The past two years have been challenging for us all and in so many different ways. Those who had to deal with the emergency from a professional point of view took a considerable burden upon themselves. Among these is Marina Macchiaiolo, a UWC Adriatic alumna, a pediatrician specializing in rare diseases at the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome and President of the Italian UWC National Committee.
It was during the Italian National Selections in 2020 that the first alarming news began to circulate. Marina remembers that moment very well. “While we were in Duino interviewing future UWC students who were participating in group activities for the selections, the announcement came that UWC Li Po Chun would not reopen”. UWC students in China had just had a break for a national holiday and were of course unaware that this break would last for a long time.
Nobody could have imagined what was about to happen. But we sprang into action quickly in order to find host families for those students who were far from home. In a matter of weeks the same thing happened to the students in Duino: the College closed, as has happened with all schools in Italy, and here too it was necessary to find a home for those who were unable to reach their own. Marina speaks very highly of the generosity and willingness to help of many families who welcomed students for weeks or, in some cases, months: a call to action that within four days ensured that every student had a place to stay.
I have been a hospital doctor for two decades and never before had I seen so many mental health issues affecting adolescents as between September 2020 and June 2021. Young people have been hard hit by the pandemic. Some are strong and carry on, but some have been adversely affected and this is something that we must deal with.
Undeniably, this has been very challenging, but it is equally true that everyone did their best to overcome this situation of adversity, putting their skills and networks to use for the benefit of others. As the pandemic broke out, Marina formed a UWC task force along with two other colleagues, a pediatrician from Barcelona and an epidemiologist from New Zealand. “Together we formed a committee of experts, to support the heads of the UWC Colleges in defining their individual policies”.
It certainly also took some imagination to decide how the Italian national selections could take place during a pandemic, as it was impossible to hold them in person as before. “Usually the Italian selections take place in two phases, regional and national levels, and we spend a whole day, even a day and a half, with the candidates. Prior to the pandemic, being physically in the same place enabled us to observe not just the candidate’s reactions during activities and interviews, but also during breaks or meals – an excellent opportunity to observe interactions among young people”.
Understanding whether a student is ready for a UWC experience is very important and this is the task of the UWC Italian National Committee chaired by Marina. “UWC Adriatic is an outstanding school, but this is not what makes it different. It is the life experience you have in Duino that is truly transformational, so if you are not ready to explore this side of the experience it is just not worth it”.
In the 2020 selections it was not possible for the selection panel to spend time with the candidates, so they had to think of activities that could be carried out online: in the regional phase, a longer individual interview took place, in which the panel was able to test the motivation and the extent of the candidate’s personal interest in UWC. The subsequent national stage, however, lasted an entire day, with two interviews conducted by two separate panels, one exploring emotional aspects while the other was more focussed on academics. Candidates also took part in group activities, playing games together online. “These activities were quite useful: in many cases this enables you to distinguish the more assertive candidates, the shy ones, and those who manage to make a huge effort and overcome their difficulties and perform well”.
In July, the Italian NC was finally able to meet the successful candidates right before they left for their UWC. “One thing that really impressed me and the rest of the NC was how different the students were in person. Some had seemed tall and bold online but were actually much smaller and more shy when we met them in person, or vice versa”. This was a tangible demonstration of how important it is, where possible, to hold in-person meetings – a conclusion wholeheartedly supported by UWC Adriatic throughout the last academic year when – with the exception of just a few days – in-person education was delivered to its students.
