Global Leadership Experience (GLE)
Exploring the challenges facing your planet and our future
2025 applications open late January. To join our mailing list and receive a notification of when you can apply, register here.
The Global Leadership Experience (GLE) brings together passionate and aspirational young people from all around the world to UWC Atlantic College, UK. Join us to explore the challenges shaping your planet and our future, whilst we take you on a journey towards becoming the changemakers and innovators to address these challenges.
2024 Global Leadership Experience Brochure
2025 Course Information
Date: 2nd-16th August 2025 (TBC)
Location: St Donat’s Castle, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan CF61 1WF
Ages: 15-17 year olds
Fee: TBC
Application open: late January – 31st March 2025
2025 COURSE APPLICATIONS
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About Global Leadership Experience (GLE)
Learning to lead, building critical thinking and decision-making skills and developing a global perspective to help create change in yourself is a good thing. Using those skills to generate ideas for social impact and be an advocate for positive change in the world – that’s a great thing. The Global Leadership Experience (GLE) is your chance to bring it all together.
UWC Atlantic based in a 12th-century castle by the sea in Wales UK; every day is packed with new experiences – from exploring the complex systems of the world (why some work and others simply don’t) to developing your own answers to the BIG ethical, social, environmental, political, geographic and economic questions that impact the lives of everyone. Through thought-provoking workshops, insightful discussions and comfort stretching outdoor activities, you will be invited to develop the 21st Century leadership needed at a global, local and personal level.
Programme Themes
The Global Leadership Experience seeks to build a community of young thinkers and doers from across the globe committed to developing the leadership needed for a sustainable and just future. The programme is designed to support participants in answering 3 key questions:
WHAT is the leadership we need?
By looking at different models of leadership, we will explore the types of leadership that are needed to create a fairer and more sustainable world. As leadership is more than the ability to motivate and control, we will explore and practise how values, skills of empathy and collaboration, and systems thinking can help you develop your own model
of what a good leader can be.
WHO is the Leader I am becoming?
Through activities steeped in experiences, you will be challenged to explore what comprises your identity, your values, your passions and your strengths. You will begin to uncover your personal style of leadership and develop the leader that lies within you.
HOW can I lead to make a positive difference?
We will dive into the global challenges that we are currently facing: from climate change to gender inequality, and poverty to sustainability. We will take a systemic view to investigate the root causes, and the resulting impacts at local and global levels. In doing so, you will better be able to identify the issues that you most deeply care about and
your motivation to influence change – your why!
Experiential Learning for Leadership Development
Critical Exploration
Through experiential education designed and delivered by Critical Engagement CIC, you will have the chance to develop strong foundations for critical thinking and personal engagement with issues of identity, diversity and social responsibility. Through a variety of different workshops and activities, you will explore what makes you the person and aspiring leader that you are, how this can shape your change making ambitions and what leadership is fit for the future world you envision.
Leadership in Action and Reflection
The greatest lessons are learnt from practice and reflection. You will have the chance to directly practice what you learn by taking a lead in shaping and delivering sessions and events throughout the week – from evening games to a participant-led camping trip. In order to draw out your personal learnings, you will be part of a smaller Umbrella group. Guided by a facilitator, you will have the opportunity to reflect upon the day’s activities, alone and together, to more deeply understand your own personal journey.
Outdoor Adventures
Drawing upon the resources that the beautiful surroundings offer, you will be challenged to develop your leadership skills through creative and exciting outdoor adventures. You will work as a team to navigate the caves of South Wales, learn to forage in the wild, learn basic survival skills and apply it all during a 2-day hike and campout. This experience will (safely) push you beyond your comfort zone as you work together with your peers to overcome fears whilst discovering your strengths and potential.
In Partnership
Critical Engagement CIC
“GLE is designed and delivered in partnership with Critical Engagement CIC (CE), a community interest company created in 2019 to develop strong foundations for critical thinking, creative collaboration and confident, constructive communication. CE was first born at UWC Atlantic over 12 years ago, thus we are excited to continue to grow our joint commitment to offer action-oriented education for young people across the international stage”
– Sophie Mak-Schram and Faima Ramirez, CE Co-Directors
APPLICATION CLOSES 31ST MARCH 2024
Apply to attend the Global Leadership Experience 2024:
Self-funded Application Form
Scholarship Application Form
Course Information
The course will be held at UWC Atlantic from Saturday 20th July to Saturday 3rd August 2024. Applications are open to 15-17-year-olds. GLE is delivered in English, therefore all participants must be able to communicate in the English language.
Course Fees
£2,695 GBP per person, including all boarding, catering, activity fees and GuardMe insurance. Price is also inclusive of optional transfer to/from Heathrow Airport. The fee does not include flights, participant spending money, visa fees or travel costs outside of the transfers.
SUPPLEMENTS
Additional charges that you may incur as a fee to GLE are as follows:
– If you plan to use the unaccompanied minor airline service a fee of £75 GBP per person applies to cover the additional staffing requirements
– If you have unexpected changes to travel a fee of £200 GBP per person plus additional transport costs (i.e. taxis) applies
SCHOLARSHIPS
The capacity of GLE is 50 participants of which up to 10 places are allocated to scholarships offering a discount of 50% off the course fee. If you require financial assistance, you must apply via the scholarship application form found on our website.
How to Apply
To apply, click on the relevant application link in the blue box above.
– Application opens late January 2024
– Application closes at 23:59 on 31st March 2024 midnight UK time
– Late applications will not be considered
– All applications will be reviewed together after the closing date and applicants will be notified whether their application has been successful by the end of April 2024. An invoice will be sent out at the time of confirmation and you must be able to pay the invoice at this stage. Please contact us if you require a payment plan.
The application is made up of 4 main sections:
1) Personal details
2) About you – longer questions exploring your motivations and thoughts on leadership (if you would like, you may supplement these answers with additional material, e.g. a video, image, audio recording).
3) Medical/additional needs and parent/guardian information (to be completed by your parent/guardian)
4) Parent/guardian details
We are keen to discover the leader within – and that can mean different things to different people. In assessing applications, we look for both merit and potential, recognising that there any many different ways to lead and that becoming a leader is an ongoing process. Please answer the questions below with sincerity and confidence, and use personal examples.
The questions are:
1) What motivates you to be part of the Global Leadership Experience? (max 300 words)
2) Explain, in your own words, what leadership means to you. Where useful, draw on examples (from others, or yourself) to support your answer. (max 300 words)
3) Tell us about a time that you stepped out of your comfort zone. What happened? (max 200 words)
Contact Us
If you need to get in touch, contact us by email gle@uwcatlanticexperience.com or call (+44) 1446 799 000
Insurance
As part of GLE, International Students living outside of the UK will benefit from GuardMe COVID specific insurance, to provide additional cover for COVID related cancellation.
The policy provides cover for participant cancellation in the event of:
– Having a positive case of COVID at the start date of the course, prohibiting them to join. Cover provided is up to the value of £7,500
– COVID medical cover up to £10 million
– Flight and accommodation cover for participant and guardian should they be required to isolate in the UK and/or fly to the UK to provide care
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