In partnership with

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The United World College in Mostar April 2012 School year 2011-2012

MUN in Mostar 2012 Earth Hour Amnesty International CAS in UWC Mostar Flea Market 2012 Street Arts Festival in Mostar

UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER News

News UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER

April issue:

MUN in Mostar 2012

UWC Mostar took pride in hosting the 6th MUN 2012 conference which was held from March 30thto April 2nd. MUNiM 2012 hosted almost 100 students from 13 different schools. Debates, fun and new friendships were the focus of yet another successful MUN in Mostar.

2 MUN 2012 4 Global Vision 4 Earth Hour 5 Vukovar visit

Future leaders of the world .

am quite sure this doesnt sound humble at all, but that is the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about this years MUNiM conference. As the guest schools participants started arriving on Thursday afternoon, 29th of March, the atmosphere had already began heating up. Period of intense preparations, loads of stress and some last minute phone calls was finally over, and the MUNiM 2012 was ready to open its doors to young delegates. Held from March 30th __ April 2nd, this years MUNiM offered us many interesting topics, heated discussions, inspirational speeches and many interesting social events. MUNiM 2012 hosted almost 100 students from 13 different schools, from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. For many of them this was a first time to attend an MUN conference and play their role as delegates from

5 Galileoscopes

different countries. It was a unique opportunity to get an insight into global politics and to examine mentioned complex issues. After the opening ceremony on Friday morning, all participants were introduced to the Model UN procedures in a workshop organized by UWCiM MUN committee. Debate sessions were organized in 4 different councils: Security, Economic and Social, Human Rights and Environmental council, covering a variety of topics (such as Ending violence in Syrian Arab Republic, The global recovery of the world economy after the late 2000 Economic Crisis, Question of rising sea levels, etc.). One of the major highlights was definitely a series of debates focusing on the issue of forced child military service in Africa, in light of a recently released short movie Kony 2012, viewed by almost 100 million of people worldwide on You Tube and Vimeo. Interest-

Members of the organizing committee: Inasa, Mark, Megan and Mikko

6 Flea Market 7 Hunger banquet and Hunger Strike 7 Day of Silence 8 Astronomy Spring 2012 8 Middle East African and Asian Cultural Week 9 Francophonie 10 Street Arts Festival
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ing contemporary topics inspired participants to engage in serious discussions and dramatic arguments. After two days of council sessions, Sunday was reserved for a General Assembly, gathering all delegates for the process of resolutions review and voting. It must be emphasized that the assembly was exceptionally fruitful with several resolutions passed. Best speakers and most active delegates were awarded by the members of the organizational committee in the closing ceremony, organized at the end of this long and exhausting but also rewarding day. This years MUNiM once again was enriched by a variety of social events, organized by UWCiM students. These included Student Party for MUNiM participants, Earth Hour initiative performance and traditional Global Vision event. This was a perfect time for all participants to socialize, have some rest after demanding sessions and share experiences. In the end all congratulations go to members of the organization committee (Mark Persij, Inasa

MUN 2012 opening ceremony

Bibi, Mikko Sihvola, Megan Scott), council chairs, MUN CAS members, Social events team, messengers and other UWCiM students who all contributed immensely. Despite all the initial difficulties they did

a tremendous job in making the MUNiM 2012 possible. It created a perfect basis for further development, with hope that MUNiM will continue growing every year, bringing new generations of

future world leaders and giving them opportunity to express their opinions and show their skills. Denan Hakalovi, History teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, UWC Mostar

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UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER News

Winners of Globalvision 2012 Fun for all... ...with great performances Students from Vukovar participating in one of the classes

News UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER

Global Vision 2012

here were more than 10 countries participating (including Serbia, Couldubboomba, The Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, USA) with wonderful and amusing performances. Many famous songs were performed including Lane Moje by Zeljko Joksimovic, a cover of Love the Way you Lie by Rihanna and Eminem,

1000 Galileoscopes for 1000 Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Following the project which started during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, the Astronomical Society Orion from Sarajevo has conducted one of the final stages of this event at the United World College in Mostar.

This years Global Vision took place on March 31st at the Youth Cultural Centre Abraevi.

Hallelujah, Pantagana by Zinedine Zidane, Budjav Lebac by SARS and many others. The crowd gave a warm welcome to the comic performances by representatives of France, Detroit, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia and Ghana. The winner of this years Global Vision was Couldubboomba with the song Us by Regina Spektor. The crowd was enchanted by the performance of the

song which was performed by students Myriel Meissner, Noga Terry, Peya Hashipali and Lucie Wuester. The award winning Couldubboomba performed one last time to the roaring applause of the crowd. After the end of the competition, the crowd and participants enjoyed the concert of Mostars most famous band, Zoster. Amar ehi, UWC Mostar student, BiH

Students from Vukovar visiting UWC Mostar

t the time when some of the most exciting events took place African, Asian, Middle East Cultural week, MUN conference, Global Vision, students from Vukovar came to live, learn, share experiences, bond and taste a bit of what UWCiM is like. During their stay in Mostar they have attended classes, engaged in long debates, participated in the preliminary preparations for the MUN conference, got involved in different CAS activities and for one week, became students of our school. Our German teacher Ljubica Bajo organized a daily sightseeing trip to surrounding monuments and historical remains, giving them a cultural and historical perspective of the area. Students from Vukovar held a presentation about the city of Vukovar, their school and activities in order to introduce themselves to UWC Mostar students. Cooperation between students provided an opportunity to meet and learn about different cultures and traditions and develope intercultural understanding, communication skills and team work. The cooperation between UWC Mostar and Technical School Nikola Tesla started out in November

Earth Hour 2012

Earth Hour is a worldwide event organized by WWF. Its mission is to make people aware of climate changes which have an effect on us and on the nature. The first Earth Hour was held in 2007 and since then it is gaining popularity and more countries are joining it every year.
ut, what does it really represent? Is it sparing the Earth of heating for just one hour ? Is it just rememberance of Earths suffering for one hour every year ? Earth Hour should make us aware that we are not supposed to do it once per year, but every day. It tries to make people pay respect to the Earth because we live on it, we use it and we need it. Earh Hour 2012 found its place in the small city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Earth Hour in Mostar is an amazing event. It takes place at the main square in Mostar - the Spanish

During the last week of March, the United World College in Mostar hosted fourteen students and three professors from Technical School of Nikola Tesla in Vukovar.
2010, and this is the third successful co-ed project that was carried out since then. It is always an exciting time for both UWC Mostar and Vukovar students who are exchanging experiences, ideas and motivating thoughts for their future. Nenad Stamatovi, Mathematics teacher, UWC Mostar Trip to Mostar was a very inspiring and enlightning experience. An experience to remember. I met different people, unique in their own ways. A multinational community with no prejudice and respect for all. This was a very positive and valuable experience for me. Ranko Very informative and fun experience. The greatest thing is removal of all prejudices regarding other religions, races, cultures and beliefs. Zoran I really enyojed the visit to UWC Mostar. I met many different people and gained new friends. I was impressed by the College. Martina

square, and every year there are more and more people who are interested in this event. Like every year, students of the United World College in Mostar and local students marked this day with a photoshoot. The candles and T-shirts were shared among the students and everything was ready for marking this remarkable event. The lights were turned off for an hour (from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time). Students formed number 60 and WWF figure while the photographers were taking photos of them from higher grounds. After the photoshoot the students went to the Youth Cultural Center Abraevi where the lights were turned off and

candles were lit up. By paying their respects to Earth, the students of UWCiM and local students wanted to exclaim how important it is to take care of Earth and how people should not

think about the Earth for only one hour, once per year, but every day throughout the year. The Earth deserves it. Toni erkez, UWC Mostar student, BiH

ur school has not been chosen by chance. The UWC Mostar Astronomy group has been active fo six years and has cooperated with the Orion Society on many levels, from organization of public astronomical events to serious scientific measurements. On April 20th, UWC Mostar hosted representatives from 80 elementary schools in Herzegovina region. During the ceremony they were addressed by the representative of the Ministry of Education and the representatives of the Orion Society who also prepared a short lecture presenting the usage of the galelioscopes. The galelioscopes are small but powerful observation tools which

can be used in extracurricular activities and in teaching subjects like Physics and Geography. The main idea of the project was to provide an opportunity for young people and schools to improve their education and get familiar with scientific procedures in Astronomy. Additionally, for many of them it will be the opportunity to look through the telescope for the first time in their lives. This event has brought together elementary school students from different curricula for the first time and proved that, as the projects pamphlet says, there is One Sky for All. Valentina Mindoljevi, UWC Mostar Headmistress

The opening ceremony speech by headmisstress Valentina Mindoljevi

Formation of WWF symbol Students marking the Earth Hour

Headmistress with Nedim Mujkic and elementary school representatives

More than 70 galileoscopes were presents for elementary schools in Herzegovina

Valentina Mindoljevi with AD Orion president M. Muminovi and Orion members

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UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER Community Actions Donations for the Refugee Camp and success of this years Flea Market

College Events UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER Activities by Amnesty International CAS in UWC Mostar

Flea Market
On the 26th of April the Refugee Camp CAS group organized the annual Spring Flea Market.
he purpose of this event was the same as in the previous years collecting funds and donations in order to help the refugees who are situated at the Refugee Camp Tasovii near the city of apljina. This time the stand was open from 9:00 to 13:00. A group of local and international students was there the whole time while the stand was open for the public and community. All students of UWCiM participated in this action by buying clothes or by donating money. We managed to collect a significant amount of funds as well as clothing donations. This fact shows that the Spring Flea Market 2012 was better and more successful than the previous one. This event was followed and covered by many media representatives, journalists, tv and radio crews from Mostar,

Hunger Banquet and Hunger Strike

Organized events which make impact on college community and Mostar community both ideologically and practically are the Hunger Banquet, Hunger Strike and Day of Silence.
unger Banquet was organized and initiated by Amnesty International and UWCiM Environmental Council aiming to represent the realistic distribution of food supplies across the globe as well as structural poverty. Students were divided randomly in low, middle and high income groups and received respective amounts of food. Later on, the participants were informed of the facts regarding such unfair division of supplies in the world, after which a feast followed. The closing part of the event was a Trash Fashion Show organized by the Environmental Council CAS members. Models wore clothes

apljina, iroki Brijeg, Meugorje, Sarajevo, and a lot of online media. They reported about the event, did several interviews with students and teachers in order to raise awareness of the community about this issue and invite them to participate. It became very obvious that the charity action this year made changes in the camp and for the people that live there. It is important to mention that many positive things happened in the camp in the meantime - people from Italy bought food for the people in the camp, a paralysed boy got a new wheelchair, and the CAS members participated in many amazing activities. The CAS group brought food two more times and also implemented a project in order to increase awareness of the people about the refugees and their problems. ejla Pali, UWC Mostar student, BiH
Flea market stand

designed from used materials in order to remind all of us of pollution and that any available form of recycling should be applied to reduce waste. Just one day later, during the 30-hour Hunger Strike UWCiM students gave up five meals in the canteen which were donated to families in Karaebe camp, directly benefiting the local community with this small but valuable contribution. This was a clear example of students implementing their beliefs and moral values in order to do something about a concerning situation and make a change. ore Modrakovi, UWC Mostar student, BiH
Trash Fashion Show models

Low income members on the floor anticipating a symbolic amount of food

Day of Silence
his April, our group marked the globally known event called the Day of Silence - a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Networks (GLSEN) annual day of action in order to protest against the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their supporters. Our students took a day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBT students and their supporters. Through this action we hope to increase awareness of serious bullying issues based on homophobia and discrimination.

People who were not familiar with such issues usually responded by being confused with the entire act of silence but through that they were also stimulated to inquire about further information. This was exactly achieved by the Day of Silence in UWCiM. In the following years the UWCiM Amnesty International team will surely try to make a difference related to the injustices in the world by organizing similar events in order to positively influence the society, as aforementioned, both ideologically and practically. ore Modrakovi, UWC Mostar student, BiH

Media representatives with UWC Mostar students

Great turn out of visitors at this years' Flea Market

Day of Silence promo poster

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UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER College Events

College Events UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER

Maja Morsing and Weronika Grabowska Students with their teacher Barbara Lichtner

Spring 2012 Astronomical Spring

The last two months have been the busiest months of the year for the Astronomy CAS members. During March it was possible to see a great picture of Venus and Jupiter setting on the west horizon in early evening hours.

e wanted to share the beauty of having a closer look at these objects through the telescope with other members of our school and Gymnasium Mostar, and we organized an observing trip at the top of nearby mountain for thirty people. Mr Nedim Mujic from the Astronomical Society Orion from Sarajevo helped us by providing two more telescopes, and we were able to experience a full astro-adventure. For the first time in their lives some of the students were able to see live: Jupiter and its moons, Venus, Mars, nebulas, globular clusters, galaxies. It was a pure pleasure to witness their amazement once they looked through the ocular. Then next adventure took us on the top of a mountain near Konjic where we organized measurement of an asteroid occultation of the star. There are groups of astronomers around the world who follow the asteroid occultations in order to determine the shape and other properties of the asteroids in the Solar Sys-

tem. We are pioneer members in this field for the region of the Balkans. The measurement was successful and all the hard work on preparing the equipment, exercising the finding of a faint star in 10 seconds, learning how to receive and measure time intervals with atomic time were worth it. April 2012 is the International month of Astronomy, so we joined Astronomers without borders in the project called 30 Nights of Starpeace and organized an observation through telescopes for the public and community. On the playground behind the school we set up two telescopes and many citizens of Mostar joined us to see the stellar objects through the telescope for the first time. Our audience consisted mostly of children who were thrilled to see the closeups of the Moon craters in front of their eyes. The event was memorable for both UWC Mostar and Gymnasium students as well as the citizens of Mostar. Valentina Mindoljevi, UWC Mostar Headmistress

Middle-Eastern, African and Asian Cultural Week

n the March 29th, three continents joined together and shared their cultures with the rest of the community. Students from Middle East, Africa and Asia worked hard to prepare great food and interesting movies in order to represent their country in the best possible way. On a cold March afternoon, all of these participants met and made some of their favorite food from their home countries. Simultaneously, funny videos and clips about the different countries were being filmed and edited. Although the participants mostly worked independently, they still helped and observed other meals being created in order to create a perfect evening. After several hours of hard work, all of the participants started to pack their meals in foil and dressed in their national costume. When the representatives of the Middle East, Africa and Asia arrived at the place of the feast, a great number of people had already come and was eager to start celebrating. The evening started off by show-

ing some very fascinating videos about marriages in these cultures, and some individual clips about each country. After a great laugh, the participants decided it was time to serve their food. The meals served at this gathering came from Lebanon, Egypt, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Cameroon, South Africa, Libya, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Looking at this, one can clearly imagine the differences in the food served, and this fact thrilled the guests especially as they tried to take a bite of everything. Chicken, lamb, beef, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, hommus, cakes and many other meals were served in order to represent all these cultures. After a fun evening, no guest left the feast with an empty stomach, and there were still left-overs for the hard working participants. The evening was very successful and enjoyable for everybody; the people are looking forward to the next Middle-Eastern, African and Asian cultural week already! Nora Braathu, UWC Mostar student, Norway

Forum de la Francophonie in Cairo, Egypt

The French language is the fifth most spoken language in the world, however, in many countries the popularity and influence of francophone culture is decreasing. This was the main isue of the three days long Conference at Oasis International School in Cairo, Egypt, which was attended by two of our French B students (Maja Morsing and Weronika Grabowska) and our French teacher Barbara Lichtner.
asis International School is a trilingual school and teaches in Arabic, French and English. The school is attended by children of all ages ranging from kindergarten until the final year of high school. They teach IB Diploma program

in French. The school feels the consequences of the decreasing popularity of the French language as it is only the third language in Egypt, since the importance of the English language has been continuously growing. Therefore, a senior student (Samih A. Talaat and friends) at

the Oasis International School decided to organize a conference on La Francophonie, and involve 90 students from the student body within the school and other Cairo international schools as well as French speaking students from 10 other countries. The goal of the conference was

Astro observations behind the Gymnasium building

At the conference in Cairo

to obtain 5 different plans daction or resolutions on how to solve this issue. The resolutions were reached in different committees who were divided by category - one for engaging young people, one for visual and performing arts and one for electronic culture. The resolutions are meant to be put in action by March 2013. Along with the conference sessions there was also time to visit the most famous touristic sites in Egypt, such as the Pyramids in Giza, the National Museum, the Souk Khan El-Khalili in old Cairo, Tahrir Square, and a night cruise on the Nile. Many friendships were formed, and since all of the students were hosted by student families or teachers from Oasis International School, there was also much to be learned about everyday life in fascinating Cairo and beautiful Egypt. Maja Morsing Weronika Grabowska and Barbara Lichtner, UWC Mostar

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UWC MOSTAR NEWSLETTER College Events

Street Arts Festival in Mostar

UWC Mostar and Mostar City Youth Council are organising the first Street Arts Festival in Mostar, which will take place on May 25th and 26th, 2012.
he aim of the Street Arts Festival is initiating creative actions of urban, visual, dance and music culture in different locations in the city of Mostar. There will be interesting workshops, movies, dance, music, skate performances and much more. The Street Arts festival is also a unique and great opportunity to help those in need. The first day of the program includes humanitarian activities and events where children from Egyptian Village, SOS Kinderdorf, Association Sun and other institutions will be participants of the Street Arts Festival. The second day is focused on DJ parties, drum workshops, anima-

tions and joggling, dancers, break dancers, acrobats and skaters as well as concerts. Mostar will have the opportunity to see street entertainers, clowns, dancers, face and chalk painting, as well as graffiti painting during these two days. A number of painters, graffiti artists, musicians, actors and dancers have shown their interest and will perform during the Street Arts Festival at different locations and present their talent to the community. Anyone who would like to participate at the Street Arts Festival in Mostar can contact streetartsfestival@gmail.com, or visit the official Facebook page.

S.A.F. - a great opportunity to see talented performers

UWC Mostar student Peter Lorenz

IMPRESSUM Editor: Adla Velagi, PR Coordinator United World College in Mostar Design: Shift creative agency, Mostar United World College in Mostar Spanski trg 1, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tel: +387 (36) 320 601, 323 273, Fax: +387 (36) 319 926 E-mail:info@uwcim.uwc.org Foundation Education in Action Skenderija 33, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tel: +387 33 212 083, 557 995, Fax: +387 (33) 557 996 E-mail:development@uwcim.uwc.org

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