Today, on the occasion of the annual UWC Day that celebrates the values and mission of the UWC movement, we are excited to announce the launch of the UWC Hub, the online space for the UWC community!

The UWC Hub is a web platform that brings together the UWC community around the world to connect with each other and stay up to date with the many activities happening across the UWC movement. Soon the app version of the UWC Hub will also be available and it will be compatible for both Android and Apple devices. The UWC Hub is open to UWC alumni from all all over the world, as well as staff and former staff from all UWC schools and colleges.

The launch of the UWC Hub represents a milestone in UWC International’s engagement work and is one of the direct results of the work done by the Community Engagement Committee of the UWC International Board and was envisaged in the UWC Engagement Strategy which was finalised in June 2015 with a view to strengthening alumni engagement and community outreach across UWC. In line with this vision, the aim of the UWC Hub is to strengthen the UWC community, to encourage engagement and positive action, to increase UWC’s collective impact and advance the UWC mission.

Polly Akhurst, Senior Community Engagement Officer at UWC International, said: “This project started in response to the belief that a UWC education is just the beginning of a lifelong connection to the UWC mission and community. The 2014 ACP (Alumni Collaboration Platform) survey completed by over 8,000 UWC alumni showed the clear need for the community to be better connected across the schools and colleges and more able to collaborate on mission-related projects. We hope the UWC Hub will play a key role in facilitating activities and initiatives that can truly enable our community to become a force for a peaceful and sustainable future”.

With the UWC Hub, all UWC alumni as well as staff and former staff from all of the UWC schools and colleges will finally have a unique online place where to connect, share, discuss, keep in touch, get informed - and so much and more! In fact, the UWC Hub can:

• Enable users to find each other according to their location, profession and UWC affiliations
• Facilitate social and professional connections, including mentoring
• Act as a ‘one stop shop’ where users can find and post events, volunteer and job opportunities and initiatives, bringing in and linking out to existing channels, including social media
• Enable you to discover what’s new with your UWC school/college and national committee, including upcoming events and opportunities for engagement
• Facilitate collaborations on projects and causes, through providing a space and allowing users to indicate their skills and seek or offer help
• Serve as a safe space for discussions with others, which can either be private or open to the wider community

The online solution chosen for the UWC Hub was chosen and customised after a year of work and research on what could be the most effective platform to bring together the whole online UWC community. Numerous alumni and staff members from across the UWC movement have been involved in the trial and their precious feedback was listened to carefully when setting up and customising the web platform.

One of them is Marie Julie Chenard, Li Po Chun UWC alumna (2000-2002), Policy Advisor at the UK Cabinet Office and Co-founder of the UWC Women's Network, who said: “For me, the UWC Hub is a 'one stop shop' that will allow me to access information about anything that might be going on in the UWC community and to get involved more effectively”.

Also Joseph Santiago, UWC South East Asia alumnus (1987-1989), participated in the trial of the UWC Hub and particularly appreciated the social aspect of the new platform: “I liked the ability to know which alumni are in the area and to allow for connections to be made - even if it is as simple as having them join a Second Saturday Social dinner. I'm really excited to see the Hub come to life!”

To know more about the UWC Hub and learn how to register, visit the dedicated section on our website.