Owners
What it's all about
We would like to have a day celebrating the international diversity of the student body here at the University of Derby and raise awreness of what it is like to be an international student. Part of the day would be to help welcome the new international students starting at the university in January and getting the old students involved too, as well as educating the wider student community on the different cultures and ethnicities that the University is host to.
What's needed to make it a reality
We need funding to promote the event as well as materials for different stalls eg food, flag workshop, language workshop, music and dance.
Comments
I have been through the experiences that interational students experience at the begining of their career and it is pretty scary to start uni away from 'everything' that it is familiar!
The feelings of loneliness often come and go and sometimes there is enough comfort in knowing that there are people around who would like to know about anything about your culture.
To meet other international students also help to create bonds through expeiriences of alienation and 'the unknown', however, sometimes such bondings can narrow the oportunities to experience the English culture.
I hope your event goes extremely well and it is welcome by international as well as national students...
A small question though:
In Australia, universities have a week to introduce new students to the university life. Current students volunteer to 'be friends' with a new student and to be a point of help in case of doubt, loneliness, minor stress and other issues related to the whole concept of novelty... Is there anything similar in the UK apart from your idea?
As I reckon you know by now Junction 49 is working with fifteen universities across the country, and as Derby is one of them you can apply for a grant of up to £750 to get your idea off the ground. Contact your staff member Alex for more info.
To answer your qn Burffy - it depends on the uni! I know at Bristol Uni there is an international students handbook and advisory service bu that may not be true everywhere...anything else would really need to be student led but I'm sure any students' union would allow it
At Bristol uni we had an awesome event called global fiesta - where any society with a global connection could get involved and perform, make food, sell things or promote events. I saw greek dancing, drank chai and bought some ugandan birthday cards :) I hope yoour event is as successful as that was!!
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