ECF Directors who were in Prague for the Governors’ meeting in March were able to attend the Havel Concert. This is an annual event which is organised by current ECP scholarship students, and is one element of their fund-raising for the Havel Scholarship.
The Havel Scholarship was initiated by a group of IB students, Dora Robinson, Marie Smetánková, Chhavi Maggu and Courtney Kaye, in 2009. It funds a student from the Roma community in the Czech Republic, a disadvantaged group who experience discrimination. The late President kindly agreed to the use of his name for the Scholarship.
The first beneficiary of the Havel Scholarship, Marek Horvath, graduated in 2018 and gained a BA from Charles University in The History and Culture of Islamic Lands and is now an IT recruitment specialist with Hays. There are currently two further Havel Scholars, in Years 2 and 4. One of them is not only Roma but disabled as well and both are thriving in the College’s unique environment of academic aspiration and supportive care.
The concert, held at the Emmaus Monastery, was a very enjoyable occasion, with contributions from talented ECP students and a few guests, including an extremely lively Roma band.
Photos: Uma Doddova and Room 113