It gives me a great deal of pleasure to address you in my capacity as Rettore of UWC Adriatic. I feel truly privileged to be part of this very special community that includes all of you that have come here to mark this day with us, and let me just say how I delighted I am that you are able to join us in person. We should also not forget that our community also includes the 3716 alumni that over the past 40 years have been acting as ambassadors for the College and the United World College education programme. Also and at the heart of our community are all the teaching and non-teaching staff who today and over the years have been driven by an unwavering desire to make a profound difference to the lives of young people. Their contributions and your contributions live on as part of the collective story of the College. Our community also includes the people of this proud region who also play an important role in the education of the students at UWC Adriatic. In fact, the much-cited African proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ could not be more true than in the context of our students as they live and learn surrounded by the warm and welcoming people of the village of Duino.
UWC Adriatic, like the other 17 schools and colleges within the movement, was built on the belief that peace and a sustainable future are universal goals that will ensure the continued survival and prosperity of our species as well as that of our planet. These goals underpin our efforts each and every day as we strive to provide a transformative educational experience that touches the hearts and minds of the students who are in our care for that relatively short but intense period of time. This has been the work of this college for the past 40 years and the United World College movement as a whole for the past 60 years. Listening to the words of Mohamed, and Fatima we got a sense of how, as an institution, UWC Adriatic has evolved over the years as it adapted to the changes of the past four decades, while at the same time maintaining a sense of continuity through its mission that is as relevant today as it was at the College’s inception in 1982.
One way to look at the College’s achievements is to consider the extent to which we try to live by our values. As a relative newcomer to the College, I will try and illustrate what I mean by sharing just a couple of observations that have struck me over the last few weeks. As a community, we value diversity and the different ways it can be expressed.
Today, we saw this value expressed by the rich diversity that exists within our community in the flag display at the start of this ceremony.The diverse range of countries represented is indeed something to be proud of but perhaps what the flags do not necessarily show are the less visible elements of cultural diversity that we have at Adriatic, for example the broad range of our students’ life experiences and personal beliefs. In the very short time that I have been here I have witnessed how these young people are learning to accept and value the things that make them unique, and also how to communicate that unique sense of self to others in the hope of gaining mutual understanding and a genuine respect for one another.
The second example relates to student agency which is something that has always been valued at the College. Again, I have witnessed first-hand every single day student-led initiatives that have been well-organised and engaging. I have witnessed many student-led discussions that demonstrate a high level of maturity and sophistication. Even today, I am sure you will agree that our two co-masters of ceremonies, Giovanna and Mihailo, have played an instrumental role in ensuring the smooth running of this event and have shown us that young people when entrusted with real responsibility are more than capable of rising to the challenge.
However, we must remember that the achievements of UWC Adriatic, as significant as they may be, are but a step towards the mission of the College. Our 40th anniversary is also a time to look with courage and wisdom to the future and the challenges it presents. If history has taught us anything, it has shown us that complacency is the enemy of peace and sustainability. Therefore, our task as a college continues to be one of active striving towards these goals and the monument that hosts us here today should act as a constant reminder to us all of the terrible and devastating consequences that could befall us, if we choose to abandon them.
We have repeatedly heard today, the clear message that peace and sustainability begin with us as individuals. This is no soundbite; this is a call for continued action. Yet, I am a believer that impactful action requires effective planning. It is with this in mind that last year the College developed key working documents such as the Sustainability Strategy and the Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan in order to move our agenda forward. Today our community is engaged in the process of bringing these documents to life. This afternoon, we will be participating in a variety of activities that resonate not only with the theme of UWC Day which is Peace begins with us but also with inscription that is written on the urn that lies in the Ara Pachis monument ‘Odium parit mortem, vitam progignit amor/Hatred produces death, love generates life’. So, our activities will include service in the local community, as well as workshops to help us learn about national and cultural traditions, the importance of an inclusive world, and the art of listening for conflict resolution.
I sincerely believe that these steps, however small they may seem, do bring us closer towards a more peaceful world as they represent the building blocks of an education for peace. On this note, and without any further ado, it is with great joy and emotion that I declare the 40th academic year of UWC Adriatic open and I can think of no better way to begin 2022-23 than to ask our Stefano Sacher and the choir to perform the final piece of this ceremony Dona Nobis Pacem after which I invite you all to join us for lunch in Medea.
