What is TWTP?
The Third World Transition Program (TWTP) invites all participants to reconsider their history and aspects of their identity while discussing issues faced by communities of color within the United States. Through programs and workshops led by our student leaders, participants will unpack systems of oppression that exist in our society today, including racism, classism, cisheterosexism, religious discrimination, disabled/neurodivergent+, and environmentalism/imperialism. Through an examination of the problems that divide our society, we seek to break down the barriers that separate us in order to build understanding and community. We also call on all participants to reconsider their history and aspects of their identity to better understand themselves and the similarities and differences between themselves and their peers. This is not simply a place to learn to cope with the challenges of facing these systems of oppression while at Brown, but to begin building community networks and strategies of resistance.All first-year students, regardless of race, color, or national or ethnic origin, are welcome to apply. Attending TWTP allows you to create community, explore Brown, and get to know Providence all before the University’s general move-in day and official Orientation. Having early access to the campus, faculty, university professionals, and student leaders will greatly impact your first-year experience. TWTP is a 5-day and 4-night long pre-orientation held on the Brown University Campus. There is no registration fee to attend TWTP. The program will cover your housing and meals. Your meal plan for the semester begins on the first day of General Orientation.
Why is it called the Third World Transition Program?
The Third World Transition Program was created after protests led by Black women and students in 1968 demanded the University provide better support and resources for them. Students of color at Brown began using the term “Third World” instead of "minority" because of the negative connotations of inferiority and powerlessness with which the word "minority" is often associated. Although the term "Third World" may have negative connotations outside of Brown, Brown students of color continue to use the term "Third World" to describe a social consciousness which recognizes the similarities shared by socially and politically marginalized communities. Using the term "Third World" reminds students of the power they have in coalescing, communicating, and uniting across their differences to create a safer and more free place for all individuals. This consciousness at Brown also reflects a right, a willingness, and a necessity for people of color and others to define themselves instead of being defined by others.
““TWTP isn’t just a week, or a program. It is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to dialogues surrounding critical universal issues, like race and class, that are only proving to become more and more central to current events. The bonds you create and the questions you engender are only in the infant stage, and will only grow and blossom as you grow intellectually, socially, and spiritually.””