Transformative education for Swedes

N Y A S V E N S K A P R E S S E N E S T . 1 9 2 9 Swed sh Press[ ]i

March 2016 Vol 87:02 $4.95www.SwedishPress.com

Interview with the Minister of Education United World College Go Skolmat

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4 Letters to the Editor 5 From the Editor’s Desk

Swedish Headlines6 Headline News: Assange calls on Sweden for permission to leave Embassy6 News at a Glance7 Swedes in the News

Business8 Business News8 Borgström’s Blogg9 Company File: Go Skolmat

Feature 10 Swedish Insights on Transformative Education

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N E X T I S S U E D E A D L I N E : M A R C H 1 0

N Y A S V E N S K A P R E S S E N E S T . 1 9 2 9 Swed sh Press[ ]i

Swedish Press is the world’s leading magazine on all good things Swedish.An authority on design, business, culture and travel since 1929, Swedish Press delivers insightful news and commentary in a visually striking format. With a nod to the past, and a peek to the future, Swedish Press is your go-to source for updates and inspiration from Sweden.

Global Swedes16 Putting Sweden on the Map – At Home: Hans-Olov Olsson

Cover image: Gaining confidence and strength from an educated mind. Photo: Sergey Peterman/123rf

CONTENTS ( March 2016 )

Lifestyle18 Top Sju19 Theatre: Medea, Operan

Hemma hos20 Design: Students turn silos into a skyscraper cemetery21 Treats à la Birgitta22 Lär Dig Svenska23 Road to Community: Svenska för Invandrare (SFI)

In the Loop24 Landskapsnyheterna27 Canada, US & Beyond28 Calendar and Events

29 Ads and Info

30 Sista Ordet : The Swedish Men’s choir Vasa Dränger, Atlanta, will soon celebrate its 20th anniversary

31 Press Byrån

Interview12 Aida Hadzialic – Minister for Upper Secondary School and Adult Education and Training

Heritage14 Uppsala University

Uppsala University Library. Photo: Cecilia Larsson Lantz/Imagebank.sweden.se

PRINTED IN CANADA

Hans-Olov Olsson. Photo: Volvo Cars

Students at the Mahindra United World College of India. Photo: MUWCI

Swedish Press | Mar 2016 10[ ]

who were curious, driven, and interested in working on meaningful projects. Many of these qualities are what helped shape the origins of this educational movement back in the 60s. UWC took form at the height of the Cold War on the grounds that education could be a powerful force to prevent future con-flict. With this vision in mind, German educator Kurt Hahn brought together a diverse group of 16-20 year olds for a transformative educational experience. The first UWC, Atlantic College, was born in a castle in South Wales in 1962 with Canada’s Pearson College and Singapore’s UWC of South East Asia opening in 1974 and 1975 respectively. UWC Red Cross Nordic was the eighth college to open; welcoming students to Flekke, Norway in 1995.

In the 1990s, Sweden began to nominate 10-12 students per year for a United World College experience with scholar-ship support from the government. Similarly to the processes by other national committees, the Swedish Committee selects each student based on academic merit and potential. Swedish students have attended nearly all of the 15 United World College locations, with the majority of Swedes matriculating at UWC Red Cross Nordic (UWCRCN).

Maja, a student in her first year at UWCRCN, spoke to Swedish Press about the changes she has observed in her life since arriving. “So far it has mostly affected my personal development. Moving away from home, adjusting to a new level of independence, and exploring the many ways to live on campus have challenged me on a very personal level. At the end of my two years here, I hope to know how to balance my life and prioritize what I’m most interested in. This will help me to pursue my goals in life, such as exploring the power of music as a form of communication.”

Swedish Insights on Transformative EducationBy Alisha Fredriksson

s our bus drove up to the college, students all around us started cheering and banging on the windows and sides. It was like everyone at the college was waiting

for us to arrive; it felt very special.” – Maja Horvath on her first moments at United World College Red Cross Nordic.

Every year, thousands of students from around the world pack their bags at home and unpack them in special corners of Swaziland, Costa Rica, Norway, and a dozen other countries. These students arrive to United World Colleges, a network of international boarding schools famous for their mission “to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” For two years, they live and learn together with peers from 60+ countries while studying the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma and immersing themselves in a new way of life.

Since 1962, the 15 United World Colleges (UWCs) have welcomed over 55,000 students from over 150 national committees. Amongst those 55,000 are hundreds of Swedish students who graduated from “gymnasiet” at a United World College. For Maja, a student from Växjö, Sweden, UWC represented an opportunity to surround herself with people

“A

United World College Red Cross Nordic in Flekke, Norway.

Maya Horvath, UWC Red Cross Nordic, 2015-2017.

Celebrating the Norwegian National Day on May 17 at UWCRCN.

Swedish Press | Mar 2016 11[ ]

Alexander Burlin, a student from Linköping, Sweden and a graduate from the Mahindra United World College of India in 2013, attested to a similar concept. “I think there was a lot of implicit and explicit emphasis on our personal development – the kind that goes beyond academics. There were formal venues and reflection sessions to engage students with critical questions but the architecture of the school and its social dynamics also contributed to this engagement.”

“What makes the UWC experience so unique is that it happens at such a young age,” he explained further. “Those two years between 16-18 are key years for intellectual and social development. In university, a lot of the focus is on developing ideas and knowledge within an extremely academic sphere. In UWC, there was a lot of potential for taking what you learnt and applying it to your environment. There was also space to express your idealism, cynicism, and everything else that comes along with being an adolescent. Although academics are important and people do achieve high results, the academic component seemed like a minis-cule part of what we learnt.”

At United World Colleges, students spend many of their afternoons engaging in extracurricular activities and service work. Maja currently volunteers at a residential center for refugees who arrive to Norway and Alexander was involved with setting up an organic farm on campus. Most students juggle multiple activities while also juggling a demanding course load and a rich student life experience. At UWCRCN, students live in shared rooms of five people, each from a very different background than the next. They are involved in ongoing cultural activities as well as events and shows that they may organize on campus. For example, Arkus Fredriksson, another student from Sweden, led a

team of his peers to establish TEDxUWCRCN, a conference to welcome inspirational speakers to share their stories with the community.

“What all UWCs have in common is the ‘yes feeling’”, Arne Osland told the Swedish Press. A teacher at UWC Atlantic College since 1991 and at UWC Red Cross Nordic since 1996, Osland has engaged with over 20 cohorts of United World College students. He now serves as the Director of Development at UWCRCN and hopes to remain involved with the UWC movement up until his retirement. “People have this incredible enthusiasm, which I think we were able to establish in our first year at RCN in 1995. Students are curious and willing to share and they come with a very large comfort zone. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is to help people discover their own resourcefulness. We are all resourceful human beings and by finding that within ourselves, we can open up to new possibilities and experiences. Or like Kurt Hahn has put it: ‘There is more in you than you think.’”

For many United World College students, these pos-sibilities continue to influence their lives after they have packed their bags and left their special corners of the world. For instance, Pontus Ohrstedt, a Swedish student and graduate from UWC-USA in 1995, now works in Geneva for the United Nations and credits the value of his UWC education. “Through my work at the United Nations, I have been able to contribute to very real processes of positive social change within poor communities highly affected by armed conflict. The UWC experience has been a very valuable foundation from which to approach this work.”

To learn more about the United World College move-ment, visit www.uwc.org. If you are interested in applying, contact your national commit-tee and learn about the process at www.uwc.org/admissions.

Klara Eriksson and Veronika Konopka at UWCRCN.

The TEDxUWCRCN team.

Alexander Burlin, Mahindra UWC of India, 2011-2013

Photos: United World College

E X C L U S I V E I N T E R V I E W W I T H A I D A H A D Z I A L I C

When Aida Hadzialic’s parents brought her to Sweden from a war-torn former Yugoslavia, she was told to do her very best in school. As

her parents could offer little help, Hadzialic took her parents guidance to heart. She graduated with top honors at the International Bacca-laureate (IB) program in Halmstad and later went on to a law degree from the University of Lund.

In 2014 Hadzialic was appointed Minister for Upper Secondary School and Adult Education and Training. Swedish Press sat down for a chat with her to discuss the Swedish school system, the integration of newcomers and the uttermost importance of education and teaching.

Please tell us a little bit about your background. The Swedish welfare model with free and universal education for all children is a wonderful example of what makes Sweden great. This successful model was created by the Swedish Social Democrats, the ruling party for decades. I decided to become politically active on the day the former Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh was assassinated. She was a role model for me; representing international solidarity and working to make both Sweden and the world a better place. Prior to becoming an appointed minister in the government,

An exclusive interview with Aida Hadzialic – Minister for

Upper Secondary School and Adult Education

and TrainingBy Sofie Kinnefors

I was the deputy mayor of Halmstad in the region of Halland on the Swedish west coast.

Please describe your own experience as a young student. My parents and I came to Sweden as refugees when I was five years old. My parents had to abandon everything because of the war. They gave up successful careers as a judge and an economist and we had to

start from scratch. I remember my mother telling me that I had to give it my all, because she and my dad could not offer me connections or practical help in my career. What my parents could offer was support, while Sweden offered me free access to a top education, a chance I took.

Please tell us about your role as Minister for Upper Secondary School and Adult Education and Training.Prime Minister Stefan Löfven called me in the fall of 2014. After a few seconds of chit chat he asked if I wanted to become Minister for Upper Secondary School and Adult Education and Training. My work entails a great number of tasks, however my vision is clear; we are aiming at excellency. Sweden cannot and will not accept anything, but a world class educational system.

Education in Sweden is mandatory for all children between age 7 and age 16. Are you satisfied with those ages? It is important that all young people finish Upper Secondary Education. We know that the risk of long term unemployment is twice as high for people with short education. In order to meet this objective, the government is taking on a number of programs. For instance, investing into the teachers and working with equity. In March I commissioned an inquiry with the main mission to look at what would be needed in

Swedish Press | Mar 2016 12[ ]

Photo: Kristian Pohl/the Government Offices

M I N I S T E R F O R U P P E R S E C O N D A R Y S C H O O L & A D U LT E D U C A T I O N & T R A I N I N G

order to make sure that all young people graduate from high school. The commission is going to analyze if the age of mandatory education should be changed to 18, but at the moment I don’t think that is a path we will choose.

Sweden ranked second best higher education system in the world in 2014. The top five countries in rank order were: The United States, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Finland. Why do you think the Swedish educational system is so successful? What are some of its strengths? When the OECD looked into the Swedish school system, they listed both strengths and weaknesses within the school system that I think are quite accurate. Among the strengths is that Swedish schools are equitable and that the system is based on the idea that every child has the right to high quality education. They also noted that we have highly motivated teachers and that education is a national priority. I think that these strengths give us a rather solid foundation to build on in the coming reform work.

Are there any weaknesses within the Swedish educational system? If so, how can they be improved? The teaching profession needs to be invigorated. Only five percent of the teachers feel that society values their work and half of the teachers wouldn’t choose the teaching profession if they could choose again. Too few top performing

students want to become teachers, which is a problem. The government is doing a lot on this issue; from investing in higher teacher salaries to improving the quality in teacher training. The OECD also notes that the decentralization of the Swedish school system in the late 80’s and early 90’s has given a situation with weak and unclear responsibilities. When the OECD presented their report they said that they had problems figuring out who’s in charge of Swedish schools: is it the government, the municipality, the principal or the individual teacher? This needs to be dealt with and the government is looking in to it. But the most alarming and most prioritized problem is the declining student performance. Everything that the government is doing within the education area takes aim at increasing student performance.

What projects are the Ministry of Education and Research currently working on?At the moment we are in the middle of what we call Kunskapslyftet, which roughly translates to “educational initiative for raising the knowledge level”. Our goal is to get students to perform better, investing in adult training to get more adults that haven’t finished upper secondary education to go back to school. We also hope to get more people interested in going into vocational training, as Sweden’s businesses are screaming for the kind of skills you get from vocational training.

What measures will need to be taken by Swedish schools/ the Ministry of Education and Research to integrate the newcomers, who has entered Sweden, into our school system? For the new comers who arrive in the early, mandatory school years, Sweden has a new legislation since last year. Every child is to get his or her knowledge level mapped, in order to give them proper preparations and to place them in the age level that matches their knowledge. For the children arriving in the upper secondary school age, they are placed in the Language Introduction program until they acquire the desired level of knowledge in Swedish to be able to study at a full national program. In March last year I commissioned an inquiry on the Upper Secondary Education that also has the mission to analyze and suggest improvements in the Language Introduction.

What inspires you in your work?The chance to create a better world, introducing long lasting reforms that will increase Sweden’s chances of becoming an even greater country and to make sure that every child that is willing to do their very best has the chance to succeed. For Sweden to be able to compete on an international level with other countries we need educated people, entrepreneurial people and people who work hard to achieve what they dream of. But we also need a welfare state that gives everyone equal opportunities to reach their full potential.

Swedish Press | Mar 2016 13[ ]

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