Opening of the school year at United World College Fjaler

Speech by Norwegian Minister of Nordic Co-operation Ms Heidi Grande Røys at the Opening of the school year at United World College Fjaler on 25th August 2009.

http://www.rcnuwc.no/

Dear students, principal, teachers, other employees at the school and other guests. Welcome to a new school year at United World College Fjaler.

I extend a special welcome to those of you who are among the around one hundred students who are beginning your first year at this school. I don’t doubt that you are especially anxious about how the next 10 months are going to be.

I am proud and happy to have the honour of officially opening this school year for you. As the Norwegian Government’s minister for Nordic cooperation, it is a pleasure for me to be in a school in which everything Nordic is as strong a focal point as it is here.

Looking at the three foundations upon which the school’s program is built, I think that UWC here in Fjaler is putting the emphasis on matters that are like music in my ears:

• Nordic matters
• Humanitarian questions
• Focus on the environment

I’d like to start with the Nordic element: The Nordic countries have a lot in common. Therefore, it is great that this school is putting so much weight on Nordic matters.  You who are students here, are coming from all corners of the world, many of you have grown up in areas dominated by conflicts. To us in the Nordic countries, the situation is different. Norway is the country awarding the Nobel Peace Prize, and we tend to regard ourselves as a nation of peace. Accordingly, I think it is quite natural that especially a school like UWC is putting such great emphasis on the humanitarian peace dimension.

We are living in a peaceful part of the world, distinguished by a large degree of tolerance, even if that also is challenged by forces in our own society. Tolerance is an important value we know is much emphasized in this school. You as well are going to be challenged on tolerance, just by living so closely together and by mixing and interacting with many others during this school year. However, I have no doubt that there is no alternative to tolerance; we just have to make use of that to meet the challenges we are facing as human beings.

A well functioning democracy is another important value in the Nordic countries. I am not only thinking of the fact that we regularly have elections, in which people are able to vote for different parties. Democracy is a value pervading our entire society. And if a democracy is to function properly, people have to participate. That’s why it was fantastic to see how people in Afghanistan defied threats of terror and to a large extent went to the polls last week. Threats like these are strange to us, but this still should make us contemplate and think. We have democracy at the work place and at the schools and it is my hope that this school will be enjoying a well functioning democracy with great participation this coming year as well.

You are lucky. You have applied to attend this school. You have been carefully selected and have received a great opportunity by being accepted as students at UWC. I trust that you are all top motivated! You are going to experience an exciting school year and you are going to learn a lot at this school. But for students here at UWC, the extracurricular activities outside school are important and something from which you are going to learn a lot as well.

• Through the cooperation with the rehabilitation centre at Haugland, you will contribute with important support for patients in need of help and support.
• Through the school camp activity you will give a lot of yourselves, you will learn a lot and make others learn from you.

So you are here at the Norwegian West Coast - Vestlandet. For those of you who are new here, I can promise that Vestlandet is a great place to be. My job is in Oslo, but this is where I live. It is at Vestlandet I feel at home. I am convinced that you will understand why. The nature is fantastic and of course I am aware that you are exceptionally good at using it. Continue doing that! And this leads me to my last point and one of the school’s priority areas.

You are young. You are the future. Our common struggle to fight climate changes is all about your future and what shape our planet will be in, at the time you are going to take over. My hope is that you are going to use this coming school year as well as the years to come, to go in the forefront to influence politicians all over the world to take the climate changes seriously. In December this year, the leaders of the world are going to meet in Copenhagen to make a new Climate Agreement. An entire world is anxiously waiting. It is all about your future.

You are 200 students at this school. Around 20 of you are Norwegian. Allow me to make a wish as I am concluding, and I am saying this in the presence of all the other students so that you will know the pressure I am now putting on your shoulders: The UN states that Norway is the best country in the world for people to grow up. I hope you will use this year to show your fellow students how fortunate you are to grow up in Norway. Be good hosts for your new and old friends.

And to all of you: Start building friendships this year that may last the rest of your lives and make this a year you will never forget and always will look back upon with great joy.

Good luck!