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A group of people sit in a semi-circle inside a spacious room with wooden beams on the ceiling. They are engaged in what appears to be a group discussion or meeting. Some hold papers in their hands, and the atmosphere seems collaborative and attentive.
Student Life

Focus months

07 December 2023
A chance for our whole community to think, learn, read and debate on areas that are important to our college and the wider world.

October | Black History Month

Black History has historically been sidelined or erased in European education. Black History Month (BHM) aims to change this, in the hope that one day the interlinked histories of African, Europe and the Caribbean, from ancient times to the present, will be integral to mainstream school curricula.

The focus of this year’s BHM at UWC Adriatic was to deepen our community’s understanding of Afribbean realities and histories.
This began with ‘Questions about Africa’, a chance for staff and students to ask whatever they wanted about the continent, from China’s role in contemporary African countries to our African students’ favourite places in their countries. This event was followed by a presentation and sharing on Ubuntu philosophy, a practice and way of thinking that prioritises the community over the individual: ‘I am because you are’ being the central concept. Students spoke about what this has meant in their personal lives, as well as the shock of moving to countries that centre the individual. Other activities during the month included an Ethiopian coffee workshop, in which participants prepared and drank coffee the Ethiopian way and learned about the origins of coffee and how it travelled to Italy as well as about how social bonds are further strengthened by drinking coffee together.
The month ended with The Color Black Show which looked at the past, present and future of Black peoples and communities around the world through drama, dance, music, and a moving speech by Chungu from Zambia on the nature of love as a guiding principle for fighting prejudice.

November | Pride Month

Left side of image shows a vibrant sign reading "UWCA-Drag Show Season 2 World Premiere." Right side shows a table with crafting supplies and small, decorated squares of fabric with colorful designs and text like "I LOVE PANS" and "HUMCU.

Pride is the celebration of LGBTQ+ people and our resilience and histories around the world. For a number of our students, this is their first opportunity to explore these themes in a school context. The month featured two main presentations: Joy and Struggle. ‘Joy’ focussed on Pride movements in Lithuania, Mexico and Montenegro, and key activists and artists within those movements. ‘Struggle’ was an introduction to the impact of the HIV AIDS crisis on the LGBTQ+ community in Italy and the USA, combining information with extracts from literature. Other events during the month included the Human Library, in which students told personal stories of learning and growth related to gender, sexuality and self-acceptance, and a quilt-making workshop inspired by the Names project AIDS Memorial Quilt. For the second year running, Pride concluded with our very own UWCA-Drag show, a chance for students and staff to participate in or be introduced to the rich culture of drag as a form of self-expression and celebration.