United World Colleges (UWC): the experience of Eleonora (18 years) and Gaetano Drago (17 years), two very young brothers of Palermo.

United World Colleges (UWC): the experience of Eleonora (18 years) and Gaetano Drago (17 years)., two brothers of Palermo who have lived an intense training experience and life, which led them to design, produce and implement a short documentary-touristic on their home town, Palermo.

short-video documentary-touristic of Palermo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz41YINmW30 

PREMISE:

Hello to all our readers,

The editorial staff of “ilprofumodelladolcevita.com”, in the person of Andrea Carousel, first we met Eleonora e Gaetano, then we made an interesting chat with them: two young Palermo who are participating, with success and a lot of enthusiasm, to the international United World Colleges (UWC ). Below you can read the article that we wrote in two versions: English and Italian. The English version is dedicated to all the friends and colleagues of Eleonora and Gaetano, coming from more than 140 countries around the world, so that they can read the story of Eleonora and Gaetano and their beautiful life experience, of training, of integration and of living with many other boys of social background, culture and religion different from theirs. Thanks to all the readers and enjoy reading.

ARTICLE:

A few days ago I met Eleonora and Gaetano Drago who, at some point in our conversation, they talked to me about their wonderful experience of life and study around the world.

So I decided to write for our magazine, this short but beautiful story, which I believe should be the story-experiential and life that should live many young Italian students in many country of the world. When I was a young student of the University of Palermo, I’ve done the Erasmus student, and to be honest, I found much in their experience, although one experienced by Eleonora and Gaetano was and still is, more richer, more detailed and more Interestingly than mine, that left them a deep impression both from a human point of view that from a training point of view and professional.

Eleonora and Gaetano were born and raised in Palermo, a city that, if we look the whole world, is “simple” periphery, distant and unknown from the most important Metropolis of the world, that have power, that count, where culture and creativity have a value that today Italy has almost lost, despite his immense artistic, architectural and cultural heritage. Palermo, in particular, since the war, after decades of talk and talk, does not know yet how to exploit and enhance the immense culture and the extraordinary art that can be found on every corner, at every intersection, looking up at the top from each sidewalk of the historical center of Europe’s greatest.

Eleonora and Gaetano took part in the selection for the United World Colleges (UWC). It is a call published every year by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) of the Italian Government. Eleonora and Gaetano took part in the selection, while they were finishing high school, to attend the third class. They won a scholarship that allowed them to finish their studies – the last two years of high school – in the United World College: Eleonora in Maastricht (Netherlands); Gaetano in Singapore (Republic of Singapore).

The United World Colleges (UWC) is an educational movement that includes fifteen of Schools and Colleges International. Then there are the National Committees that coordinate the work and the relationships between countries, and that works also to selection of the students to send to the Schools and Colleges of UWC. The National Committees are present in over 140 countries worldwide. The model of the United World Colleges (UWC), is based on a series of short educational programs for students around the world. The selection of students is through merit-based criteria and taking into much account of the talent of the candidate. The UWC schools, the colleges and the National Committees, offer scholarships and programs of scholarships to enable students selected to participate in this wonderful program of study and especially to partecipate to the exchange inter-cultural, inter-racial relationships. The UWC can also accept students that pay, but the number is different from institute to institute, from college to college.

The experience of the United World Colleges also includes a program of sports, creative and charities that each student has to play each week; and offers to the students the opportunity to attend international conferences, organize weeks of volunteer work around the world, travel, carry out projects that you can believe impossible to realize. An other interesting aspect is also what the United World Colleges teach to the boys and girls: to fight for a clean and healthy environment, to learn to become “social entrepreneurs”, and how to access to scholarships that Shelby Davis, a US philanthropist billionaire, offers students of the United World Colleges to study in more than 90 universities Americans, including some of the more prestigious Ivy League (which unites the eight most prestigious and elite private universities in the United States of America).

Be a part of a The United World College, means to marry the mission of these schools which reads: “The United World Colleges make of education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.“

The footprint of the multicultural of the United World College is such that makes it a place of sharing, of acceptance and of integration that are unique in the world. The system is designed to make the United World College as a unique and perfect “ecosystem” in which, for example, Palestinian boys and girls study and collaborate with the Israelis boys and girls; where indians, chinese, european, african, aew zealanders, australian, malaysians, thais, syrians, americans students, etc…., discuss, compare, share their ideas, their experiences, and all of them have the opportunity to tell their stories and to tell their cultures of origin. The watchwords of the United World College, for all students, are: respect, tolerance, desire to know each other.

Well, in this their great experience still going on, Eleonora and Gaetano Drago, even if living their experiences in places far away from each other, through new technologies, the Web, Internet, Skype, etc .., have designed, produced and created a beautiful Short-documentary-tourism, which actually has a very strong impact and a power of attraction for the viewer who looks at him and that immediately after, he feels a strong urge and a inner impulse to go and visit the beautiful city of which are seeing the images that flow incisive and very attractive: the city is Palermo, the city of Eleonora and Gaetano.

The video, in reality, born from a large number of requests of hundreds boys and girls that Eleonora and Gaetano have known during their experience around the world like students of the United World College. Boys and girls, students like them of the United World College, which with extreme curiosity wanted to know more about their city and wanted to know what they would have to visit if they one day would come to Palermo. Then, Gaetano and Eleonora, returned to Palermo for the holidays, and they decided to project, run and then mount this amazing short documentary-touristic that you can seen at the beginning of the article and that if you have not already done, I recommend you to see the short-video immediately!

The video, in reality, born from a large number of requests of hundreds boys and girls that Eleonora and Gaetano have known during their experience around the world like students of the United World College. Boys and girls, students like them of the United World College, which with extreme curiosity wanted to know more about their city and wanted to know what they would have to visit if they one day would come to Palermo. Then, Gaetano and Eleonora, returned to Palermo for the holidays, and they have decided to project, run and then mount this amazing short documentary-touristic that you can see at the beginning of the article and that if you have not already done, I advise you to see immediately the short-video !

At this point we can only wish to Eleonora and Gaetano to continue their great and beautiful learning experience, personal and professional, around the world and learn more and more, as they are already doing, to pass on their experience and culture sharing and reciprocity, which are doing with a great passion and dedication, to their peers in Palermo or around the world: friends, classmates, co-workers, fellow sports, etc… This is the only way for the whole world to pass all the barriers that they are building still today (2016), more than ever. We are erecting walls even more arrogant. This happens because we do not yet know well the value of sharing, of the participation, of tolerance and of respect for others, even if different from us!

Eleonora and Gaetano, thanks for your wonderful story that you have told me, and good luck for the extraordinary experience that you will continue to do.

We are pleased to publish it in our magazine “ilprofumodelladolcevita.com”.

We expect you shortly to update on the evolution of your experience, that can be an example for many young italian talented. And we hope that you (even though the Magazine is National and is based in Rome, our capital) can tell your great experience to many boys and girls, in particular guys of Palermo!

Andrea Giostra