"We arrived in Copenhagen with very little idea of what we were in for" says Sophie Hawley Weld. "After getting our official UNFCC badges, we aimlessly walked around the Bella center with lots of “Oooh!”s and “Aaaah!”s, but after those first few hours, we did not stop working. We split up--Alli helped out with the Youth Forestry group and Graciela and I ended up organizing the youth mass dialogues with the organization 2degreesC, which was an opportunity for youth outside of the conference to get first-hand news on what was going on inside of the Bella Center. The whole time, we were spreading the word about United World Colleges and we managed to organise an UWC press conference with extreme time constraints. For me, the conference underlined the reasons UWC is so important. In order for th
e world leaders to understand each other, they need to know each other; and that’s exactly what UWC facilitates. It also made me realize the magnificence of the UWC network after graduation. Getting together with all the UWC graduates and students was fun and refreshing. We did not previously know each other, but when we sat down to coordinate the press conference, we did what we had to do comfortably and effectively. Everybody was smart, compassionate, and not afraid to ask the difficult questions--or answer them. There was an immediate bond through the shared and powerful UWC experience. Though the conference itself was incredibly disappointing, I am proud to be part of a movement that did manage to come together in Copenhagen."
"Copenhagen was something indescribable" says Graciela Hernandez Cruz, " I would have never imagined of being there in the first place. Everything was a learning experience from the press conference to the media. Inside the center it was overwhelming: so many cultures, countries, people.. they all had different opinions on climate change and how to solve it...it was disapointing that none of them came to an agreement. It was an experience full with ups and downs but just by being part of it was a great honour. It was pleasure to share the UWC experience with so many people."
Watch the UWC PRESS CONFERENCE HERE.
