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It's all very well wanting to save the world, but with-out help, we wouldn't get anywhere. Helena K ennecfyUW: Baroness Kennedy, what makes Atlantic college specialenough for you to give your time to it?

the Government believes the stateshould support state schools, so

Helena Kennedy: There are many international schools - for that they are improved, and notthe children of diplomats or the personnel of multinational divert money into private ones. Icompanies. That is not what AC is. The difference comes from happen to think there are oftenthe real variety of students, the difference in backgrounds and great advantages in people fromexperiences. I think it provides an exceptional education for a tough backgrounds, but with theglobalised world and provides a deep understanding of our di- right kind of temperament andverse world. Also because of it's ethos - a commitment to ability, getting away so that theypeace, to mutual respect, a belief that every individual can con- can develop the skills that will taketribute to a better world. And because it brings together stu- them to the best universities. Sup-dents from across racial, religious, gender and class divisions in posing a young person's mum hasa spirit of tolerance and respect. become mentally ill or there are Helena Kennedy hasUW: Two of your children have attended Uwc. What are the 3 real problems at home, going to a been on the Board ofmost striking differences between their education and yours? UWC could be wonderful. I have Governors of AtlanticHK: I went to a big, Catholic, secondary school in Glasgow. The spoken to the Minister of Education, College since 2005.student population was mainly working class, with a few people Lord Andrew Adonis, about this. He Apart from being awhose parents were teachers. It was also very homogenous. went to a boarding school, although member of the HouseThere was no one who was not white. Almost everyone had an he is not from a privileged back- of Lords she is also aIrish background - usually immigrant grandparents. Some were ground, which was possible in the criminal lawyer whofrom Italian families and some were Polish. A small number old days and he is quite open to the specialises in humanoriginated in the Highlands of Scotland where there is a small possibility of working with us on this rights.Catholic population dating back to the Jacobites. together.Cleo and Roland's Sixth form ex- UW: As the law and justice system is aperience could not have beenmore different. The wonderfulthing about UWCs is that the stu-dent body is so diverse - in class,race and religion. That mix and the d if hdepth of the relationships is what presente l t ey aremakes it so special. It is also amuch more politically and cultur-

"It is important thatpeople are properly re-

very important part of your occupa-tion as a jury advocate and you usu-ally deal with highly charged, politicalcases that concern human rights, doyou believe that there is adequateaccess to justice for all?HK: Our system is better than many inthe world but we have to be con-going to spend the restally aware environment. stantly vigilant. When governments

UW:Doyouconsiderthataspecial of their lives inprison" want to save money it is easy to cutUWC diploma is a sensible possibil- legal aid for those accused of crimeity for the future to replace the IB? because everyone thinks it couldHK: The diploma would not re- never affect them.place the IB but supplement it - this would show just how much UW: Should Legal Aid be more widely available?service is done in our colleges unlike in other IB schools.UW: British students seem to have limited access to full scholar-ships at AC. Is this fair and are you aware of any steps beingtaken to change this?HK: I do not think it is fair, but I can't begin to tell you how hardit is to get money for scholarships. In some other countries,governments provides some support but the whole issue ofeducation in independent schools is very politicised here and

HK: It should be more available in Asylum cases. What is avail-able is meagre and, as a result, the lawyers who do it are oftentaking shortcuts and failing their clients. People who have suf-fered persecution need time and care if their story is to comeout in all its terrible detail- especially when women have beenraped.

continues on page two

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Interview with Helena Kennedycontinued from page oneUW: Do you consider that the law takes sufficient account ofthe human rights of those who might be affected by acts ofterrorism, when considering the human rights of a suspectedterrorist?

UW: As a Londoner do you think that Ken Livingstone madea good mayor?HK: Yes I do, because the city is cleaner, more vibrant andbusiness has loved him. He also tried to introduce fairer

HK: Absolutely. The law on terrorism is so tough. We have sur- housing policies and gave free travel to people over 60 andrendered a huge amount of our civil liberties, all in the claim to those under 18.That meant a lot more money in thethat it will secure better justice ---_;_----------------- pocket of ordinary families. Ifor victims. In truth, reducing pro- c c We have to go on believ- also think he really believed intections for the accused only in- multiculturalism - as I do.creases the risk of miscarriages of ing in worldpeace and London is wonderful, becausejustice, which does nothing to it is so diverse. However, allprotect victims or the general we have to re-invent the that said, I think he allowedpublic and gives another victory I I some people under him toto the terrorist. As Benjamin UN k h "misuse money and I think heFranklin said: "He who sacrif ices to rna e it appeno stayed too long.liberty for security deserves nei-ther."UW: Apart from being a lawyer, you also sit on Labour'sbenches in the House of Lords. Do you consider it an advan-tage or disadvantage being a woman in this position?HK: Advantage. As we are still only 20% so we get a higherprofile for the things we care about.UW: You have expressed your opposition to the Iraq war.In your opinion, was this the major reason for Tony Blair'sunpopularity and do you think history will look morekindly on his time as Prime Minister?HK: History will never forgive him for the decision to go towar with Bush. And nor should it.UW: Do you believe that Gordon Brown can revive the for-tunes of New Labour?HK: It is not looking good! He could only do so if he re-turned to some of his idealism and rediscovered the val-ues of Labour, which is about fairness, equity, and theeradication of poverty.

I wanted answers.

UW: What is your immediate reaction to the election ofBoris Johnson as mayor?HK: Let's see how he does. I did not like some of his racistcomments. No one should talk about black children asUW: Finally on an issue that all UWC student really take toheart, do you consider that the United Nations, as presentlyconstituted, can possibly achieve peace in the world or isworld peace an impossible objective?HK: We have to go on believing in world peace and we haveto re-invent the UNto make it happen.Interviewed by Honor Mishcon (England, AC 07-09)

More regarding the Mayoral Elections online:.. Boris Johnson: At least he isn't Ken Livingstone

Honor M i sh con (Eng la n d, AC07 -09 ).. Mayoral Elections: Best choice "None of the above"?

J e ss amy McArd le (Eng la n d / Can ada )AC07-09 )

APalestinian refugee about his experience with the Israeli Border Control

Iuffered. I was taken away, beaten, my paperswere removed. All contact I had with the outsideworld was taken from me. I was taken to prison,beaten even more, and now I am in jail for reasonsthat I myself do not understand. I asked "Why, whyme?", I asked persistently, passionately and elo-quently, I wouldn't take silence for an answer, butdespite my efforts, alii got was a raw egg for break-fast. But it did not bother me. All that I could thinkabout now was my family, I had called my mum the

night before and promised her that I'd be there by 7pm, but now it was closer to 7 am.I wanted answers, I wanted reasons, butmost off all, I wanted to see my familyfor a few days be-fore going back to Izzat Shamroukhcollege. Palestine (AC06-08)

contact: [email protected] was released the next day and arrived in college ontime.

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One event passes over the private (real) lifeof people like a cloud over a lake. Nothingstirs, there is only afleeting shadow. Anotherevent whips up the lake as in a thunderstorm.For a while it is scarcely recognisable. Athird may, perhaps drain the lake completely.To learn about that, you must read biogra-phies, not those of statesmen, but the all toorare ones of unknown individuals ...

Adapted from Sebastian Haffner

Ecuador, Saturday 14th March 2007, 11.30 am

what got me out of bed so fast. I knew it breaking one thief's nose, they threwwas my mum. him to the floor next to me. His headI ran to the stairs and the first thing I was bleeding but he wanted to con-saw was a man, face half-covered with tinue. I took his hand and begged him tored fabric, pointing his gun at me. My calm down. "Let them take whatevermum followed him, frightened and be- they want!" I said.hind her were eight other strangers. That scared the men; they didn't wantThey ordered us to sit down on the to continue.bathroom floor, first making sure that "Don't blame us, blame the Govern-both my dad and brother were well tied, ment; they've stolen all our money" saidjust in case... the man with the broken nose beforeUnfortunately, my grand-aunt and leaving.

make sure the alarm(that sounds even when a cat comes in)is working before going to bed everynight.

Maria Gabriela Juncosa Calahorrano(Ecuador, AC07-09)

contact: [email protected]

Mm was cooking chicken for uncle came in at that moment to give a The police came anlunch; my dad and brother were present to my sister. They both panicked hour and a half after wewatching football; my younger sister when they realised what was happen- called them. They were

was with a friend. Iwas taking a nap. ing. My grand-uncle felt the duty to pro- completely useless. WeThe ring of the doorbell woke me up, tect us; he started to fight but it was him changed the locks andbut the scream that followed it was against 9 or 10 other people. After added more and now

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fAtlantic College - Let's keep the magic!At some point in the past eighteen months, everyone of usof made the decision to apply to the United World Col-leges. We decided to temporarily sacrifice what we had grownup with to come and live in a castle somewhere in South Wales.Most of my friends and relatives couldn't understand why Itook such a decision - but it was simply because I had faith inthe UWC ideals. I believed that UWC "makes education a forceto unite people, nations and cultures for peace anda sustainable future"and I f elt proud to become a part of it.I don't know what exactly I expected when I was coming to

AC, but I know my expectations were very positive. The waythis place had been portrayed to me sounded nearly like anideal world. Soon after my arrival I realized that it wasn't quitetrue. I couldn't really identify what exactly was wrong, but Iknew it was something quite serious and central to this place.After a year, I see the main problem of this place not in the con-stitution, not in the washing machines, not in the quality of thefood, not even in the actual decision-making process. In myview, simply the way we spend our time is the most importantissue.Before coming to AC, I often heard how special this place was.

During my first year, I often heard how important it was to"make the most of it", because there was no other place likethis in the world. But what makes AC so special? What is thispeculiar ingredient that is so distinct to us that you won't find itanywhere in the world? Many people would sayinternationalism, independence. The way we treat each other.Appreciation. Diversity. Toleration. Willingness to learn. Open-mindedness. Commitment. Student involvement. Initiative.Responsibility. Service. Fun. Joy. Supposedly, all these andmany more abstract words make AC so special. But does oureveryday life really correspond to these values?If AC really is special, certain things you can do only in AC and

nowhere else must exist. But you can get drunk anywhere inthe world. It doesn't really make a difference if you do it with afew friends at home or friends from, for example five differentcountries. You may argue that it is a way of socialising andhence exploring other cultures, but the only thing you can dis-cover is the level of alcohol tolerance your drinking partner has!Similarly, you can spend a night talking to someone about themost recent AC rumours or any other superficial topic and eventhough you may reach mutual understanding, you won't reallydiscover much about a different culture. I am not implying thatAC should be a genius club where students discuss onlyinternational politics, philosophy and the purpose of life 24/7,but the number of conversations which mainly deal with thelatest rumours of last night in the Social Centre really surpriseme.Our aim is to be a force. Forces can have different effects -

they can deform a body or they can put it into motion. In AC weshould interact; spread around and try to pick up the best bitsof our diverse society. Learn from each other and then let thisexperience shape us. This process inevitably means that wesacrifice some of our own views and principles, but not all ofthem. Some of our views are positive and that's why we wereselected to come and represent them; to let others learn from

us. Some are biased prejudices and stereotypes we need to getrid of. However, AC is also a community and inevitably, it has itsmainstream way of thinking that will influence us; but lettingthe AC society change our positive side is definitely not a goodidea, although it happens quite often.AC is a special place, indeed. This magic ingredient that makesit so distinct is not defined by any of the abstract wordsI mentioned earlier on. It is simply about people and theiractions, like in every single community allover the globe. Everyone of us has their four terms in AC. Not a single second less,not a single second more. It is a huge responsibility to be ina place like this and it is entirely up to us what we do with thislimited amount of time - how much we spend doing things thatwe can't do anywhere else in the world and how much wespend doing things that do not contribute to our common goal.It is our responsibility to carefully think about this question -our responsibility to ourselves, to the national committees, tothe global society, and to our first years.

Peter Sutoris (Hungary, AC05-07)contact: [email protected]

"We are not like Childrenwithout parents"Liza Gashi (Kosovo) presents her point ofview on the current situation in Kosovo afterthe first Independence Day on 17/2/2008

Ias born in 1990, at a time when the political situation inKosovo was really terrible. There were protests every-where. Everywhere in Kosovo people had been crying forequal rights like those of the other Republics of the formerYugoslavia.What did the Serbians do during this time? They took our Na-tional TV (Radio and Television of Pristinaj, they fired most ofthe Albanian workers from their jobs, and they used their po-sitions to disturb our school education.Albanians didn't sleep during this crisis. They really had diffi-cult social problems, but they organised lessons in houses fortheir children. Teachers worked without any money. Thesewere hard times, and we missed out as children - we weren'tfree to play, to have our favorite toys, and everything wasdifficult for us.As people, we didn't have the right to choose for ourselves.

We weren't equal with other Republics of the former Yugosla-via, and Serbia didn't know and respect our fundamental hu-man rights.In 1999 when I was eight years old, the war started. Thou-

sands of people from Kosovo have been victims of explosions,murders and massacres. Most of the people, who Serbian mili-tias expelled from their homes, never came back because theirhouses had been destroyed in fires.War destroyed almost everything and many people are stilltraumatized. After the war, international organisations intro-duced multiethnic projects and the youth have been very"

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The 12th UWC in Mostar, Bos-nia-Herzegovina (opened2006), aims to promote thereconciliation process on theBalkans.

pleased to be in the forefront of change and peace. Our Inde-pendence Day was the best thing to happen to the Kosovopeople. It was really satisfying to know that now, we have astate, we aren't like children without parents, we are equaland Kosovo is garden of peace, where human rights are re-spected for all people who live there.

Liza Gashi (Kosovo, UWC Costa Rica 07/09) --"==~~~fIE!!~contact: [email protected]

Yaroslav Zabavskiy on Putin, media and Chechnya ..."It is a bit unfair, that Putin's party is this influential in the Parliament."Daniel Prinz (Hungary, AC07-09) asks Yaroslav Zabavskiy(Russia, AC07-09), who lives in Tomilino, Luberci Region,Moscow District, questions about the current political situa-tion in his home country.In the present Russia or in your area what do you see re-maining from the Soviet era?There are a lot of changes compared to the 1990's. During mychildhood there were food shortages which is now not aproblem any more. What has remained is the people in theparliament and government. They were all born during thecommunist period. So people are still the same. Our ideologyand strategy has changed, we have removed the monumentsof Lenin and Stalin, renamed the streets, people are now ableto travel to the western world. In the last elections the Com-munist Party gained 57 seats in the Duma, but I don't see anychance for communism to come back. Our politicians used tovote for communist leaders and now suddenly all of themhave become democrats.Is Putin a part of this so-called old generation?No, definitely not. He brought new ways of thinking and de-mocratic means of government.But from the western media it seems that Putin sometimesuses not so democratic instruments ...Well, Putin's status as a national leader is very high, which Idon't think is right. This reminds many people of the Soviettimes. Not the way he rules, but his popularity amongst ordi-nary people. Sometimes he is like a Tsar. Sometimes thereare ideas that he should become a sort of Russian Luka-shenko and rule for life. In 2007 there were wide concernsabout this, but now it seems that he is ready to leave powerat the end of his second term.But is he not keeping his power becoming a Prime Minister?According to the constitution the power is with the Presidentbut probably he will be able to influence the new President,especially because it seems it will be his choice.Medvedev is quite a powerful personality of Putin's party,since 2004 he has had a high appointment as First DeputyPrime Minister and First Deputy Chairman of Council for Im-plementation of the Priority National Projects which appar-ently he fulfilled well, so that is why he is popular not be-cause of Putin.What is the role of the media? Is it free and working?

At the end of the day is this democracy?A kind of democracy. Year by year Russia is becoming moreand more democratic. The western media is quite manipulat-ive. Russia is not a perfect democracy but it is getting betterand better, people have started to live better. This is a fact.Compared to the 1990's, now people can buy food in shops.At that time they could not. Not because they were poor,because there was not enough food in the shops. There iscertainly a possibility of growing democracy. But we were allafraid of Putin becoming a national leader for ever, but nowwe know he will not break the constitution and just stay forone more term.What is the role of the secret services?If they do influence our life in anyway it is good, as they arefighting terrorism and the drug problems.What do you think of Chechnya?The war there has kind of stopped now. There are no massivebattles or bombing there. The situation is quiet. There havenot been many terrorist attack for a long time which is verygood. The president was killed and now his son leads the ter-ritory. Big improvements carried out ( egoSchools).But then what do the terrorists want?They want the independence of Chechnya. At the momentthey are just hiding. Since Putin has been the president somebig names were killed (for example Basayev). I rememberwhen I was small during the Yeltsin-era there were newsabout attacks every week. Now it is only small groups inmountains and they are much weaker than they used to be.But isn't their aim legitimate? Don't they have a right to beindependent?No, the people of Chechnya do not wish to be ruled by theseterrorists leaders. They think the Russian army is good forthem, they are not on the side of the terrorists, who de-stroyed everything in Grozny. Now it is fully repaired. Theycan just compare. They have their own president in their ownrepublic. They are mostly Muslims, they have their religion.There is no way to be ruled by people who kill children. Theseterrorists are not being seen as freedom-fighters. They arejust terrorists.A last question: why do you have a red star at the top of oneof the towers of the Kremlin?In the eyes of the people it has no connection with the red

It is, you can find a lot of anti-Putin media on the internet or terror. People are just used to it. You do not see any monu-in bookshops. It is not like in Soviet times, when you could ments of Stalin any more. There are still some of Lenin. Thenot say anything against the leaders. People make the choice, problem cannot be in any stars, it is in the heads of the peo-but they only have one choice. This is a bit unfair, that Putin's pie. For me from the new generation a red star looks nice onparty is so influential in the Parliament. the top of a red building on the Red Square. And that's it.

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Tibet - View- from LhasaThe protest in Tibet began with demonstrations on March10,2008 (Tibetan Uprising Day), the 49th anniversary ofthe failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The pro-tests were started by Buddhist monks calling for the release offellow monks detained in October 2007 as they celebrated theDalai Lama receiving the United States Congressional Gold Me-dal on September 27,2007. Posters of his Holiness and the ban-ned Tibetan official flag were seen being carried around by the-se protesters in the streets of Lhasa.The protests soon turned into calls for independence, r ioting,

burning and looting as the Chinese troops came in to stop theprotesters. Tensions in Lhasa have increased as the city's threebiggest monasteries were sealed off by thousands of soldiersand armed police amid the largest protests in nearly two deca-des. Due to this outrage, local people also joined the protest,chanting slogans such as 'Free Tibet' 'Long Live the Dalai Lama'and 'Free the Panchen Lama'. Throughout the protests, theChinese army used tear gas and electric prods to dispersehundreds of protesters. According to research by The TibetanCentre for Human Rights and Democracy committee, more than120 Tibetans were killed and more than 1000 were injuredalthough Chinese officials have suggested the death toll to bearound 18. Due to the major crackdown in Lhasa, Tibetans overdifferent parts of Tibet also started a protest in their local areasto overthrow the Chinese occupation. Tibetans living in exileover different parts of the world also started peaceful de-monstrations in front of Chinese embassies and used other tac-tics such as started hunger strikes. In Beijing, hundreds ofethnic Tibetan students organized a sit-in protest in solidaritywith the protesters in the historic area of Tibet. The Chineseofficials gave the Tibetan protesters in Lhasa a deadline tillMonday midnight to surrender themselves or to face the conse-quences. After the deadline passed, reports were heard thatthe Chinese troops were doing a house-to-house search in Lha-sa and arresting anyone they suspected.The foreign officials from different parts of the world urged

the Chinese officials to deal with the protest in a peaceful wayand to stop using force. The UN High Commissioner for HumanRights Louise Arbour urged the Chinese government to allowprotesters to "exercise their right to freedom of expression andassembly" and urged the Chinese government to refrain fromexcessive force. The Chinese officials made it very difficult toaccess media in Tibet especially in Lhasa.The Chinese officials have accused His Holiness the Dalai Lama

to be the mastermind behind the protest. However, His Holi-ness has denied the accusation and explained he is no longerseeking independence, but a complete autonomous Tibet un-der Chinese rule. He also expressed his support for the BeijingOlympics although many Tibetans and many supporters havedecided to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also addedthat he will resign from his post as the political leader of theTibetan government in exile if the violence in Tibet continuedto get worse. He also added that if China's claims about him aretrue in any way they should prove them to the world. But theChinese government has not responded to his argument whichclearly shows that the Chinese government is trying to spreadfalse propaganda throughout the world. News has also been

heard about Chinese troops and police disguising themselves inTibetan robes as Tibetan monks and inciting violent riotsthroughout Tibet in order to blame true monks.Due to this major crackdown in the Tibet Autonomous Region

and other parts of Tibet which China claims belong to them, ahuge impact has been made on the image of China as a hostcountry for the upcoming Olympic event. The Olympic is hostedto promote peace, friendship and respect among different nati-ons. It is not an event which symbolizes anyone's right to legiti-mize its rule over something that doesn't belong to them. Andcertainly not an event to exploit basic human rights and torturethose who desire to leave in peace. Many athletes and worldleaders had already denied taking part in 2008 Beijing Olympicin order to show solidarity with the Tibetans for their cause ofstruggle and to make China realize that what they are doing isclearly wrong and unjust. The issue of boycotting the Olympicsis still an ongoing debate among various world leaders. Now itis in the hands of the Chinese leadership to decide their fate.Do they want a successful game or a controversial one? It's upto them.

FREE TIBET and LONG LIVE THE DALAI LAMA!Tenzin Topchen (Tibet, AC 06-08)contact: [email protected]

Y o u . ' . . V i d e o s I Ch a n n e l s I C o m m u n i t y I Up l o a dWatch a video of Chinese and Tibetan students debating theconflict and other weekly updates on current affairs and col-lege issues on the United Words You Tube Channel:www.youtube.comlunitedwords

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Olympic spirit idyllic pretension?Ilight of the Tibetan escalation, theEuropean Union is considering step-ping up against China - EU Foreign Com-missioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner men-tioned a possible boycott of the OlympicGames in Peking 2008.According to Ferrero-Waldner, all of

us, especially Western corporations

However, let us consider the role of the On a more practical level, I would likeOlympic Games. The Olympiad gives the to suggest that with today's huge globalworld an almost unique opportunity to problems, climate change being just onebe in unison for a short period of time, of them, we must begin to collaborate ifregardless of wars and cruelties happe- we do not want to face our own extincti-ning simultaneously. One could argue on. Events such as the Olympics are cru-that the Olympics are therefore not cial in fostering international understan-much more than a pretension of an idyl- ding. Progress can only be made if dis-

working in China, have responsibilities in lie, non-existent situation. However, weensuring China respects human rights. should, however, not forget that it isThe respecting of human rights and the mainly politicians who are responsibleconcept of freedom of opinion and me-dia are the underlying principles of in-ternational understanding and therebyof the Olympiad - Since Ferrero-Waldner does not perceive these condi-tions to be present in China, she consi-ders the possible boycott to be legitima-te. China's actions in the followingweeks will be monitored and will lead toa decision about the EU's role in thisyear's games.In this article, I will not attempt to jud-

ge China's actions in regard to humanrights. It could certainly be argued thattheir measures are most brute, violentand contradictory to the Olympic spirit.

for conflicts; people in the world are,essentially, all equal in their desires. It isTibet and China that are in disagree-ment, not individual Tibetans and Chi-nese. In this sense, people themselvesare much closer to the Olympic spirit ofco-existence and unity than are politici-ans. In inflicting the current politicalsituation on what has so far been so-mething for people, Ferrero-Waldnertrivializes the concept of the OlympicGames. We should not give away whatis perhaps the last event happeningindependent of cruelties. It is an iconof hope that one day the world will beable to work together in unison.

cussion and co-operation are present; aboycott eliminates these vital processes.

Andrea Mihic (Switzerland, AC07-09)contact: [email protected]

Rui Fillipe commented onwww.unitedwords.org:I disagree with the choice of China ashost country of the Olympic Games. Indi-rectly, the committee organizer has bloodon his hands. Many workers have alreadydied on construction sites, and others willstill die. Because lives in china seems lessimportant than the money saved througha security virtually non-existent. However,I agree with Andrea, a boycott would notbe constructive.

Riots in Tibet - View from BeijingIresponse to the riots in the major Tibetan city of Lhasa,started half a month ago, the Chinese authorities main-tain that the riots involved a 'tiny minority' of rebels 'beating

fidence that the Government of Tibet could contain the riots.The authorities expressed the wish for a swift and peacefulresolution to the violence, and stressed that it was determi-

civilians, stealing and damaging properties'. More controver- ned to subject the 'minority of unlawful elements' causingsially, the Government accuses the Tibetan spiritual leader, the troubles to law and imprisonment.the Dalai Lama, of orchestrating the riots, claiming that it Jennifer Leong (Hong Kong, AC 06-08)holds important evidence of the Lama's involvement in orga-nizing the events. However, no such evidence has been disc-losed to date. The head of the Tibetan self-governing territo-ry's Government also dismissed rumours that the Chinesearmy had fired on the protesting crowd, saying that troopswere deployed only to maintain law and order in the city andto assist in rescue work. According to the reports by Wen WuiPo, a Beijing-friendly newspaper in Hong Kong, the troopshad helped over 580 people to safety, including foreign tou-rists. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao alsotold Reuters news agency that the situation in Tibet was nowstable. In comparison to the usual censorship on the news ofTibetan conflicts, the Chinese media's coverage of the violen-ce in Lhasa can be described as very high-profile this time. Onthe morning of 15th March, the day after the riots appearedto spread, the state news agency, Xinhua agency, airedimages of the streets of Lhasa. This was seen as an act of con-

contact: [email protected] Topchen (Tibet,AC06-08) commented on www.unitedwords.org:Understanding the point you are emphasising, my opinionis that if the "riots" are the works of only a few people,how come it has spread to such a large nertwork withinsuch a short time? and considering the prohibition of in-ternational media and internet sites like youtube beingcut off in Tibet, Iseriously think that the situation insidetibet is not being reported truthfully. I too hope as a tibe-tan that there will be peace in my land after all these de-cades, not just in a form of absence of violence but in ex-pression of people's freedom as well. But we have to ac-cept that clearing the surface is not the solution to thisissue. The root causes of injustice and oppression has tobe addressed sooner or later ..

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8/12

Africa - The Passion never dies ..."After the storm comes the sunshine", says Job Ogutu (Kenya)

Just like the phoenix, Africa will one day rise from the ashes.Many years ago, the African soil was occupied by Kingdomsand Empires. The success of these vast territories lay on theirrulers. The powerful Kings and Emperors obtained powerthrough annihilating and then conquering. From the Kingdom ofOld Ghana in West Africa, to the Empire of Mwenemutapa inSouthern Africa and the Kingdom of The Kabaka in East Africa, apeople full of pride were in occupancy. Yes, the African manwas once a person pregnant with pride; thumping his chest ashe walked across the beautiful land that was in his possession.The beautiful and pure waters of the Victoria Falls to quench histhirst; the green grass that surrounded his home, for the satis-faction of his livestock; the wonderful unexploited earth for thegrowth of his food, to feed him and his family; the waters of thegreat lake Victoria, full of fish, an important diet in his meal.Yes, those were the glory days.Africa has been exploited of itsrich mineral deposits, rendering some areas derelict, without ashred of richness in them. Trees have been cut down, leavingsome parts of the continent prone to desertification. Starvation,thirst and disease are some plagues that have rocked such a-reas. The infant mortality has shot up, with babies dying likeflies. The life expectancy in Malawi is 40 years. Famine, diseaseand poverty are the major contributors of this. With a GDP-per capita of $600, this African country is ranked as the poorestworld wide. Malawi is just an example of the many poor Africanstates. A big factor to consider when it comes to the problemsfacing this once mighty continent is the killer disease AIDS. This

disease has led to many being orphaned further plunging thecontinent in a sea full of problems.But after the storm, comes the sunshine. The same will one dayhappen in this beautiful continent that was once lush with ve-getation and wildlife. It might seem impossible looking at thecontinent today with the struggles it's going through, but it willhappen. "Every cloud has a silver lining ..."

Job Ogutu (AC06-0B, Kenya)contact: [email protected]

home'It's dark outside' she whispers, scared.

I smile to try and comfort her.'What if they come back?' she continues.

For this I have no gesture, no words.We sit in our living-room, alone.

It's dark.The candle flickers.'They hurt her,' the child says, slowly.

I look away.I can't look into those innocent pools.

They're too familiar.Tariq Tobias (Zimbabwe, AC06-08)



9/12

Zimbabwean LettersAs I pulled out my camera to take a picture ofthe hotel I was staying at, two police officersconverged on me and informed me that it was illegalto take pictures and that I should give them my cam-era and follow them to the nearest station. Aftermuch argument and negotiation I escaped (with theequivalent of $lless in my pocket). Oh yes, I keptthe picture of the hotel and Iwas further inspired totake a few more. I share them here for all to seesome of what a madman can do.The room went dark. There was a second of silenceas everyone adjusted; then the laughter and restau-rant chit-chat resumed. The lights came back with aslight tremble. I was sitting in the Meikles Hotel res-taurant on the iz" storey in Harare. Certainly itseemed all were quite used to the unreliable elec-tricity. The waiter approached our table with wellpracticed grace and a warm smile.Odd, I t hought, to be smiling at a time like this. We

politely asked him how life was, as it was our firsttime back in a year. He was glad to have someone toshare his pain with as he explained that his 4 chil-dren had not eaten more than a loaf of bread forweeks. I was surprised he said anything at all, for inthe land of empty promise and tyranny, it is alsoillegal. The lights flickered again. Then the buildingshook.A group had just entered at the front of the restau-

rant; 12 of them roughly. The big man walked with apompous stagger. The room again went silent.Slowly they took their seats laughing like crazed ani-mals feasting on the suffering of a people. The wait-ers looked scared. Immediately the tension in theroom multiplied. All eyes were on the party. Theminister's voice boomed as he cackled with joy; ec-static with all the attention. The chandelier died andall was engulfed in darkness.It took a bit longer for the generator to kick in. One

couldn't help being reminded of the revolutions ofold; of how the Russian Tsar and nobles must havesat on the eve of their overthrow. The waiter ap-proached the table laden with a largely filled tray.'What kind of bread would you like sir?'A bit of background:Recently the Zimbabwean government implementeda new policy in an attempt to help deal with growinginflation (currently the highest in the world). Thiswas Operation Reduce Prices (ORP- Also known as:Outrageously Ridiculous Policy).I will leave out any further judgements on this. Thereis already too much you need to take in.The people are suffering. Tariq Tobias

(Zimbabwe AC 06-08)contact: [email protected]

www.unitedwords.org

Zimbabwe remains, after a failed election, in a state of economic and po-litical chaos. As the forces of our society continue to deteriorate we ap-peal to all those who have fought or fight for freedom for support in endingwhat has gone on for too long. I have written what follows based on the manyat home I have spoken to.'Diary,B ab a sa ys I c an 't go to sc hoo l t oda y. T he y m igh t c om e a g ain .I don 't know w hen I'll see Amb uya or M am a b ut I w ant to show them the pictu re I drew .B a ba won 't t el l m e wh en t he y'r e c om in g h om e.T ha t m an keep s com in g h ere b ut B ab a tells him to g o a wa y. H e sca res m e.I m iss th em .'

Six Year-old GirlOf no political affiliation

'Business has stopped, at least legal business has. It is impossible to keep upwith the ever-changing prices. The shelves remain empty. I think Mr. Mugabeis a very honest man: when he came to power he promised we would all bemillionaires and, in this, he succeeded. '

Baker selling bread for 100 Million Zimbabwean Dollars (price at Sam today)To: The Suppre ssorsM uc h of w ha t you 'v e do ne is b ey on d w ords.D o not despa ir: the torture, the rape, the the suffiring has all been noted.

T o d o s o muc h d amage t op eo pl e, y o ur p eo pl e, i s a ga in st a ll t ha t y ou w e re s wo rn in t o pr ot ec t.Y ou r emai n a d is gra ce t oy ou r c ou n tr y a n d a ll o f h uman it y.

Z im ba bw e is a la nd of m an y w on ders. W e a re resilien t a nd w ill on e d ay w alk a lon g the pa tho fp ea ce a nd re co nc il ia tio n. I t w il l n ot b e e as y, b u t I a ss ur ey ou t ha t t hi s d ay w il l c om e. P er ha ps ,the ac ts ofyou and your sup porters w ill bef01 J!,iven ,I hop e t his is possible , b ut they w illn ev er b e} in J! ,o tt en .W e w il l n ee d t o emb ra ce t hem a s a p a rt o f o ur id en ti ty b ef or e w e c an mov e[ on u ar d. T he ir r es ol ut io n is im p os sib le t o e nsu re . A ll w e c an n ow h op ef or is s om ef orm o f c lo -sure.

W e r emai n p ri so ne rs i n o ur own l an d, v ic tim s o f gre ed , c or ru pt io n a nd t yra n ny b ut w e h av eh op e i n t he p ow er o ff re ed om and i ts u ns to pp a bl e v oic e.Y ou r P eo pl e

The Meikles Dining Room,reminiscent of its fro- The Meikles Hotel, Harare, Zimbabwe.mer glory, now clingsto a pastdifficult to maintain.

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10/12

We must not wait any longer for a real solutionAmit Meyer (Israel) reflects on his identity and the conflict in the Middle-EastBaCk at home, obviously, everyone was Israeli. Everyone

grew up with the same Israeli values, and learnt the samethings. Everyone was part of the Israeli society.It was only after coming to ACthat I actually had to face my

Israeli-ness. Being here made me realize so much about Israel,from a completely different perspective compared to what I wasused to. I finally had a chance to take a step back and look atIsrael from the outside, from an objective point of view. Butnothing could have prepared me for everything that comes withbeing an Israeli in a place like this.I was asked quite a few times to write something about Israel,

the situation there, a particular event that had happened, mypoint of view, etc. I must admit, I had never thought that speak-ing about my home country, translating my thoughts into wordsand sentences would be that difficult. After several attempts thatleft me either with page-long articles still trying to get to theirpoint, or pages and pages of scribbles and parts of ideas thatwere almost impossible to put together, I've realized that thereis still one thing that I felt more strongly than anything else. Thatis the frustration I felt about the whole situation, and that would-n't let me go.World Peace just around the cornerIt is enough to look at the news at any point in the last, let's

say,S years, to understand where my frustration comes from. Atone point it may seem as if world peace isjust around the corner,with all our leaders being so reaching-out-for-peace and amaz-ingly willing to talk to the other side, but only a couple of hourslater it may seem like another war is about to break out rightaway. No one really knows what's going on, who's telling thetruth and who's merely playing political games and when, if atall, this whole craziness will end.More than that, I am stunned by the number of headlines I see

that make me feel like I've seen them before. Things I learntabout that happened to the Jewish people at some point in his-tory, are now repeating themselves, only this time they're hap-pening to someone else, and we don't really seem to mind. Afamous quote in Hebrew that would translate roughly into"Gentlemen, history is repeating!" couldn't be more accurate.Israel is meant to be a democratic state. But I believe it has a

lot of room for improvement, and it's probably not what you'rethinking of. The Israeli media is doing a wonderful job makingsure we know all we should know, in many areas of life, but it hasone major flaw that became really obvious to me only after com-ing to the College. We don't really hear about what's happeningin the Palestinian territories. Well, we may hear about their poli-tics, for example, but no one really knows about all those thingsthat are happening there for which the world holds us account-able.Educated to have a very specific set of ideasAnother thing I have noticed from the distance of being here is

how much the whole education process that a young Israeli goesthrough by the age of 18, when he is expected to join the IDF,the Israeli army, is aimed at creating nothing but a patriotic Is-

raeli who knows that his only way to give rI."III_""__something back to his country is by fightingin the army. With no questions asked, stu-dents are slowly but surely being educatedto have a very specific set of ideals, with avery specific aim.As much as they may wish to see them-

selves as democratic, the media, the edu-cational system, even the society as awhole are still quite far from that, manytimes without even realizing.It seems to me that the Israeli society,

much like most of the world, are reallygood at defending what's theirs, but cannot go that one stepfurther, and see that they are damaging others in exactly the

Amit Meyer(Israel, AC 07-09)

Something went terribly wrongsame places. I'm shocked to see how terribly ignorant and un-aware people can sometimes be, and more than that, to see theones in control of the information allow people to be preventedfrom seeing it happen, because of narrow political interests.There are so many different paths to get to that peace we so

desperately long for, and almost every single person is certainthat he has the right one. With history, the facts we base thoseideas for solutions upon, being entirely changeable and malle-able, depending on the point a certain someone is trying tomake, there is almost no use to it. The solutions people come upwith for this conflict are not based upon solid history, but thathistory is usually built around those solutions in order to fit themproperly.The solution was always clear to me, but I wonder how realistic

it actually is for the Israeli society of today. I believe that weshouldn't even have countries and borders, but that's probablytaking it way too far. It's hard for many people to see Israel as aJewish-democratic state, both at once. The idea was there tobegin with, and even the Declaration of Independence of Israelassures equal rights for all people of any race, gender, religion,etc., but something went terribly wrong along the way, leavingus with mostly the Jewish part of that Jewish-democratic vision.I know that we can live in peace and co-existence, whilst ensur-ing the rights of persecuted minorities such as the Jewish people

used to be at the time when the State of Israel was founded. TheArab-Israeli conflict is not a given, and only because we're sotragically used to it doesn't mean there is no option of resolvingit.The world today is a selfish place, but the trouble is, too many

people are not even aware of how selfish they are. Could it bethat the Israeli society is not unique in that sense, but only thecircumstances in which it is placed, because of the conflict thatmake it result in such horrible consequences?Is there anything we can do to change that selfish and destruc-

tive approach that so many people seem to posses throughoutthe world these days?Now, with the so" Independence Day of Israel at hand, in

about a week's time, the differences only seem to get bigger, thegap between Israel and the Arab world is becoming harder to ..

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11/12

build a bridge on, and the Israeli society is going down apath that makes me personally, hate to think what willhappen to us if we will stay on for too long. Just like globalwarming (for the real UWC touch of this article), we are atcrucial times in this conflict, and we have been at such fora long time without realizing. We mustn't wait any longerfor a real solution.I'm sure we have more to do than just wait and hope forpeace to come one day. contact: [email protected]

More articles regarding the Middle East online:.. The one state solutionRobert Isaf (US/Lebanon, AC07-09), Ronia Salman-Lord (UK, AC06-08).. AC Students visit Hebron and the TIPH

Jessamy McArdle (England/Canada, AC07-09).. Severitiy of Holocaust to overwrite human right to live?Daniel Prinz (Hungary, AC07-09)

.. "If you do nothing, there will be no result ... "Honor Mishcon (England, AC07-09)

First ever Conference betw-eenAmerican and Iraqi YouthAn international team of students from L i Po Chun UnitedWorld College of Hong Kong and Princeton University havecome together with the help of UWC-USA to plan the firstever conference between American and Iraqi youth.The conference will take place this summer at King's Acade-

my boarding school just outside of Amman, Jordan. SixteenAmerican and sixteen Iraqi 16-19 year olds from diverse back-grounds within each nation will participate in the conferencefrom July 14 to 25. The conference is designed to incorporate

out logistical problems with Deputy Prime Minister Salih andDr. Agresto. The team estimates original start up costs for theprogram to be 20,000 USD and are currently looking for finan-cial supporters to reach this goal.Their goal is to connect a minimum of 10 Iraqi schools with10 American schools, each of which should bring 25,000 USDof support to their counterpart school by the end of the fall2008 academic year. However, having heard back alreadyfrom 12 interested American schools, the team will continue

three phases: learning about one another's cultures, histories, to incorporate as many schools into the program as possible,and identities; identifying problems in Iraq and drafting a sta- while working with the conference participants on additionaltement of intent to be distributed for international considera- projects for the youth of Iraq and improved understandingtion; and developing and implementing educational and rec-reational youth-run and youth-oriented development projectswithin Iraq.Several guest speakers with a background in Iraqi affairs andconflict management will attend the conference, including Dr.John Agresto, former Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry ofHigher Education; Sheikh Bukhari, a member of the InterfaithDialogue to bring peace to the Holy Land; and Dr. MounzerFatfat, former Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Youthand Sports. Dr. Selena Sermeno from the Bartos Institute forConstructive Engagement of Conflict will be present to workwith the student facilitators and coordinate conference e-vents.Following the conference, participants and facilitators will

continue to raise support for and implement youth-orienteddevelopment projects in Iraq, hopefully under the soon-to-be-approved NGO, Youth Initiative for Progress. One program,however, has already been started by the team of facilitators,the Campus Connection Program. With support from the abo-ve mentioned guest speakers, in addition to Barham Salih,Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, and Zalmay Khalilzad, USAm-bassador to the United Nations, the conference coordinatorswill link American universities and high schools with Iraqischools of all levels. Through such a partnership, Americaninstitutions can help provide for the needs of the Iraq schools,improving the educational conditions by providing computers,lab equipment, school supplies, etc. and students from bothschools can benefit from cultural exchange.Chief Conference Coordinator and Founder, Michael Schoen-

leber, and Conference Coordinators Astrid Stuth and Cale Sa-lih, will travel to Northern Iraq following the conference tobegin establishing connections with schools in Iraq and work

between the two nations.Michael Schoenleber (USA, LPC06-08)

For more information or to make a donation to the Youth Initi-ative for Progress in Iraq, please visitwww.iraqusconference.org or contact Michael Schoenleber [email protected]

United Words - Facts Oune 2008)Founded: 21 st November 2007Visitors: 21 000 from more than 150 countriesRegistered Editors: 35Articles: 161 in 30 categoriesVideos: 30Comments: 1208,0106,010

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12/12

Thirteen students, ten nationalities, two countries,one adventure: five weeks of volunteer work.This summer 2008, 13 Atlantic College students will beparticipating in the Peru-Brazil project. It will start on thes" of June when all students will be arriving at Lima airport inthe Peruvian capital.We will then make our way to Tarapoto, a city within the Pe-

ruvian jungle. There we'll spend two weeks working in anorphanage and later with an NGO trying to preserve the Ama-zon.A boat trip through the Amazon River will then take us to Ma-

naus-Brazil, from where we will take a plane to Rio de Janeiro-Brazil where we will spend two weeks teaching basic English ina school located in one of the Brazilian "favelas".Brazil-Peru Project 2008 intends to provide social and environ-mental services to the impoverished regions of these SouthAmerican countries. The project members, as UWC students,are attempting to take advantage of youth and give somethingback to the world community. This project will cover a substan-tial area; it is our hope that we will work effectively in differentregions gaining a broad interaction with a variety of people,striking connections we hope will last longer than the few shortweeks we will be there, but rather into future generations ofthis project. We hope to touch the lives of people be working

Atlantic College Students working for Tanzania Project 2007with, but also know that the project will increase our own lifeexperiences and educate us in ways academics never could.

Harlem Siu Marino Saavedra (Peru, AC 06-08) andAlan Utria (Zimbabwe, AC 06-08)

AC Students are also going to Malaysia, Gambia, Tanzania (www.tanzania-atlanticcollege.blogspot .com), and India this summer. The China Project had tobe cancelled due to the Earth Quakes in May 2008.

Atlantic College planting PumpkinsAmongst others, Atlantic College is striving to become a minds. Before summer, the firstself-sufficient campus over the next couple of years, so as pumpkins are going to beto fulfill its mission of sustainibility. Furthermore, we aim to planted at the back of the stu- 1I~.J~~=:;J~~!ili;t;]jestablish contacts with the local community, as well as intro- dent houses! With the positive illllu!l--':~"t:'"'lducing a performance based arts education. The IDP centre and UWC spirit we all feel, Niel'sEMC are to see significant development. Finally, an Atlantic goals, although demanding, areCollege diploma is envisaged, which would run parallel to the IB much appreciated amongst thediploma and highlight the commitment to community and ser- student body and we are allvice UWC students show. The eight goals are now being costed looking forward to implementingand will be presented at the Board meeting in June. them.Life at Atlantic College will probably be very different next

ACTICE-House allotmentAndrea Mihic (Switzerland, AC 07-09)

year, but we are all looking forward to starting to live out our For details of the proposal visit: www.atlanticcol/ege.orgmission statement, rather than just have it in the back of our

United Words:Editor-in-Chief: Valentin Jeutner (GER)AC-Coordinator: Bjorn Bremer (GER)Text: Andrea Mihic (CH)Layout: Daniel Prinz (HUN)Video: Sephen Ashton (GB)Asia: Haider Shabaz (PAK)Australia: Sophie Weldon (AUS)Europe: Lena Goergen (GER)Africa: Tariq Tobias (ZIM)Latin America: Gabriela Juncosa (ECU), Jose Ignacio (ESP)Middle-East: Jessamyn McArdle (CAN)

North-America: Kevin Irby (US), Robert Isaf (US)United Words also has teams of editors in ten UWCs aroundthe globe (HK, India, Swaziland, Costa Rica, Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Norway, Wales, Venezuela)Website: www.unitedwords.orgVideo Blog: www.youtube.comlunitedwordsEmail: [email protected] Words was established with help of the ACDevelopment Office and financial support of AC-Graduates.Thanks toMaya Sikand (Kenya) and Ronia Slamana(GB)and Hannes Ingwersen (Germany)unitedWor 5
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