The first Short Course ran in Malta in 1987 and was organised by staff at United World College of the Adriatic in collaboration with the Maltese Ministry of Education. The Short Course involved students from the College as well as participants selected specifically for the course. David Sutcliffe and James Mendelssohn ran the early Malta Short Courses. The last Short Course in Malta ran in 1991 and involved fewer students from the Colleges. The staff involved in the Short Course came from Atlantic College and the animateurs came from Adriatic College, Atlantic College and a previous Short Course. The theme of the course was the Mediterranean region and participants were drawn from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The course focused on the politics and environment of the region with specific interest in Malta and its history at the centre of the region. The Short Courses were originally used to bring the UWC ideals to regions or countries where the establishments of a College was not feasible for economic or political reasons. From these beginnings the Short Course concept has developed further and today UWC Short Courses are hosted in areas of political, economic, ethnic or environmental tension. This has proved to be an asset to the course since it provides a real life aspect to the course themes (such as conflict resolution or environmental issues) which further enhances international understanding and peace. Short Courses have been developed in collaboration with a partner in the host country that covers all in-country costs and makes a tutor or co-ordinator available for the course. The development of UWC Short Courses has been somewhat ad hoc; however the strong commitment to community service and the importance of a course theme that is in tune with the location dates back to 1987 in Malta and both elements are still at the core of every course. The common features (as outlined in UWC Short Course Framework) of the Short Courses place them apart from 'summer camps' and courses offered by other organisations. This list of features is based on experience gathered over the years and is designed to provide tools for achieving the Short Course's objectives. A feature Short Courses share with the Colleges is that participants are selected on the basis of personal merit. The participants will not be required to contribute to the costs of the course; the organising body that funds the Course will cover these. Participants normally cover their own transportation costs to and from the Short Course, although in some instances this cost is covered by their National Committees or Selection Contacts. Several UWC Colleges run their own summer programmes, and it is important to distinguish them from the Short Courses; College-based programmes may involve charges for tuition and/or room and board. In 1994, the International Operational Review Group (IORG) looked at the different facets of the UWC movement including the Short Courses. The comments from the working group were summarised into a paper for circulation amongst the National Committees, Heads of Colleges and the Chairs of the National Networks. The recommendations and suggestions made in the report have since either materialised or become obsolete with the continued development of Short Courses. Following the completion of the work done by the IORG, UWC Short Courses were formally acknowledged as part of the UWC international movement. Short Courses are recognised as a strong force within the UWC movement; valuable not only as a way to introduce the UWC movement to a greater number of young people than is possible through the Colleges, but also as a way to establish UWC ideals in areas where a UWC presence would otherwise be weak. In recognition of this potential there has been increased interest from UWC National Committees/Selection Contacts and local organisations in running UWC Short Courses.