At Pearson College, we continue our dialogue on the situation in Ukraine. With students from over 85 different countries, we have learned about the history, context, international laws and the most recent United Nation General Assembly resolution affirming the territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemning Russian aggression.
We have also discussed how Pearson College, as part of the UWC movement, should address this situation. The mission of UWC is to, “make education a force to unite people for peace.” So, how do you show solidarity without becoming partisan or disrupting a mission-driven imperative to foster peace and conflict resolution?
Some students have been sharing accounts of aggression in different global contexts where no statement was made. Others have suggested that the mission itself requires us to call out unprovoked aggression that violates principles of international law.
This is an important point for us at Pearson College UWC. We have an educational model bringing together students from diverse contexts that sometimes might make it seem impossible to reach consensus and consistency in addressing a whole range of different examples of injustice. The response to this challenge, echoed in responses we have received from some of our students, alumni, faculty, staff and Board members, is very clear indeed. They have urged us not to equivocate and to call out illegal aggression.
In the same spirit, some of us from Pearson College UWC gathered together in front of the British Columbia Legislature in support of Ukraine and in our own small way, provided young people with agency and an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity.
After careful consideration, Pearson College UWC believes that we must both condemn the aggression of the Putin regime and support peaceful resolution. Consistent with our UWC values and mission, Pearson stands with Ukraine.