The Bahamas National Committee (BNC) of United World College (UWC) is launching its first formal fundraising campaign in aid of their Scholar-Ambassador’s Scholarship Fund as they approach the close of their 40th year of service to students of The Bahamas.
Entitled “The Spirit of The Bahamas” this unique fundraising event, which will be held under the distinguished patronage of the Governor General, Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes, will be officially launched on Friday, the 22nd of March at 6:30 pm at Doongalik Studios on historic Village Road.
The public is invited to join the UWC National Committee along with UWC alumni, their parents and supporters for an evening of ‘fun for the fund’. Patrons are encouraged to come casually dressed, prepared to be delightfully entertained by Bahamian bands, singers, and entertainers, scrumptiously fed with delicious Bahamian cuisine, and to participate in an evening of activities, games, dancing, prizes and surprises in true ‘down home’ Bahamian fashion, because the evening promises to be a lively one!
The United World College programme is an educational organization that was formed 50 years ago to offer high school students placements within 12 UWC colleges in 12 countries around the world in order to pursue a two year International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. The IB is one of the most well regarded and widely known secondary school qualifications in the world and as such is accepted by the world’s most selective universities. All United World Colleges share the UWC Mission of “making education a force to unite, people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. Students who attend a UWC therefore have an amazing opportunity to participate in a positive, life-changing academic experience.
To date the BNC, which consists of 14 dedicated volunteers (7 of whom are alumni of the programme) has provided over 90 scholarships for Bahamian students to attend UWCs abroad. For the first thirty–six years of the BNC’s history one or two scholarships per year were funded through the kind assistance of donors. In the last four years scholarships and placements increased to four to five per year thanks to a generous grant from The Cable Cares Foundation, the substantial support provided by The Ministry of Education, and the sound management of the BNC’s finances.
The Committee’s ability to continue at this level, however, has been severely dampened due to the international economic conditions which have reduced the UWC’s scholarship offerings to The Bahamas. The need for the BNC to raise additional funds has become crucial and “The Spirit of The Bahamas” will be the BNC’s inaugural fund raising event. Tickets are now available at Doongalik Studios, #20 Village Road and the public can visit the web site at www.bahamas-uwc.org for more information on the UWC movement.
