their home countries. Poor living conditions in refugee camps in Western Sahara, lack education for orphans in Laos or discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities worldwide. The overarching aim of our education is to nurture the skills and attitudes needed to be an active participants in society. We encourage students to identify problems and injustices wherever they exist and to focus on the mechanisms through which positive change can be achieved.”
“At UWC Maastricht, social responsibility is part of the students’ DNA. Locally, nationally and globally. This way, we believe, not only our school is going forward, but also our shared world!” Lodewijk concludes.
