Isobel and Colin Jenkins were appointed in mid-2005 as Project Directors for the project to transform an SOS College in Costa Rica into a United World College. They split their time between periods spent at the College and working remotely from home.

Our retirement from Atlantic College brought us to the end of a great and enjoyable experience and the end of our life in UWC. Or so we thought! Circumstances that were difficult and unhappy drew us to UWCSEA, Singapore for a year and then more happily to Costa Rica. Singapore turned out to be positive and enjoyable because of the great people we worked with. Costa Rica has been an equally invigorating experience.

Founding a new UWC in Central America was never on our horizon but what a marvellous place it is. The recent history of the region has been far from happy, but through it all Costa Rica has played a pivotal role through its peace-loving stability. Two distinguished Presidents of the Republic have played a huge part in this. Don Rodrigo Carazo (now our UWCCR Board Chair-elect) was key in the foundation of the UN University of Peace and President Oscar Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating peace in the region. A country without a military and with a dedication to the natural environment cannot but be a wonderful backcloth for our new UWC. Costa Rica believes in peace and democracy and demonstrates this through its actions.

So what about our lives there and a week in those lives?

Where do we start? The Colegio International SOS Hermann Gmeiner (CISOS), occupying what is to be our campus, provides a great heritage. SOS has high ideals matched by action in the care and protection of displaced and disadvantaged young people. As SOS adjusts its policies and priorities, their offer to UWC of the facilities brings with it our urge to recognise the heritage out of which we will grow.

Our first task was therefore to try to establish our philosophy and ‘brand’ in the UWC family. Working with the idealistic staff of CISOS we found ourselves wanting to take an extra step beyond the provision of scholarships for all. We decided to authorise National Committees to search for young people who did not present themselves with strings of top grades and wide extra curricular activities but who, despite difficulties and disadvantages, demonstrated potential and whose whole lives would be transformed by coming here. Such students might not find the IB an easy task and our answer is to offer a foundation year (where needed only). Will it work? We do not know but we are surely going to give it a try. Of course we are also going to operate in Spanish and English throughout. What with Costa Rica’s heavenly natural environments as the stage for it all, it is going to be quite a distinctive place – and we did all this on Monday!

A meeting with the Foreign Minister and his enthusiastic support set us on the legal path to founding our UWC. We little knew on that morning that this would lead us to the creation of governance papers and a set of legal documents which had to follow an extensive trail of official stamps from UWC lawyers, the UK Foreign Office, the London Embassy of Costa Rica, the Foreign Ministry in San José, and the Costa Rican Public Attorney and Registrar General.

CISOS benefited from ‘Mission International’ Status which provides tax concessions to the College and its staff. Sadly this is not transferable and we have set in motion our own application for this arrangement. This will take some time and without any guarantee of success.

Our commitment to the current staff and students, most of whom will transfer to us, brings many novel problems, some very human ones. The current SOS students are very nervous of the changes. We have meetings with all of them to explain. Our rudimentary (even invisible) Spanish brings some mirth to a fairly tense operation. It is clear that our new UWC students will need to play a very sensitive part in helping the transition period through its teething problems.

Colin’s biological background has full consummation in this natural wonderland, including visits from tarantulas, iguanas and sharing a bed with two scorpions (Isobel and the arachnid kind – which saw fit to sting Isobel). Volcanoes, egg-laying leatherback turtles, sloths, monkeys and all manner of birds and butterflies enrich our weekend expeditions.

A visit to the CISOS Art Department reveals some astounding sculptural work by the students. We now own one with a moving and touching dedication from its young Costa Rican creator. Another we have sent to our Patron, Per Grieg, without whom none of this would be possible. His collection of art and his generous support for SOS and UWC will be brought together in the work of a young man who has been given a new life chance by CISOS.

Like all days this one is a series of meetings, decisions and plans for next year. Like all days we go to bed tired and happy (but not before searching the bed for our eight legged friends!)

Friday

Another day of checking documents, our new prospectus, student handbook and our staff one too. “Details impede efficiency” a frustrated colleague utters. Have the National Committees got our offers? Should we check? Where is the best place to buy books and equipment? Where shall we advertise for new staff? Who should join our Advisory Council? Shall we tie up details of our building plan? Can we contemplate buying the bit of jungle that adjoins our campus – complete with its two crocodiles?

Good news: our first UWCCR student has been selected – a Cambodian. We really are going to open in August!

As the week ends there is time to reflect on all those who have helped move us forward: Keith Clark and the International Office, Don Rodrigo Carazo, Peter Stoyle and David Lloyd, SOS Regional Director Otto Brönnimann and most of all the CISOS staff, Mauricio Viales (Director and soon to become the founding Head of UWCCR), Pilar Orellana, Gustavo Cabezas and all their colleagues for unfailing kindness and support.

We like to think of Costa Rica as the Wales of Central America!!