Programme

Topics

The programme will cover a wide range of subjects relevant to development in Swaziland, southern Africa and globally, including:

1. •    Millennium Development Goals
   

2. •    HIV/AIDS and other health issues
   

3. •    Education, skills and knowledge
   

4. •   Sustainable development  – economy,     environment, climate change
   

5. •    Rights, politics and power
   

6. •    Gender and age
   

7. •    Culture
   

   Modules

•    Introductory sessions – introducing Swaziland and development; team building, including through outdoor activities

•    Theme days – in-depth engagement with the topics listed above

•    Community projects – in small groups to experience the practical aspects of development and interact with the local community

•    Job shadowing – spending a day with a development worker from an NGO, community- or faith-based organisation, the private sector or government

•    Project development – starting to put ideas into action by exploring possible projects to undertake in the participants’ own communities

•    Closing activities – reflection and thinking ahead, with a keynote speaker helping to place the Short Course into a broader context

Goals

The Short Course will help participants to:

•    Learn and think critically about development locally and globally … and be inspired to learn more

•    Consider how they can make a positive and practical contribution to development

1. •  Acquire skills to take their own development initiatives forward, like project management, research skills and public speaking
   

2. •  Contribute to and benefit from cultural exchange

The focus of the programme is on development, a subject that has become increasingly relevant in Africa, the continent, which is the largest recipient of foreign development aid worldwide. Through local community work as well theoretical discussions the participants of the 2011 short course will be able to explore and reflect on the various aspects of development strategy and ethics as well as to understand how these ideas and problems relate to and play out in the particular local context of a developing nation. They will live and discuss with students from all parts of the world and thereby build tolerance and reflexivity, broaden their horizons, form personal relationships and thus set out on a path to become aware and engaged citizens of the global community.

The UWC short course “Together for Development!” aims to encourage young people to critically engage with the concept of development, and to empower them to contribute to or lead effective development ventures in their home communities and in the wider world.