Intro
UWC Poland (officially: Towarzystwo Szkół Zjednoczonego Świata im. prof. Pawła Czartoryskiego) is an independent, non-profit public-benefit organisation. We support secondary-school students from across Poland by enabling them to spend the final two years of their education at one of 18 UWC colleges, where they follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB).
Our work
Places at UWC colleges are awarded through a nation-wide selection held once a year. Each place comes with a needs-based scholarship that can cover up to 100 % of tuition, accommodation and board; the exact amount depends on family income.
The UWC idea
Each UWC college brings together 200–300 students from about 80–100 countries. Learning and living side-by-side they build the understanding and trust needed for peace and sustainable development.
How we are funded
UWC Poland is entirely volunteer-run and financed through donations, membership fees and sponsor support. We have no paid staff and conduct no commercial activity.
Part of a global network
We are one of more than 150 National Committees worldwide that recruit for UWC in partnership with UWC International, headquartered in London.
Our name & history
Founded in 1990 as the United World Colleges Association of Poland, we adopted our current legal name in 2003 to honour Professor Paweł Czartoryski — founder and first chair (1990-1999). Day-to-day we simply say “UWC Poland.”
Our patron
Professor Paweł Czartoryski was involved with the UWC movement almost from its inception in the 1960s. The Polish branch of UWC was founded on his initiative in 1990 under the name Towarzystwo Szkół Zjednoczonego Świata.
He served as chair of the Association’s board until his death in 1999.
In recognition of his contribution to the UWC movement, in 2003 the Association chose him as its patron and changed its official name to Towarzystwo Szkół Zjednoczonego Świata im. prof. Pawła Czartoryskiego.
From a memoir about Professor Paweł Czartoryski prepared by Bogna Obidzińska, alumna of UWC Adriatic (1994–1996):
“Although we met Professor Czartoryski in many different situations, we always picture him calm, smiling, leaning kindly towards his interlocutor. We remember the focused gaze of his light eyes and the warm voice of a man no longer young. We recall the pleasant clasp of his large hand. There was no severity in his manner — he addressed us gently and unhurriedly, often turning sentences into questions to encourage the listener. Ever busy with many responsibilities, he never forgot our names; he knew in detail what we were doing, where we were and what we were aiming for. He took an interest in our problems, listened, advised and, when needed, intervened. He was understanding of our failures, awkwardness and sometimes ill-considered, passionate declarations(…)”