Organizing the blog

From an early on in the process of organizing the global concerns conference at RCN, the idea of inter-uwc cooperation was on the agenda. There were several ideas of how do to this, but in the end we agreed with Waterford that a blog would be the way to go.

There are several advantages of the blog format. The blog does not have to be live updated, so we are not relying on perfectly stable Internet on the day as we would have been if we were doing a Skype call. At the same time, the format is quite free, so while a Facebook page would restrict us on the kind of content we could upload and the way we could organize it, a blog allows us to do exactly as we want to.

On the day, both schools have a small technical team with the job of collecting articles and material. This is made possible by adding several authors to the blog and allowing them to contribute form each their user.

The blog was made with Google's Blogger service. The following are a few guides on how to make a good blog with Blogger as well as a comparison between three of the biggest blogging services out there:

Tumblr vs. WordPress vs. Blogger: Fight!

Blogger Manual: Getting started

Multiple authors on Blogger

16 lessons on successful blogging

40 of the Best Websites of Non-Profit Organizations

What is a Global Concerns?

Red Cross Nordic College students have an existing programme of twice yearly days out of the main academic programme, during which they discuss issues of Global Concern. It is proposed to explore whether it would be possible to use the March 2012 Nordic College Global Concerns day as a day in which not only NC students but also students at other institutions might consider the same issue(s), on the same day, with the same materials and speakers available to them to examine.

This will involve students from the participating institutions (in March 2012, Red Cross Nordic College and Waterford Kamhlaba College; at a second trial in September 2012, we hope to include all UWCs) working together to ensure a common approach, principles of discussion, and to ensure some uniformity over the structure of the day; to agree to pose the same questions, and to coordinate the ways in which issues are presented and considered.

At the end of the day (in each time zone), participating students will be able to vote on the questions posed, and will also be invited to comment on the issue, and on the process, as a part of the reflective learning process for both participants and facilitators. The vote(s) will only be open to people who have spent time considering the issue(s), and it is therefore anticipated that the results of the vote(s) will carry more weight than any random on line poll.

Talk Together will support the institutions as required, helping to coordinate such issues as on line connections between students in the preparatory (and follow up?) stages, a set of materials which students from around the world could use (papers to study, exercises to do, videos to watch, websites to explore, debates to structure, discussions to facilitate, etc.). As a minimum, it is anticipated that Talk Together (as an external, neutral body) will serve as a useful focus for the students in their preparations (requiring them to think and to express their plans, concerns and challenges clearly at all stages) if the students are asked to report regularly to Talk Together on their progress and planning.

This article is taken from talktogether.info

Waterford Kamhlaba UWC Workshop Names and Categories

Workshop Name	Venue	Category
WE Commserve	Assembly Hall	WOMEN
SWAGGA	E5	WOMEN
Debating: Fanele Tezzy	EB1	WOMEN
Islamic institute: Maulana	Lecture Lab	RELIGION
Wabantu	E6	RELIGION
Debating: Dimitri Oliver	EB2	DISABILITY
Ethnic minorities	H2	ETHINIC MINORTITIES
Socio-economic	Esiveni Common Room	ETHNIC MINORITIES
KONY	M3	ETHNIC MINORITIES
Clicks	M2	MINORITIES
Sexual minorities: GSA	Ekukhuleni Common Room	MINORITIES
Mrs. Earnshaw	H1	MINORITIES
Applying for Asylum	CCLD	MINORITIES
Nuts and Bolts	G2	DISABILITY
St. Joseph	IT Centre	DISABILITY
Global Perspective 1	M5	DISABILITY
Global Perspective 2	M4	DISABILITY
Peace and Conflict 1	E3	RELIGION
Peace and Conflict 2	E4	DISABILITY
Amnesty 1	E1	WOMEN
Amnesty 2	E2	DISBAILITY
Lola	LS1	DISABILITY
Slam Poetry	Music Room	WOMEN
GAP	Commserve Room	WOMEN

Waterford Kamhlaba UWC Human Rights Day Programme

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY PROGRAMME

8:00 Assembly

8:30 Short TUTOR GROUP meeting to prepare for Workshops

8:45 Workshop 1

9:25 End of workshop 1

9:30 Workshop 2

10:15 Break time

10:45 Tutor Period- to discuss what was talked about in the workshops they attended

11:15 Normal Wednesday Lessons continue

UWC Red Cross Nordic Program

This is the program for the Global Concerns day at UWC Red Cross Nordic:

08.00 – 08.15 – Introduction to the Global concern
08.20 – 09.05 – Workshop no. 1
09.15 – 10.00 – Workshop no. 2
10.00 – 10.15 – Cookie break
10.15 – 11.00 – Workshop no. 3
11.10 – 11.55 – Workshop no. 4
12.05 – 12.50 – Lunch
12.50 – 13.30 – Run-off

All students must sign up for four workshops on the day; one in each of the four categories.

The possible workshops are:

DISABILITY: Are you insane?
DISABILITY: They see me rollin' they hatin'
DISABILITY: Cultural sharing and solutions
ETHNIC MINORITIES: Ethnic minorities in China
ETHNIC MINORITIES: Indigenous minorities
ETHNIC MINORITIES: Racist
RELIGION: Christianity? not in my house!
RELIGION: Don't marry the Jew
RELIGION: Do you think you know Islam? Think again!
WOMEN'S RIGHTS: Don't worry I only ran into a door
WOMEN'S RIGHTS: Women and prostitution
WOMEN'S RIGHTS: Women living with HIV

On the day, the different workshops will be producing articles and material for the blog. A small group of students will go around, collecting the material and organizing it under the four themes of the blog.