Now in its 23rd year, students at UWC have really embraced the essence of the opportunity to make a difference in meaningful ways across the globe on issues they feel strongly about.

Keziah Bashon, from UWC South East Asia, here with her certificate (pictured), was thrilled to receive the award on behalf of the team who will deliver “Food on Wheels” – refurbishing food carts to fight under-nutrition in Manila, Philippines.

The quality of applications was very high, with so many well thought through plans, which clearly laid out the project concept, proposed timescales and budgets. So many plans outlined how, if students were successful, people would benefit from the projects.

Assessing the volume of projects was a challenging and interesting task. As always, applications were assessed against eight pre-determined criteria outlined on the website. Each project was assessed by co-founders Colin Habgood and Jill Longson (UWCA81), Ann Goodwin (GoMakeADifference admin coordinator) and where relevant, a representative of the students’ college.

The Winners

Having completed the assessment process, we are delighted to announce 22 projects will be receiving a total of approximately $40,000 to help them make a difference. There were some really innovative projects, where students would clearly be making a difference including:

• Utilising plastic bottles and cement to construct water tanks in Eswatini
• Integrating migrants into society, through a website in relevant languages with information on their rights, local cultures and norms to help them establish a life in Norway
• Helping the mental health of young men through a martial arts app being launched in the UK
• Empowering women with education and support in Afghanistan.

There is no doubt that some projects would have been awarded grants in previous years, but the quality and volume of applications this year has meant that many such projects have been unsuccessful. Students have raised the bar in their applications this year, in terms of the quality of their submission and innovative, creative ideas to making a difference.

Colin said, “We really do hope that despite not being successful in gaining an award, somehow students may still be able to make a difference. We very much hope that some of the plans submitted will still go ahead this year without our funding.”

Successful students will be receiving grants of up to $2,000 each to help them make a difference. Projects are being delivered across the globe during 2024 from Asia, Africa to Europe and the Americas. We look forward in coming months to hearing how the projects were delivered and how students were able to bring their projects to fruition.

As Jill said, “The awards provide an opportunity to allow students to live the UWC values and really make a difference to the issues and communities they feel passionate about. Assessing the awards this year has been a very difficult task and one we did not take lightly. We wish students the best of luck in delivering their projects and look forward to hearing how they went and importantly what the students learnt from their experiences.”

Could you be next?

Any current UWC students who will still be at college in 2025, should feel inspired by this year’s applications and hopefully will be motivated to apply for an award next year. It is never too early to start thinking about your plan!

Fifty-eight applications were submitted, offering innovative ideas from students across the UWC network as to how they hope to make a difference.

More students than ever submitted videos with their application which really helped to bring the ideas to life. The panel assessing the applications use the pre-determined criteria, which covers how much personal challenge, the level of impact and sustainability the project is likely to have and how much the project allows students to live the UWC mission and values.

This year will see interesting projects being delivered in Africa (Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Niger, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe) in the Americas (Peru, USA), in Asia (Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand,) in Europe (The Netherlands, The Faroe Islands and Wales) and in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq).

Over the twenty two years of providing the awards, there have been some fantastic projects delivered and this year was no exception. The team were once again pleased to see the variety across the diverse projects with some using a high level of technology as part of the project delivery.

One successful project aimed at promoting human rights to the Faroese youth

As Jill Longson (AC’81) and co-founder commented, “We have been delighted with the response we have received this year. The number of different, innovative ideas we received leaves me in no doubt the values of Kurt Hahn and UWC are alive and well across our network. We loved seeing the videos from students accompanying many of the applications, which really brought the ideas to life. As always, students gave the team a hard task in assessing the applications. So many projects had some fantastic ideas as to how students hoped to make a difference and were submitted with well-thought through plans.”

Students from fifteen Schools/Colleges are receiving grants and once again we are pleased to see some projects have students working together from different UWC’s. Special congratulations this year to UWC Atlantic, who have gained five successful awards which is a fantastic achievement.

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, motivate and guide students into submitting their project plans.

2023 Successful Projects

Projects were successful where students submitted innovative, well-thought through plans, which provided a level of personal challenge and sustainability and a likelihood to succeed. Thank you to everyone who applied. Successful projects covered issues around healthcare, agriculture, water and waste, education and the environment.

Some key highlights of projects awarded this year includes:

This project aims to develop artificial intelligence to monitor and analyse food waste being thrown away

• Developing an app which through music aims to facilitate communication for the less able in the community;
• Delivering a mental health awareness camp;
• Providing a micro-farming project with a sustainable approach;
• Supporting the human rights and education of indigenous people;
• Raising awareness of health and environment issues through education programmes;
• Installing clean cooking stoves;
• Reducing waste including developing an artificial intelligence programme to monitor and analyse food waste to better inform suppliers;
• Constructing a study hall and sustainable water systems;
• Conserving and protecting the Sumatran Tiger;
• Producing sustainable fashion;
• Developing an artificial intelligence programme to help address the challenges faced by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals;
• Helping to tackle the technological constraints in education of young students.

Colin Habgood (co-founder) assessing the GoMakeADifference 2023 project applications commented,

“We review every application carefully and consider each project against our criteria. It is a time-consuming task to review each application especially with so many and such diverse projects.

“We always enjoy reading the applications and this year have been really inspired by the innovative ideas and the use of technology to help UWC students make a difference. Unfortunately, not every project can be successful, but we thank all students for applying and hope that somehow by developing their idea into a project plan, students can use this to provide a catalyst which may allow them to somehow still deliver their plan”.

Take a look

For full details about the projects projects awarded and those which have been delivered in previous years, please visit https://www.gomakeadifference.global/projects-awarded/2023-awards/.

The GoMakeADifference team were delighted to receive a total of fifty project applications from nearly all UWC Schools and Colleges, for students to deliver community projects around the world in 2022. This was despite the obvious challenges and restrictions that COVID inevitably brings.

As co-founder, Jill Longson (AC’81) commented, “We were thrilled with the response we had. We know how difficult it has been for students over the last two years, but they have shown great creativity and passion in their project proposals. The increase in climate and sustainability related projects was particularly evident this year, as was the number of projects supporting refugees”.

Students from 12 Schools/Colleges are receiving grants. Some projects have students working together from different UWC’s, which will no doubt be a particularly special experience. Particular congratulations this year go to UWC Waterford Kamhlaba and UWC Atlantic, with 5 successful awards each.

Helping students make a difference 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, motivate and guide students into submitting their project plans.

Projects were successful where students submitted innovative, well-thought through project proposals that meet a real need; with comprehensive timelines, budgets and operational plans; that provided a level of personal challenge and commitment; and with a strong likelihood to succeed. Many applications had accompanying videos where it was evident to see the enthusiasm students had for their projects.

There were seven successful projects around climate issues covering sustainable agriculture, waste and water. Other projects focused on youth rights and leadership, education and women’s rights. Refugee projects were aimed either at offering support in camps, or in local communities - with one designing and building a multiple local language translation App.

Key highlights of projects awarded this year include:

The Mobile Library will feature a “jeepney” which will be stocked with books and travel around a rural community in Cavite, Philippines. One of the many projects planned to make a difference in 2022.

• Providing language education tailored for refugees and asylum seekers.
• Providing a marketing resource to promote rurally-produced indigenous products in the toiletries market in India.
• Creating a core group of young change makers, working for human rights, respect and peace in Haiti.
• Starting a library and motivating children to return to school after a 2 year lockdown in Uganda.
• Igniting an innovative spirit to young Tanzanians through information technology education.
• Constructing wetlands for the reuse of water resources using grey water in Argentina.
• Raising awareness about the severity of gender violence in Mexico.
• Planting seeds of education in impoverished and Roma communities through children’s summer camps across Romania.
• Reducing plastic waste in a community in Zimbabwe.
• Bringing books to underprivileged communities through mobile libraries in the Philippines.
• Creating a technology drive to support refugee students including computers, internet access and mentorship in Hong Kong.
• Reforesting and teaching environmental sustainability in Portugal.
• Promoting and facilitating sustainable practices in Phuket to reduce the impact of plastic.

On assessing the GoMakeADifference 2022 project applications, Colin Habgood (co-founder), commented, “We review every application carefully and consider each project against our criteria around personal development, project sustainability and success. It is a long but rewarding task, especially with so many and such diverse projects”.

Colin went on: “We all enjoy reading the applications and were inspired by the innovative ideas UWC students have in making a difference. It is a shame that not every project can be successful in receiving a grant from us. But we hope that by developing a project plan, every student can use this experience as a catalyst, to allow them to somehow still deliver their plan”.

Take a look

You can view full details about the projects awarded this year, or take a look at those which have been delivered in previous years.

Colin Habgood, Jill Longson and Ann Goodwin.

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.

After successfully receiving the award, John was able to cover his expenses and write the book, which is now available to order online from Amazon.

On 24th June of this year, John appeared on CBC Radio's 'North by Northwest' show, to talk about his fascinating journey, his autobiographic novel, and UWC scholarship.

Listen

You can listen to his interview in full below:

81 applications were received from 17 UWC schools and colleges. For the first time students from UWC Costa Rica, UWC Thailand and UWC ISAK Japan will be receiving GoMakeADifference grants.

Talking about the grant scheme, co-founder Colin Habgood said, “Jill and I were overwhelmed by the number of applications we received this year. With more than 80 applications to consider it made the process of assessing which projects should be awarded a grant very interesting and challenging. The standard of applications was high - innovative projects, with well-thought through and budgeted plans, demonstrating significant levels of commitment from students to live the UWC mission immediately after they graduate”.

Jill Longson (co-founder) added: “It is inspiring to see the initiatives UWC students have proposed to GoMakeADifference this year. Applications were so thought-provoking and reading each one of them was a truly humbling experience. Unfortunately, it is not possible for every application to be awarded a grant, but we hope that those students we couldn’t support, can somehow use their planning and thinking as a catalyst to fund and deliver their projects in another way”.

From the 81 applications received, 31 UWC mission aligned and diverse projects will be supported across the following regions: 15 in Africa, 9 in Asia, 4 in Americas and 3 in the Middle East and Europe.

Find out more about the winning entries.

We are delighted to announce we have received 80 applications from all 17 schools/colleges across the UWC movement.

The quality received was fantastic, with so many projects being truly innovative and personally challenging for the students. This has made assessing the projects very difficult. This time-consuming task is one which we all love. We find it very humbling and rewarding to learn and understand the different ideas UWC students have and how they believe they can make a difference.

Every application is taken seriously and assessed against the GoMakeADifference award criteria.

Included here is a photo of us, Colin and Jill (the co-founders) together with Ann, the GoMakeADifference Admin Co-ordinator working our way through this year’s diverse applications.

This UWCx initiative aims to help current UWC students live the ethos of UWC straight after leaving their school/college, giving them the opportunity to bring the mission to life. This year we will be awarding a total of 31 grants, totalling $30,400, to students who present community-changing projects that 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, so watch this space!

Best wishes from all at the GoMakeADifference Team and thank you again to all who have applied for a 2018 award and the UWC school/college co-ordinations for your help and advice.

You can find out further details of these wonderful projects using the links below, but be sure to check back soon as we add more Case Studies in the coming weeks.

Once again, the GoMakeADifference Team want to take this opportunity to congratulate the incredible diversity and quality of projects from this years' entries, and the obvious commitment from the students.

• ASAP Mini-UWC Summer 2017 — Asia
• Book Book Tuk Tuk Project — Asia
• E² (Electronic Education) — Asia
• Love and Care for Ignored Children — Asia
• Dreams and Inspirations — Asia
• ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Input + Values = Powerful Output — Asia
• Resettlement Support for North Korean Defectors — Asia
• Veterans’ Stories Documentation — Asia
• The Color of Peace — Europe
• Vijana Imara (Resilient Teenagers) — Africa
• Wash4Peace — Africa
• The Journey Much Desired — Africa
• Give Back Strength — Africa
• Kenyan Youth for Peace — Africa
• Creating a Sustainable Naija — Africa
• Save Village Teens Tororo — Africa
• I Am Malawi — Africa
• Inspiration For Her — Africa
• Adriatic Aid - Reaching out to Kibera — Africa
• Girl Empowerment Swaziland — Africa
• Boldly Taking Action — Africa
• Joy In Action — Africa
• Solar Salone — Africa
• FAM (Fight Against Malaria) — Africa
• Construction of a Greenhouse at “Pytoc – Chillaray” School — North & South America
• The Triple R Project — North & South America
• Harvest For Life — North & South America
• Sustainable Itacaré — North & South America
• Aagahi English Workshop Chuporson — Middle East & North Africa

Applications were received for the first time from UWC Waterford, UWC Robert Bosch and UWC Changshu showing that GoMakeADifference is now reaching across the UWC organisation.

Talking about the awards, co-founder Colin Habgood said, “Jill and I were moved by the diversity and quality of projects and the obvious commitment from students.  It is really humbling to see the ideas students have and their desire to go and make a difference.  Whilst it is not possible for every application to be awarded a grant, we hope somehow that everyone who applied can use this process as a catalyst to deliver their projects in some way”.

Students from UWC Red Cross Nordic with their 2017 GoMakeADifference certificates.

For more information on the successful projects and to view the list of award winners, click here.

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who applied and to the UWC co-ordinators who helped promote the award and offered advice to the applicants.

We are really pleased with the number and quality of applications received this year, which has made assessing the projects very difficult. You can see a photo of us (the co-founders Colin and Jill together with Ann, the GoMakeADifference Admin Co-ordinator), working our way through the reams of paperwork from this year's fantastic applications. (Note the chocolate and water to keep our energy levels up!)

We wanted everyone to know that we take every application seriously, considering each one against the GoMakeADifference award criteria. Whilst it is a very time-consuming role, it is one which we all love, to see the range of ideas UWC students have to make a difference - we find it very humbling and rewarding.

So just to let everyone know that, as promised, we will be making announcements of the successful projects in the very near future - so watch this space!

Best wishes from all at the GoMakeADifference Team and thank you again to all who have applied for a 2017 award.