In the early 1920’s, Kurt Hahn, a remarkable thinker and educator, perceived something…
missing from the lives of young people. He made it his mission to remedy that deficiency by providing the right environment and instruction to impel individuals to achieve their fullest potential. Hahn’s visionary ideas are alive in the world today and in constant evolution through the experiential education programmes that are portrayed in Mark Zelinski’s fifth book, ”One Small Flame: Kurt Hahn’s Vision Of Education.” Zelinski travelled to more than 70 Round Square Schools, Outward Bound Centres and United World Colleges worldwide to capture, in photographs and words, this epic story of the human spirit at it most courageous and compassionate moments.
Page 71 | St. George’s Grammar School, Capetown, South Africa
A senior student engages with a younger student who is intellectually challenged.
Page 67 | Outward Bound South Africa
At Outward Bound South Africa courses often begin with a morning run. Physical activities help develop a positive attitude and the endurance to adapt to an ever-changing environment.
Page 66 | Outward Bound South Africa
It takes compassion and commitment to be an Outward Bound instructor. An instructor must be an excellent facilitator with an acute interest in the growth and development of others.
Page 66 | Outward Bound South Africa
Outward Bound courses are not easy and they are not meant to be. They are designed so that everyone can succeed at their own level. All that is required as the willingness to try.
Page 64 | Round Square International Service, South Africa
The students also painted the playground and doors of the adjoining children’s crèche.
Page 65 | Round Square International Service, South Africa
The sand was then mixed by hand with cement to plaster the walls of the Literacy Centre and to build a shack a brick storage room for the children’s crèche.
Page 65 | Round Square International Service, South Africa
Many truckloads of sand were collected on a nearby hillside and brought to the site where it had to be sifted.
Page 64 | Round Square International Service, South Africa
The main focus of the RSIS South Africa project was to complete the construction of an adult Literacy Centre for the community of Bergmanshoogte. Work included plastering both the outside and inside of the centre and filling the ground with rubble for a floor.
Page 63 | Round Square International Service | South Africa
Every year Round Square International Service (RSIS) runs projects where students from Round Square schools across the globe travel to perform a variety of services in communities that lack resources on every continent. Volunteers from The 2009 RSIS South Africa Project came from India, UAE, SA, Germany, UK, USA and Canada.
Page 62 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
Page 61 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
In an environment where prejudice and preconceived social norms are abandoned, students can discover a sense of self-worth and achievement, compassion and service to others.
Page 61 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
Perched on a hilltop in the high veldt, the Waterford campus provides a dramatic setting for students from all walks of life. The gentle Swazi people provide a fascinating cultural experience.
Page 60 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
By facing new challenges, students find the strength of synergy of teamwork to successfully reach their potential.
Page 60 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
On the sports field, students develop strength, stamina and a deep connection to each other.
Page 60 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
By performing service at local schools WKUWC students can a greater awareness about themselves and develop respect, affection and trust within the community.
Page 59 | Outward Bound Zimbabwe
Morning light bathes hikers crossing the Bundi Plain. Testing their endurance in the wilds of Chimanimani National Park, youngsters carry water and supplies over two mountain ranges.
Page 58 | Outward Bound Zimbabwe
In eastern Zimbabwe, the Haroni River transforms into a magnificent waterfall cascading into Tessa’s pool. Here, a team forms of human pyramid in order to ring a bell from an improvised raft.
Paqe 56 – 57 | Saint Cyprian‘s School, South Africa
Beautifully situated in Cape Town at the foot of Table Mountain, children from Saint Cyprian‘s Pre-preparatory School-In-The-Woods warm up for a physical education lesson on the hockey field.
Page 55 | Outward Bound Bulgaria
Students may hike 20 km of astonishing terrain in a day, but the real adventure takes place within their hearts and minds.
Page 53 | Outward Bound Romania
The widely diverse terrain of the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania offer superb venues for Outward Bound expeditions in Eastern Romania.
Page 52 | Outward Bound Croatia
A first-timer takes the challenge of scaling the rock wall on one of the jagged towers of Mount Velebit in western Croatia.
Page 52 | Outward Bound Croatia
Trekkers pause to overlook the magnificent Croatian coast and the island Pag.
Page 51 | Outward Bound Czech Republic
Trusting rope and trainer, a woman needs backward over promontory to abseil a vertical rock face.
Page 51 | Outward Bound Czech Republic
Instructors guide groups through various means of artistic expression – such as creating Tibetan sand paintings.
Page 50 | Outward Bound Finland
The sun sets on a student during her first night of a solo adventure. Monitored for safety by a nearby instructor, without words between them she is essentially alone.
Page 49 | Outward Bound Finland
Pulling together in rhythm, students row the lakes of eastern Finland in “Church Boats”, used for centuries by rural folk for their Sunday migration to worship.
Page 48 | Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway
The tranquillity of a moss-carpeted forest on the school’s small island can help students to appreciate the inter-dependency of all life.
Page 48 | Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway
Student becomes teacher, guiding youngsters from nearby schools through challenging activities such as archery.
Page 47 | Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway
At the top of the world, teachers from around the world give lessons to students from around the world.
Page 47 | Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway
At the top of the world, teachers from around the world give lessons to students from around the world.
Page 46 | Red Cross Nordic United World College, Norway
In the tradition of the Vikings, rain-whipped students row across a Norwegian Fjord, home to Red Cross Nordic United World College.
Page 45 | Schule Birklehof, Germany
“Haupthaus”, the main building of the Birklehof school, is a traditional style structure of the Black Forest region of Germany. Across the beautiful campus, with its 20 buildings full of niches and corners, everyone can find a place to study and socialize.
Page 44 | Outward Bound Germany
Since 1956, participants at Outward Bound Germany have tested themselves to new limits.
Page 43 | United World College Of The Adriatic, Duino, Italy
International students look across the Adriatic, against the backdrop of UWC’s Duino Castle.
Page 43 | United World College Of The Adriatic, Duino, Italy
A Vietnamese music scholar practices in the chamber music school founded in 1989.
Page 42 | United World College Of The Adriatic, Duino, Italy
Creative juices cascade in the school art centre, named after the photographer Eric Hartmann.
Page 42 | United World College Of The Adriatic, Duino, Italy
A student from Zimbabwe grapples with her first year mathematics exam in the school auditorium.
Page 41 | Outward Bound Belgium
In an intricate maze of limestone tunnels, students squeeze down a narrow chute into spectacular chambers, then find their route to the surface far above.
Page 41 | Outward Bound Belgium
Atop a rock pinnacle, a young woman extends across an abyss to ascend a sheer monolith, realizing a greater potential than she had ever dared to explore.
Page 40 | Outward Bound Loch Eil, Scotland
Students row ashore to camp beneath the ruins of 10th century Castle Achanduin during an eight-day cutter expedition on the lochs of western Scotland.
Page 39 | Gordonstoun School, Scotland
Under threat for standing against Nazi aggression, Kurt Hahn fled Germany in 1933, and in that same year founded Gordonstoun School. Round Square, an historic 17th building on that site, would later become the location where the conference of Roundsquare schools was formed.
Page 38 | Westfield School, England
Seniors mentor Lower School girls on a regular basis, a long-standing tradition at Westfield School.
Page 38 | Westfield School, England
Westfield students build a ‘bug hotel’ with pupils from The Hadrian School in Newcastle upon Tyne. Westfield School received Green Flag Status awarded by Newcastle’s “EnviroSchools” programme.
Page 37 | The Outward Bound Trust, Eskdale Centre, England
A young woman plunges from a bridge, braced for her icy descent into the river below.
Page 37 | The Outward Bound Trust, Ullswater Centre, England
Kayak-jumping builds confidence in the power of teamwork and trust for a group in England’s Lake District.
Page 36 | Windermere School, England
Students learn to sail from the school’s lakeshore facilities on Windermere, the largest lake in England’s Lake District.
Page 35 | Windermere School, England
A student meticulously crafts her Higher Level International Baccalaureate artwork.
Page 35 | Windermere St. Ann’s School, England
Chemicals react to ignite pyrotechnics and the imaginations of Grade 7 Chemistry pupils at Windermere St. Ann’s School.
Page 34 | United World College Of The Atlantic , Wales
When the demanding curriculum allows, Atlantic College students have some fun on the lawn near the castle barracks.
Page 34 | United World College Of The Atlantic , Wales
Bee keeping is entirely a student initiative. The students manage the hives, sell the honey and observe the bees’ behaviour for environmental reasons.
Page 34 | United World College Of The Atlantic , Wales
Here on scholarship, Atlantic College students from all corners of the world enjoy the view from St. Donat’s Castle across the Welsh coastline, with Llantwit Major in the background.
Page 33 | United World College Of The Atlantic, Wales
The Zodiac inflatable boat was invented at Atlantic College for sea rescue. Tide changes in Cardiff Bay are the most extreme on earth.
Page 33 | United World College Of The Atlantic, Wales
Manned by staff and students, the sea training and rescue boat emerges from the castle walls of Atlantic College descending into Cardiff Bay, one of the world’s most difficult launching sites.
Page 32 | United World College Of The Atlantic, Wales
Students hurry to make morning class, through the portcullis of St. Donat’s Castle. This atmospheric campus of Atlantic College, the first of the United World Colleges, is poised on the rugged shores of Cardiff Bay in Southern Wales.
Page 31 | Outward Bound Aberdovey, Wales
Given only 24 hours to learn the necessary skills to carry out the operation, a management group responds to a staged rescue emergency as dawn illuminates the western slopes of Cader Idris.
Page 30 | Outward Bound Aberdovey, Wales
The waters of Aberdovey Estuary and mountains of Northern Wales offer challenge and diversity, primary considerations in choosing this site for the first Outward Bound centre in 1941.
Page 30 | Outward Bound Aberdovey, Wales
Bracing herself for a seal launch, a student must trust her teammates to lift a platform carefully, plunging her kayak into high tide. Founded in 1941, Outward Bound Aberdovey is the first of the Outward Bound schools.
Page 29 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Modern and classical styles comprise the award-winning architecture of the Harlen Upper School campus of Salem.
Page 29 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Many students prefer the quiet of the extensive library rooms of the Harlen Upper School for studying and research.
Page 29 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Months of rehearsals culminate in a great musical at the auditorium of the Harlen campus. Setting new limits for themselves and often surpassing them, students re-define what is possible
Page 28 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Taking education beyond traditional boundaries, students of the Water Rescue Service work on their own and alongside regular emergency units in the area. They are on call 24 hours a day.
Page 28 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
The school has its own harbour and owns a small fleet, including one of the oldest timber boats on Lake Constance.
Page 28 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Students have opportunities for hiking, outdoor rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, and scaling the indoor wall of Schloss Spetzgart.
Page 28 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Schloss Spetzgart is the home of first year Upper School students. The balcony and the school cafeteria provide splendid views of Lake Constance, and mountains of Austria and Switzerland.
Page 27 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Burg Hohenfels, the former fortress of the Order of Teutonic Knights, now holds the Salem Lower School classrooms and dormitories. The great gates are locked at night, keeping the students safe inside.
Page 27 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
“Wohnzimmer” is the Hohenfels Castle’s common room for receptions, music and recitals. private music instruction. Music and vocal classes as well as choir, school band and orchestra, play a key role in community life.
Page 26 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Art classes at Hohenfels provide a supportive environment for encourage the imaginative communication of feelings and ideas.
Page 26 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
A beautiful place for a picnic or an evening of song and stories, the garden of the Burg Hohenfels Lower School has a tiny herb garden tended by students.
Page 26 SCHULE SCHLOSS SALEM | Germany
The Lower School offers a variety of unique extracurricular activities, including a circus where students learn acrobatics, juggling or riding a unicycle.
Page 25 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Emergency Service (such as Middle School Fire Brigade Service shown here), Social Service and Political Service are an essential part of boarding life according to Kurt Hahn’s idea of an all-round academic and social education.
Page 25 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Along the weathered stone floors in the cloister of Salem Castle, students follow in the footsteps of the monks who once lived here, and continue a long tradition of learning and living within these ancient walls.
Page 25 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Morning run is part of a long tradition of outdoor pursuits at Salem. The school founder himself, Kurt Hahn, enjoyed participating in the run each morning.
Page 24 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany-done
Morning run is part of a long tradition of outdoor pursuits at Salem. The school founder himself, Kurt Hahn, enjoyed participating in the run each morning.
Page 24 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Before classes begin each morning, all Middle School students, house tutors and staff assemble in the “Zehntscheuer”, the old gymnasium, for a 15-minute assembly.
Page 24 | Schule Schloss Salem, Germany
Before classes begin each morning, all Middle School students, house tutors and staff assemble in the “Zehntscheuer”, the old gymnasium, for a 15-minute assembly.
Pages 22-23 | EUROPE Title Page, UWC Norway
In contrast the rise of fascism following the first World War, Salem (peace) School was founded in 1920 by the brilliant German educator Kurt Hahn. Enclosed by the high castle walls and cathedral, students socialize and study in the privacy of the Middle School inner courtyard.
Page 2-3 | ONE SMALL FLAME by Mark Zelinski
Many years ago, a small flame was kindled by a thoughtful man. It was a tiny flame, but it burned so purely that its radiance was noticed by many other thoughtful people. Then one, who loved the darkness, felt threatened and resolved to extinguish the glow of this small fire. But the flame had already caught the wind, conveying it’s warmth and light into new lands. (Photo by Mark Zelinski 2001 An Outward Bound Kenya expedition descending the slope of Mount Kilimanjaro).
Page 61 | Waterford Kamhlaba United World College Of Southern Africa, Swaziland
