The Pestalozzi Programme evolves

We are delighted to be able to share the news of our exciting new scholarship programme and partnership with United World Colleges (UWC). The Pestalozzi-UWC Scholarship Programme launches autumn 2019 when our first cohort of students will be starting a two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma course at UWC Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan (Wales, UK). 

As we explored options to continue our programme of support for the education of high achieving low income young people, we asked our current students and alumni what the most important elements of their scholarship were. The overwhelming response was that living in an international community where difference and diversity were both welcome and embraced was crucial. We also wanted the new programme to encompass Pestalozzi’s ethos of holistic education for Head, Heart and Hands. Our new partner meets all of these criteria. UWC is a global family of schools and colleges with a powerful difference. With a shared goal of working towards global peace and sustainability, they bring together young people from around the world to study in one of their 18 schools on four continents. We believe that UWC’s mission "to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future” is so closely aligned to Pestalozzi’s own that our scholars will thrive in their multi-faith, multi-cultural community in the same way that they have here in Sedlescombe. UWC Atlantic College is a residential facility, so all new Pestalozzi students will live at St. Donat’s Castle where currently up to 90 different nationalities are represented. 

"We are proud to have joined forces with a like-minded partner like the Pestalozzi International Foundation”, said Jens Waltermann, Executive Director at UWC International. "The Pestalozzi-UWC Scholarship Programme allows us to provide more deserving young students with access to high quality education and help them gain the skills that are needed to make change happen in today’s world. The Pestalozzi Programme evolves We look forward to growing this successful partnership and empowering globally conscious leaders to celebrate diversity and build the bridges we so urgently need today.” 

One of UWC’s strengths is its network of national committees based in more than 155 countries around the world, who promote the UWC movement and select students locally. From the outset UWC were keen to work with us to ensure that all of our selection criteria could be met with final selection decisions made by us. Our initial focus will be on the nine countries that we currently select from, but UWC’s global network means that, funding permitting, we could support young people from almost any developing country in the world. What will always remain a constant is that Pestalozzi scholarships provide students with an opportunity they would not otherwise receive, developing their potential and knowledge to positively impact the lives of many others. Your support ensures our programme is able to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty equipping these young people to make a real and lasting difference in the world. To find out more about UWC visit their website - www.uwc.org