Coastal Cleanup

Coastal Clean-up PBL 2023. 8 students and 2 educators from UWC RCN and a team of professionals from the NGOs Fjordane Friluftsråd and Naturvernforbundet Sogn og Fjordane spent 5 days cleaning the coast of Florø, in Vestland, Norway. In total, we have collected 2083 kg of plastics, metal, glass, etc. A dramatic example of the consequences that our ways of living are having on the planet.  We also got the opportunity to learn from different speakers about plastic pollution, flora and fauna, the fishing industry in Norway, noise pollution, etc. We also worked with a group of refugees from Ukraine and Eritrea, learnt how to fish, swam in the sea, and got to learn and understand better the Nordic cultures .

Mountain Hiking

The Mountain Hiking PBL, organized and executed by our second year Outdoor Leaders, lasted over four days and gave us some breathtaking views, bonding experiences and a chance to familiarise ourselves with the beautiful environment that we, too often, take for granted!  

The Music Camp

Synopsis:

The Music Camp set out to create fun music videos through a collaborative and interactive jam session approach.

The outcome is a fantastic assortment of original compositions as well as beautifully performed cover songs. All the song choices were made and led by the students themselves and Sarah took on the role of PBL Leader in directing the pace and productivity for the entire PBL week.

PBL Credits:

Cast: Sarah, Melissa, Gaby, Jude, Gloriose, Cesar, Blessings, Passang, Lakaw and Raya

Music Writers & Composers: Melissa, Cesar, Lakaw , Sarah , Gaby and Raya

Director and Video Editor: Passang

Executive Producer: Mtheto

Screen Printing

Students will go through the process of acrylic stencil screen printing, from composition to knife work to finished product. Working in teams of two, students will assist each other in creating designs with shapes and text to get a feel for the materials, before being given the opportunity to create more complicated stencils to be printed onto a range of mediums. This can include paper, T-shirts, Bags and many other items. 

Fjord og  fjell

The weather encouraged a change in plan from camping to hytte-tur: a fine hike past/through waterfalls (with rain, hail, thunder and some clear-ish moments) to overnight in koseleg Nipebu; Thursday hike back, climb in Førde klatrehallen, ending with a  kayak-tur in Flekke fjord on Friday-day.

Farming in Flekke

Farming in Flekke led by our second years Ana and Mara, we spent 4 days on a local farm in Flekke .Our 4-day farming experience was filled with a range of different activities from taking down a fence and milking and feeding the cows to preparing a meal with local food and much more. It gave us an interesting insight into the local farming methods and techniques and familiarized us with local food and methods such as fishing and harvesting.  

Walk for Freedom

The PBL focused on Raising awarness of the Human Trafficking, learning about different campaigning methods. The group prepared the street campaign, raising awareness of Human Trafficking in collaboration with A21 website http://a21.org/ 

This included preparing campaign material, publishing campaign on social media, taking part in the street action in Forde, making a long-term plan for raising awareness  supporting the cause. 

Special Board Game Design

The aim of the PBL was to learn about educational board games and make our own game(s) for RCN, UWC or any special interest. The planning  included using the background knowledge, special interests, aims, suggestions etc. to design a new game. It was interesting and great learning experience led by Petra.

Secular Ethics

The world of today has come to the very terminal point of life. The conflict, war, climatic disaster, dominations, colonisation, corruption knowing that humans have done most of it. In order to look for a solution, it is important to look within rather than blaming someone. Is it not possible that the solution lies within the ethical response to all kinds of issues that have an effect on society, environment, and the whole universe? 

Regardless of who you are or whoever you worship for, this inclusive approach to universal ethics of human shared values can bring everyone together to work for greater and sustainable solutions. This approach is based on common sense, common experience and scientific evidence and was the focus of the PBL. The end product was the video that shows how important humanitarian values are. 

"For me this PBL was really fun. It was a combination of creativity, exercises, new experience and basically everything including filming and acting as well. We learnt new things and I am really happy that everyone else was very participative and shared there ideas and opinions as well. This wouldn’t have been successful without the involvement of each and everyone of you." - a student comment

 Indigeneity and Modernity 

The scope of the project:

1. Exploring the intricate relationship between indigeneity and modernity. 

2. Engaging with various sources on the indigenous aspects of selected communities within Norway and highlighting their significant contributions to modern society.

3. Using the lenses of journalism and photography to craft compelling content on:

• the indigenous aspects the selected communities

• the significant contributions of the communities to modern society.

• the conflicts that arise when traditional indigenous knowledge clashes with modern scientific perspectives (Fosen & Finmark cases).

Product: An interactive digital magazine that captures our students creativity in Story telling. Through their interactions the UN Association in Norway, Amnesty International, Hanseatic Museum etc., they captured, documented, and narrated the stories of the Sami people. 

Thematic focus for the magazine: Indigenous knowledge systems, sustainable practices, cultural preservation, and the impact of globalization on indigenous communities. 

Climbing (and hiking) in Stryn

We spent four days in Stryn, three of which dedicated to sport climbing and one to hiking. The overhanging rock formation allowed for us to stay dry throughout our time there and provided a comforting shelter in rainy conditions. We also completed the hike to Skåla, with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and fjords. 

Activity camp for refugees and asylum seekers

From the 9th to the 13th of October a group of students participated in hosting activities for camps for people seeking refugee and asylum in Norway. Our role was to take the lead on all activities and to be prepared for the activities that we were leading. We needed to deliver a programme that is fun and well-organised as our goal was to make our guests feel welcome and have a fantastic time!

During the week there were two different groups of people visiting us on campus. In the first half of the week, children and young people who are settled as refugees in Fjaler visited us. During the second half of the week, people of all ages who are living in Solbakken Asylum Centre visited us. We hosted entertaining activities such as icebreakers to get to know each other, football games, pizza making, pool time, and many more.

Job shadowing, Bergen Chamber of Commerce

Bergen Næringsråd - "Bergen Chamber of Commerce" is the largest membership organisation for business in the Bergen region with over 3,200 members.

During this week 2 of our students, Tatiana and Lea joined Bergen Næringsråd for real life work experiences and got exciting tasks to work on during the week 1) Write a Sustainability Report that will be presented to the board 2) Update their TraineeVest program 3) Creating excitement for an upcoming event in december, BergenP

“In this PBL I not only learned about general corporate dynamics and administrative work, but I also learned about the efforts many businesses in Europe are making in order to address sustainability issues while trying to implement strategies such as the GHG (GreenHouse Gas protocol) . Overall this PBL exceeded my expectations, it taught how the sustainability proposals we often discuss theoretically in class are being applied in the real world and also how NGOs policies often discussed in classes such as Global Politics, affect the work of several businesses”. Lea da Conceição Komba Komba

Work placement - NORENGRO

Last year Norengro won Bergen Sustainability award for their dedicated work focusing og good sustainable practices. During this work placement 2 of our students, Martha and Sandy got to spend 3 days together with Norengro learning more about how they work with sustainability on a practical level as well as visiting other business in Bergen focusing on sustainability, from BIR AS who  is one of Norway biggest waste disposal company to Rafto Foundation who work to promote human rights.

“At Norengros, Sandy and I learnt a lot about their policies/programs to work with sustainability, e.g. through recycling programs and information gathering. I got to see “a day in the life” of business analysts, interior designers etcetera, which was very insightful and interesting, helping me achieve a clearer understanding of the “working world/future” ahead of me. i challenged myself and got to learn new skills e.g. how to use computer programs for designing and how to categorise and record CO2 emissions of goods and the importance of it.”  Märtha Sparmann

Red Cross Møre & Romsdal, Holiday for All

For the last summer's Red Cross Møre & Romsdal have been visiting campus and running their summer camps Holiday for all for close to 100 participants. This is one of the Red Cross programs aiming at providing equal opportunity for everyone specifically giving low income families a good holiday experience. For this PBL 2 of our students, Celine and Mildrid got to travel off campus to participate in a camp run by Red Cross Møre & Romsdal in Trøndelag further up north in Norway. The week-long camps had around 60 participants and our students got to lead 1 of the groups throughout the week . 

“Working closely with my colleague, Mildrid, in the same group was another enlightening aspect of this experience. Our collaboration allowed us to share our unique abilities and perspectives, resulting in personal growth, improved self-expression, and enhanced communication skills. This partnership was pivotal in my development as a person and as a leader.

In summary, this humanitarian volunteering experience was truly exceptional. Being a source of happiness for others was a heartwarming feeling. I not only learned and laughed but also discovered valuable life lessons. It stands out as one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of my life.” Celine al Miary