We are delighted to announce that for 2024, GoMakeADifference grants will increase from $1,000 to $2,000 per grant. And our overall commitment will increase from $30,000 per year to $40,000 with 20 grants being awarded.

We hope that by increasing the value per grant, it will enable and encourage UWC students to submit even more exciting and innovative plans as to how they can make a difference.

The GoMakeADifference award programme, which is a UWCx initiative, was founded in 2001 by UWC alumna Jill Longson and her husband Colin Habgood, to help students live the UWC mission,.

We are proud that over 200 projects have now been delivered over the last 22 years, by approximately 900 students who have made a difference to thousands of people.

The awards are open to any student studying at any UWC school or college, however the projects must be led by either a UWC 1st or 2nd year student studying for their IBDP.

In keeping with the UWC mission applications from students with projects delivering sustainability, social justice and peace are more likely to gain success. I am hoping as in previous years, you can promote the award program to your students and make them aware that the application date closes on 31st January 2024. For students from Waterford, we have extended the deadline to 11th February 2024.

Be inspired, see what UWC students have delivered in the past, as they have made a difference - https://www.gomakeadifference.global/projects-awarded/videos/

Applications for 2024 awards are now open - https://www.gomakeadifference.global/apply/

It is important that students do submit a budget and timelines with their plan. Occasionally we get applications without any detail as to how and when students propose spending the money and it is important that they consider this as part of their project application.

The online form is now open for applications for 2022 awards. We are really pleased to announce that this year projects can be led by a 1st or 2nd year student studying for their IBDP at any UWC school or College and can be supported by current UWC students of any age.

As in previous years awards will be granted for $1000. However, additional funding may be possible if you can demonstrate why your project may benefit from an increase in  funding.

This year, Colin and Jill (the co-funders and co-founders) are really hoping to see innovative and creative project ideas, projects that demonstrate something different, rather than a repeat of similar activities which have been delivered in the past. We can confirm that applications with projects covering sustainability, social justice and peace are more likely to be successful.

To apply click here

Since receiving the GoMakeADifference award, a website has been established https://foundation21.org/ and the team are starting to make a difference. They have received coverage in the national news paper article below.

Well done to the team on Project Mashik and Foundation 21 on making a difference.

Foundation 21 news cutting

We know how difficult it has been for students this year and we did wonder whether we should perhaps postpone the 2021 awards.  As Jill Longson (AC’81) and co-founder commented, “we wondered this year, if students may have too many issues to deal with to submit an application or make a difference in a safe manner.  But we should have realised that UWC students find that extra energy and enthusiasm when it matters.

So once again, we had the hard task to assess some amazing projects, the assessment process just seems to get harder each year.  There were some fantastic, well-thought through, innovative project plans and and many had supported their applications with video links, where their passion for making a difference really came across, it was great to see”.

Colin Habgood (co-founder) assessing the GoMakeADifference 2021 project applications commented, “As in previous years, we review every application based on our criteria around personal development, project sustainability and success. This year, we discussed the projects over zoom calls, making sure every application was considered in detail. We recognise that unfortunately, not every project can be successful, but hope that somehow developing a project plan, can provide a catalyst that may allow some students to somehow still deliver their plan”.

The GoMakeADifference team, would like to thank and acknowledge the help we receive from the UWC Schools and Colleges in helping us to promote the awards and guide their students into submitting their project plans. 

A total of $13,000 will be awarded to 13 GoMakeADifference projects.

The projects awarded were once again very diverse and will see a total of $13,000 being given to 13 GoMakeADifference projects in 2021. Students from 11 Schools/Colleges are receiving grants and 3 projects have students working together from different UWC’s, which is always pleasing to see. The stand out School//College this year, with 3 successful projects is UWC Waterford Kamhlaba, their truly remarkable projects demonstrated they met the criteria across all the areas we look for.

2021 successful projects:

As in previous years, the successful projects were where students submitted well thought through plans, highlighting a level of personal challenge and sustainability and a likelihood to succeed.  This year, we asked students to ensure their projects would be cover safe and not put them or anyone affected by their activities at risk. It was fantastic to see some wonderful innovative plans of how UWC students will be making a difference.

 Some key highlights of projects awarded in 2021 includes:

• Empowering women in Syria to help them attain a sustainable income
• Promoting sustainable menstrual practices in developing communities in Peru
• Providing  toilet facilities and renovating a water system in a primary school in Sierra Leone
• Installing a library to help children’s education in Iraq
• Bridging the gap of educational inequality between cities and villages in Tajikistan
• Solving poor waste disposal and building toilet facilities in Uganda
• Offering a sustainable approach to feeding the stray animals in Mostar
• Preparing students in Tajikistan for College/University
• Renovating an abandoned multi-purpose sports area in Burkina Faso
• Delivering a one month STEM summer camp for teenage girls in Jamaica 
• Launching a radio show to deliver science lessons in Uganda
• Refurbishing a pre school, providing stationery and support in the classroom and establishing a garden in Eswatini
• Building a reservoir in a community in Lesotho

For full details about the projects projects awarded and those which have been delivered in previous years, please visit the website: www.gomakeadifference.global/projects-awarded/

We understand this has been and continues to be a very difficult and challenging time for so many people across the globe. We are delighted to have received so many exciting and innovative projects from UWC students this year that can all be delivered in a covid safe manner.

The judges are currently working through the applications and may well be contacting students in the next few days with questions to clarify points on specific application proposals. Once we have received responses to our enquiries, we hope to be able to announce the projects which will be successful this year.

We look forward to announcing the successful awards for 2021 by the 31st March.  In the meantime, if you have any questions please do contact us.

During the current global pandemic we still very much want to support UWC students to make a difference, but it is vital students do so in a way that is completely safe to them and everyone affected by their project. Throughout the summer of 2020, in true UWC spirit, eight projects still went ahead, where students were able to adapt their plans to make a difference safely, even during these difficult times. 

For 2021 awards whilst so many people are suffering from the global pandemic, we shall only be awarding grants to projects where it is demonstrable that they can be delivered in a safe manner with no risk to anyone.  We shall be seeking assurances in this regard from your teachers, parents or other relevant people.

We understand this has been and continues to be a very difficult and challenging time for so many people across the globe and wish everyone in the wider UWC community stays safe and healthy.

We look forward to receiving applications from 2021 leavers soon.

For projects due to be delivered after September 2020, it is hoped that the situation will have improved by then, and projects will be able to go ahead. However, we may have to review the situation again for those projects nearer the time.

Some students believed that their project could still go ahead as their project was not a risk to them or others, so a handful of GoMakeADifference projects will be delivered this summer and we look forward to hearing how the students have made a difference.

We understand this has been a very difficult and challenging time for so many people across the globe and wish everyone in the wider UWC community stays safe and healthy.

The task of assessing the projects is hard each year. Most students had taken time to submit well-thought through, innovative project plans and some sent in video links where their passion for making a difference really came across, it was great to see.

Jill Longson (AC’81) co-founder commented, “We were delighted with the creative ideas and project plans we received from students this year, it is amazing and very humbling to see how they want to make a difference.”

A total of $32,000 will be awarded to 32 GoMakeADifference projects.

Congratulations to UWC RCN for their continued support in promoting the awards – we had 10 applications from RCN students this year, of which 5 were successful projects, the highest number from any college.

2020 successful projects:

The projects awarded were once again very diverse and it is inspiring to see how innovative UWC students are when it comes to making a difference.

Some key highlights of projects this year includes:

• Raising cancer awareness in Armenia
• Promoting peace, reducing religious tensions, by bringing together a group of young Hindus and Muslims in India
• Creating reusable mesh bags to help fight single use plastic pollution in Dilijan
• Giving support through crop farming and clean water to rural schools in Uganda and a second project planting 1000 fruit trees in Sudan
• Supporting a sports programme and equipment to help individuals with special needs in Croatia
• Providing devices with offline academic resources in a refugee camp in Eswatini
• Spreading awareness about albinism in Lesotho
• Recycling fishing nets to produce coffee cups, to help tackle single use plastic in Greenland

Colin Habgood (co-founder) assessing the GoMakeADifference 2020 project applications commented, “All projects undergo a rigorous assessment process based on criteria around personal development, project sustainability and success. Whilst not every project can be successful, we hope somehow that by submitting a project plan, this acts as a catalyst and the students can somehow still deliver their plan."

Some projects had similar themes:

• Students will be delivering a number of educational programmes this year, covering topics around peace, climate change and sustainability, social issues, gender based violence. Educational programmes will be held in Nepal, South Sudan, Haiti, Uganda, Iraq, India, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
• We are pleased to be supporting students whose projects aim to help girls around menstruation issues in Pakistan, Lesotho, Uganda and Liberia.
• A number of refurbishment projects will be taking place including developing new playgrounds, toilets, constructing a well, and building a library. People will be benefitting in El Salvador, Cameroon, India, Bangladesh and South Sudan from these GoMakeADifference projects.

Colin and Jill will be giving the certificates to Heads/Chairs attending the UWC meeting in East Africa with a view to the students being presented with their certificates very soon.

We look forward to receiving the project reports when the crop of GoMakeADifference projects have been delivered later this year. Check out our website for project updates from 2019 project awards.

GoMakeADifference is once again providing financial support to 31 projects around the world, to help UWC students live the UWC mission after they graduate this summer.

A significant number of applications were received from students representing almost all 17 UWC schools and colleges. This year students were encouraged to provide more specific information in their project submission and were given the opportunity to upload videos to demonstrate their passion for their projects.  The quality and volume of project proposals submitted made judging very difficult.

The photo shows students from UWC Atlantic College presenting their project proposal to the local assessment team.

As co-founder Colin Habgood said, “The quality of applications we received made it very hard to decide who should be awarded grants this year. It was great for Jill and I to see so many well thought through plans.  It was a real credit real credit to student’s initiative and the staff who promote and support students with their proposals”.

Students had taken time to ensure their applications met the GoMakeADifference criteria around personal development and the level of benefits the project will deliver. Most project plans came complete with comprehensive timescales, expenses and outcomes and it was good to see students had thought about their plans in more detail than previous years. The main reasons for a project not succeeding was either that they were not sufficiently innovative or that they didn’t provide the level of personal challenge and development when compared to other projects submitted.

Jill Longson (co-founder) added: “It was inspiring to see so many creative ideas from UWC students as to how they want to make a difference – with challenging project based solutions for a wide range of global issues. Reviewing applications was a really moving experience.  Colin and I are delighted to distribute 31 grants of $1,000 per grant and we would like to thank two alumni for their additional support. Of course it is not possible to award every application a grant, but we hope that students who were not successful, can somehow use their planning as a springboard to deliver their projects in another way”.

The 31 UWC mission aligned projects will be supported in various countries and regions. They include a number of Education related activities covering awareness on mental health and sex education in Kenya; raising levels of education in a youth detention centre in Lithuania and construction of an electronic library in Madagascar.  Renovation projects will be taking place in schools in Malawi, Ghana and Uganda. Migrant and refugee support will see students working in Spain, Germany and the UK.  Sustainability projects will be run in the Lebanon, India and Uganda; and Healthcare projects will take place in Kenya, the UK, Thailand, South Africa and Mozambique. Finally, a number of Peace Building initiatives will be held in Mexico, Russia, Denmark, Morocco and Norway.

Congratulations to UWC Adriatic on 5 projects being awarded, the highest number from one college this year.  And special mention to UWC RCN for their continued support in promoting these awards, with 12 applications from them, the highest number from any one UWC School/College.

As Jill added, “It is fantastic to see we have almost every UWC School/College  participating and there was some great UWC collaboration with students from various UWC schools/colleges working together on one project. These projects will enable students to put the UWC mission in action.  Colin and I wish all the students well in delivering their projects over the coming months.”

Projects will be delivered in Europe (Spain, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Norway, UK, Germany and Lithuania), in Africa (Kenya, Sierra Leone, Eswatini, Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, South Sudan, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Morocco) The Middle East (Lebanon), The Americas (Mexico, Jamaica) and in Asia (India, Thailand, Armenia).

END

Find out more about the winning entries.

75 applications were received with all 17 schools/colleges represented across the UWC movement. The quality of applications this year was the best ever. Many students had taken time to submit a well thought-through project plan and some sent video links where their passion to really make a difference came across, it was great to see.

The task to assess projects becomes harder each year. As Colin Habgood, co-founder said, "We take each application very seriously and assess it against the GoMakeADifference award criteria to help us decide who should be awarded the grants. We review each project plan looking at areas such as personal initiative, challenge and commitment as well as how likely the project is to be sustainable, make an impact and succeed. Whilst it is time-consuming we feel we owe it to the students to review all projects in a consistent manner".

Jill Longson, co-founder went on to say, "Yes, it is a time- consuming task, but one we all love! To see the different ways that UWC students believe they can make a difference is really humbling and rewarding. We recognise that not all students will be successful, but by developing their plans we hope somehow that this will enable those who are not successful, to still deliver their plans without the grant. We’ve found that by developing their plan and application to us, it acts as a catalyst and students still go onto to deliver their projects without our help. It’s fantastic to see such a true testament to the UWC culture".

GoMakeADifference is a UWCx initiative designed to help current UWC students live the UWC mission straight after leaving their school/college. The awards provide students with the opportunity to bring the UWC ethos to life. Colin confirmed, "this year we will be awarding $31,000 of grants to a total of 31 projects. These projects will be delivered by UWC students represented across all UWC schools and colleges. Diverse projects will be delivered in various countries and we are confident that these projects will help to make a positive difference around the world”.

So just to let everyone know we will be making announcements of the successful projects by 15th March.

Best wishes from all at the GoMakeADifference Team and thank you again to all who have applied for a 2019 award and the UWC school/college coordinators for your help and advice.