Faith Abiodun and Dr Musimbi Kanyoro

In 2025, the world felt more fragmented, more pressured and more uncertain than it has for a long time. Conflict intensified. The effects of climate change on people’s lives became harder to ignore. Trust between communities, institutions and nations continued to fray.

In that context, UWC’s purpose felt sharper than ever.

Across our schools, colleges and programmes, young people from very different backgrounds continued to live and learn together, often carrying the realities of conflict, displacement or inequality with them. What they brought into those shared spaces mattered. So did what they built together.

2025 was also a year of consolidation and commitment. Following the launch of the UWC 2030 Strategy, this was the year in which we put that direction into practice. A central part of that work has been strengthening the foundations that make it possible for young people to access transformational education opportunities through UWC. 

Thanks to the generosity of thousands of supporters across the UWC movement, the UWC Endowment grew significantly in 2025, providing a perpetual source of scholarship funding for young changemakers. It will allow UWC to support more students from under-resourced backgrounds, year after year, and help secure access for future generations.

Alongside this, we continued to deepen partnerships, expand learning opportunities and create spaces for conversation beyond our campuses, from student-led initiatives to global forums and public conversations. 

UWC’s impact does not sit in a single programme or moment. It develops over time, through relationships, choices and the long arc of education. This report brings together lived experiences, data and examples from across the movement to show how that work took shape in 2025.

I am grateful to the students, staff, volunteers, partners and supporters who make this impact possible. Your commitment continues to shape UWC, and the communities it touches, in ways that matter.