BERLIN (NNA) – WOW-Day has become an established part of the year in many Waldorf schools and this year was no exception. WOW stands for Waldorf One World when students at Waldorf schools dedicate one day to support developing Waldorf initiatives around the world.Through artistic activities or one-day jobs,the pupils raise money for Waldorf facilities inurgent need of help. This year, too, a lot of money was collected.

According to the Berlin-based international organisation Friends of Waldorf Education, who organise WOW-Day with the German Federation of Waldorf Schools and the European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education, almost 230 schools from 30 countries took part in the event on 27 September this year.

Whereas in the past WOW-Day mainly involved schools from Germany and other western and northern European countries, they have meanwhile been joined by students from India, Brazil, Canada, Argentina and the United States. This year Kazakhstan, Moldova, Slovenia, Poland and Thailand joined in as well.

“We are very happy to see that international participation has continued to rise in 2012,” the Friends of Waldorf Education said in a statement. “As a result more and more students learn to develop an interest in a foreign culture and to dedicate their efforts to helping others. They also experience what it is like to collectively become active and implement own ideas turning them into concrete results,” the organisation added.

“As a Waldorf student in Brazil, I have experienced myself what it means for Waldorf schools abroad to survive without government support. For me, as for many other students around the world, it goes without saying, to give something back for the wonderful experience of being a Waldorf student and enable as many children as possible to attend a Waldorf school. With the WOW-Day campaign we help schools abroad to ensure their survival,” says coordinator Olivia Girard from the Friends of Waldorf Education.

And it looks like this will be another bumper year. By the end of November almost 200 000 euros (£162 000, US$259 500) had flowed into the WOW-Day account. With a few more months to go before the final amount is announced in spring 2013, that sum looks set to rise significantly further.

Next year’s WOW-Day has been set for 26 September 2013.

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Item: 121129-01EN Date: 29 November 2012

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