United World College of South East Asia - Activities

Activities

Students in all grades are involved in social service projects, which fall into three categories:

• 'School Service', within the College community (for example coaching students in younger grades)
• 'Local Service', within the Singapore community
• 'Global Service', within the region via the school's Global Concerns programme

Within the Singapore community, UWCSEA supports over 60 Social Services programmes, working with groups such as with disadvantaged children, the aged, and the disabled. This program is introduced as early as Grade 3, and becomes a fundamental aspect of the curriculum from High School onwards.

Global Concerns represent a number of organisations within UWCSEA that seek to integrate an awareness of global development, educational and environmental issues into the College's education programme, supplementing the College values. These programs likewise become integral aspects of education within the College. Global Concerns projects are usually linked with an associated organization within the target country, allowing students to work towards a goal and subsequently see their efforts put into action.

Initiative for Peace was founded by a group of students and teachers at UWCSEA in 2001 as an action-based programme that extends beyond the UWC movement. It offers UWCSEA students the opportunity to promote international understanding and reconciliation in areas of conflict, such as Timor Leste.

United Nations Day celebrations are a major event at the school each year, marked by cultural performances and an international food fair. UWCSEA celebrates a UWC Day each year, undertaking activities in order to raise awareness of the mission of the UWC movement and the values of UWCSEA.

Expeditions out of Singapore are a major emphasis of the school's education program. Most students begin annual expeditions from the age of eight as part of the college curriculum, often travelling to nearby countries. As they age, they begin travelling further and further afield, culminating in a Project Week in the first year of IB (Grade 11). The college also offers outdoor educational experiences to enhance students' classroom experiences with cross curricular teaching and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.

Project Week, which is compulsory for all Grade 11 students, requires students to undertake self-organised, low-cost travel group educational trips, normally outside Singapore. The trip generally lasts a week (as stated) and can be oriented according to the group's consensus - usually either a service based trip, where students work in schools, orphanages, animal sanctuaries and so on, putting into action the service work emphasized by the College, or action based trips, where students tackle personal challenges such as a climbing mountains or trekking across a countryside. The students organize the entire trip and manage their own money.

The Dover Campus has sports facilities such as an Olympic-sized swimming pool and training pool, astro turf and two grass pitches, tennis courts, two sports halls with basketball/volleyball courts, a gymnasium and fitness centre, a high-ropes course and rock-climbing walls. Similar facilities are planned for the East Campus at Tampines. The Dover Campus maintains teams in tennis, netball, rugby union, badminton, basketball, swimming, football, gymnastics, volleyball, floorball, athletics, sailing, and cricket. These activities usually include competitions that the students will take part in during the course of the year, such as SEASAC. There are also sporting activities run by the staff such as kickboxing, golf, rock-climbing, sailing and canoeing and muggle quidditch at the East campus.

Competitively, the school has also acquired a good reputation on Singapore's inter-school debating circuit. In 2007, the school's team won The Arena – a nationally televised debate tournament in Singapore.

UWCSEA has a music department and there are musical ensembles that students can join. The Symphonic band (Brass and Woodwind), Percussion Ensemble, Jazz band, Senior String orchestra and Singers are available for participation by senior students (Grade 7 and above) of all skill levels, though auditions are required for some. Vocalists in grades 11 and 12 can join Cantabile, the school's a cappella vocal group. Auditions are required for this, and acceptance is limited.

There are also intermediate and junior music ensembles available for junior players. There is a performance held by the College every school term (three per year), an example being the annual OPUS concert (in term 1), held at the Esplanade Theatre. In addition, there are opportunities for students (especially those aiming to study music) to perform in Chamber concerts as part of smaller ensembles.

The school's drama department presents productions at the school's theatres, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Cloudstreet, Sweet Charity and Oliver!.

UWCSEA Gap Year programme offers opportunities to put UWC values into practice in South East Asia before going to university, with opportunities to work human rights, environmental and child protection NGO’s, all of whom have direct connections to UWCSEA, either through Global Concerns or SeaLinks. 2008 saw 16 UWCSEA volunteers undertake Gap Year placements in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.

The Community Education Programme (CEP) is a fee-paying programme of sports and other activities offered by UWCSEA to the whole community within and outside of the College. It is an opportunity for those outside the College to be able to participate in activities that use Dover Campus's facilities.