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THREE young, bright Bahraini students are being offered a chance to graduate from some of the world's most prestigious educational institutions.
The experience could help them take a leading role in bringing peace and understanding in the future as conflict and mistrust continues to manifest itself around the globe.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16-19 that aims to provide an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education and is recognised by many universities worldwide.
The national committee of the United World Colleges (UWC) Bahrain has announced that three of the 12 UWC colleges - Lester B Pearson UWC of the Pacific in Canada, UWC-USA and UWC of the Atlantic in the UK - have agreed to accept Bahraini students on varying amounts of scholarship.
UWC Bahrain is seeking sponsorship and patrons to fund the programmes to help deserving students receive maximum funding for the two-year intensive IB programme that begins in September. UWC is the only global educational non-governmental organisation that brings together students from all over the world with the explicit aim of fostering peace and international understanding.
Bahraini nationals or long-term residents who have completed at least intermediate or equivalent education and will be 16 or 17 years of age by September and are currently in their first or second year of their secondary school, with excellent academic records, are eligible to apply.
Committee member Karen Moffat, assistant director at the British School of Bahrain, Hamala, said that the UWC programme was founded on the concept of experiential learning. Mrs Moffat, 53, said: "Education is more than book learning. The whole aspect of going there and 'doing' and not just learning is the pretty cool part.
"I think UWC colleges are the prefect delivery vehicles for the International Baccalaureate programme (IB). At the centre of an IB learner profile is responsible, global citizenship, tolerance and acceptance of other people.
"Education is about developing a whole person who has integrity, responsibility and accountability - the moral fibre that makes a society.
"These schools are almost like a laboratory which puts students from different cultures together thereby creating an understanding among people of different nationalities who are the next generation of leaders. It is a very intensive exposure during their formative years as young adults."
Fellow committee member Karina Zidan, 34, and an alumnus of UWC-USA, added: "International understanding and meeting people from different cultures is not only available in UWC ... you can get it anywhere. But the combination of what UWC offers in an intense two-year period is what makes the difference.
"There is the educational, social and cultural aspect and then there is an opportunity for the future. The fabric of UWC education is intentional. It is in how the dormitories are set up, for example. Every year you have to have a room mate from a completely different region of the world. If they are organising expeditions, teams will be organised in such a way that there are people from different parts of the world on a team.
"An important element of UWC is that these students are encouraged to go back to their community to give back and contribute to the general development of their country."
The first Bahraini student to go on the programme was Bahraini Yasser Hammadi who was accepted at the UWC-USA last September.
His scholarship was enabled by the combined efforts of Vikram Rupani, Indian businessman and alumnus of UWC-USA, along with Mrs Moffat and Karina. The team of volunteers now includes Bahraini Ruqaya Aamer, a primary school teacher with the British School of Bahrain.
Committee members of UWC Bahrain believe that while the local students have loads of potential some lack opportunity. Karina said: "The reason we are keen on UWC and young people of Bahrain is because there is a lot of potential here and we know that there is not much of an opportunity in that age group.
"UWC has been going on for so long (1962) but the first student ever to go from Bahrain and the Gulf countries was only last year. The students here do deserve this scholarship and this opportunity."
Sponsors and candidates should address their enquiries to selection.bh@nc.uwc.org
Applications close on March 15. Visit www.bh.uwc.org for more details.
