Kathryn (left) with friends

Aiko is from Penniston, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and attended St. Joseph's Convent Secondary School in the Mesopotamia Valley; while Kathryn attended St. Joseph's Convent Marriaqua, one of the island's leading schools.

They are now at Atlantic College, "the international school in a Castle on the Bristol Channel in Wales," founded in 1962 by Kurt Hahn, a renowned German educationalist who, because of his positive postwar experience at the NATO, wanted to transmit a spirit of mutual understanding to young people to help them overcome prejudice and antagonism.

This dream of building a spirit of mutual understanding has had a profound impact on young Aiko who is now in her second year. She told me that one of the things she has enjoyed most at Atlantic College is meeting people from all over the world and "the different things I have been able to participate in. For example," she said, "I have a few friends from Palestine and friends from Israel who will sit side by side in a class and chat to each other. While on the other side of the world their people are killing each other. Similarly I have Tibetan and Chinese friends."

"Don't get me wrong," she continued, "there is a lot of debate about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the Tibetan/Chinese situation as well, but this is just an example of how Atlantic College has taken these people out of a context and demonstrated that we are all unique but we are all also just human beings."

"Political conflicts between two countries really do not reflect on the ability of individuals from those countries to be friends with one another. This unification I think is essential to pushing forward to solving many of the political issues in the world. It sounds idealistic but it is one of the ideals that this school exists for," she said.

Aiko

The UWC is a British based foundation that comprises 12 colleges in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Norway, Singapore, Swaziland, the United States, Venezuela and the UK. Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, an international humanitarian activist, and a voice on issues of world peace, has been President of the UWCs since 1995, while Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa has been honorary President since 1999.

Both Aiko and Kathryn heard about Atlantic College, the first of the 12 UWCs just by chance. More than 7,000 people from over 100 countries have studied there since it started in 1962.

Although there are UWC National committees in more than 130 countries worldwide there is, at present, no Committee in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

"I am quite pleased that Kate and I now have the opportunity to raise awareness about this school in our island and set up a National Committee," Aiko said.

While Kathryn added "The fact that there is no National Committee for UWCs in St. Vincent means that not many people have heard about it and so now it is our job to spread awareness about them. It's a shame that so little is known about UWCs in the West Indies."

In fact Aiko heard about Atlantic College from a friend of her aunt (who lives in Devon, England) whose daughter had attended the College. Kathryn, on the other hand, heard about the college from her friends' father. He had known someone who attended Atlantic College a few years ago. After she researched the college in depth on the Internet she decided to apply.

Both young women plan to give back something to society before they continue with their studies. Kathryn said: "I am planning to take a gap year where I will return to St. Vincent and work for 6 months. I then hope to go to South Africa and work in orphanages helping kids with AIDS. After my gap year I want to apply for a zoology or wildlife conservation course in Australia."

Aiko, on the other hand said: "After Atlantic College I am taking a gap year, in which I am planning to work in London for a few months and then travel to the border of Burma and Thailand and work with Burmese refugees there. Then I will go to University either in the UK or the US."

"I will always have a strong connection to St. Vincent, it is my island and my home. The obligation I have to my country as the place that has given me so much is not forgotten. I will definitely return to work there, most likely in education. I also plan on setting up a National Committee in St. Vincent for UWCs."

Barbara Nelson is a Jamaican-born Journalist now living in Washington DC. She has been a contributor to the Daily Gleaner for many years.

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