Global Citizenship Workshop

EUSA Global organised a workshop to explore global citizenship through various themes including social responsibility, developing student leaders, student

mobility, and local community. Each theme was explored through small workshops facilitated by experts in the field. 45 students, staff, and local community

members attended the workshop. While some concrete actions emerged, this workshop indicated a need for further exploration around the particular topics.

Key themes emerging throughout the day

Community – both in Edinburgh and globally – plays a central role in developing and

empowering global citizens

An international experience does not naturally produce global experience, there needs

to be intention, support and reflection to enhance this experience. Cultural/Community

toolbox?

We need to provide more opportunities for our students and staff to come together to

discuss these topics

What is a global citizen?

Friends from around the world

Passionate about making a change

Seeking information about big global

issues

Informed on the impact their behaviour

has on the bigger picture

Relationships are important to them

Involved in local community

Beyond local, national and international

boundaries

Traveller

Inquisitive and curious

Language learner

Sees their experiences in and

outside the classroom as an

opportunity

Creative and think outside the box

Confident and self-aware

Reflective

Understands their own culture

EUSA Global

Wednesday, 24 April, Teviot Row House

More photos at www.facebook.com/eusaglobal

We asked participants to create their global citizen and group created and presented the qualities they believe embody global citizenship.

Global Citizenship and Social Responsibility Davy Gray, EUSA Matthew Lawson, University Sustainability Office Catherine Morgan, Global Environment and Society Academy

Key discussion points

Redefining sustainable development and social responsibility to humanise ideas

and concepts that are often intellectualised.

Education has a central role in the development of global citizens within social

responsibility/sustainability

Social Responsibility is both local and individual

Action Points

Individuals may feel overwhelmed by their social responsibility to the world and

when it comes to environmental issues/social responsibility on both local and

global levels - it can be discouraging and alienating to the individual – we need to

help them reconnect with society. Must make individuals feel relevant and

encourage them that their individual contributions can make a difference to the

whole

The constant repetition by the media of these issues can render them mundane

and simply background noise – we must continue to be innovative

Need to make it accessible for the individual to be socially responsible – it is the

responsibility of the government and local authorities as well as the individual;

they should make being responsible easier

We must be aware of our interdependence as people on both a global and local

scale and remember that we are not separate from the world.

Community stability, mutual responsibility and education is essential

Global Citizenship and Student Leaders Rachael King, EUSA Olga Bloeman, 4th Year Undergraduate MaryCatherine Burgess, Knowledge Exchange

Key discussion points

The workshop was based around change-making and leadership and

how we understand the terms. As Global Citizens and leaders, we

have the opportunity to make significant changes at a local, national

and international level, but what does it mean to be a leader? How

can university nurture those behaviours? What do I need to do for you

to be free?

The workshop allowed us to consider our personal values as global

citizens and how they influence our leadership styles. We reviewed

recent activities at the University of Edinburgh and discussed what we

thought were the motivations behind the acts. We then discussed

what personal values were being upheld in the process.

The workshop forced us to consider our individual roles as potential leaders.

Action Points

Identify and celebrate best practice in developing value-based change-makers (TEDx, Innovative Learning Week, Fair Trade, Green Living Festival) and

areas for improvement (when students move departments. Attention to detail – communicate with anybody who it affects)

Bringing in alignment, the aim of the change and the process/communication.

Encourage local “champions” (for example, Globally Just Leadership Group)

Power of change-makers comes at a local level – we should lead by example.

Global Citizenship and Edinburgh Briana Pegado, 3rd Year Undergraduate Sue Cairns, Grassmarket Community Project Harriet Harris, University Chaplain

Key discussion points

The University is a member of the local community

Part of the work of the university is finding solutions to global

problems and we should start at home with the local community

Edinburgh University is not a campus but still feels separate to the

rest of the city

It is easy to get caught up in the student ‘bubble’ but there are links

with the local community, you just have to make an effort to look for

them. There are activities going projects designed to make it easier

for students to get involved

Language can be a barrier for international students

The university has many resources but doesn’t always communicate them well - not all students know where to look for information

Newcomers may find it difficult to find their feet in a new city – but can use getting involved as a platform for meeting new people

Action points

The university is part of the local community but can often feel very separate so we must work to bridge the gap between the two and help students

take the steps to getting involved.

Being a part of the university, local community and global community is not contradictory but complimentary.

Should encourage people to build on existing connections and broader access

Make it easier and more accessible for students to become involved in the local community

Volunteer more – use EUSA Volunteers and the University website and actually DO IT

Give people the tools to be a global citizen

Global Citizenship and Student Mobility Kelly Williams, 4th Year Undergraduate and President, Edinburgh Global Partnerships Johanna Holtan, EUSA

Key discussion points

Student mobility translates to global citizenship through intention, reflection,

and support.

What tools can we give students to build communities overseas and at home?

Students are already doing fantastic activities without support from the

University. For example, Edinburgh Global Partnerships recruits, interviews,

trains their student volunteers.

How do we think about the communities overseas when we send students

away?

Main themes from discussion included outreach, infrastructure, culture and

language, motivations and inspiration, bureaucratic concerns with most

importance urgency given to funding and ways to enhance the experience.

Action points

How do we enhance the student mobility = global citizenship process?

Give students the tools to enhance international experience including ways to

reflect before, after, and during

It’s not all about employability!!!

More solution-based ideas to funding obstacle

Ideas for Moving Forward Development of more opportunities for students to reflect on their global citizenship experiences together and on their own

Support and/or development of ‘tools’ for community building in Edinburgh (volunteering, information on events throughout city) and overseas

Development of student-led resources for those who have returned from being away (for example, EUSA is creating a Returned Student Steering

Group)

Gaelic Officer/EUSA Global collaboration to celebrate Scottish culture and community

More collaboration between strategic silos – for example, social responsibility and internationalisation

Plans for more student-led events for Innovative Learning Week for specific schools

Organise more opportunities to bring people together to discuss (EUSA Global is currently planning similar sessions based on topics discussed)

Feedback from the day

What is one action you will take away from the workshop?

To walk the walk.

I would like to get more involved in the local community and the workshop pushed me to do that soon.

Being up-front about my values in what I am trying to achieve particularly when i am in the position of being a 'change maker'.

To focus on development of student reflection on their time away.

The words of my colleagues.

I want to get more involved in innovative learning week - in particular, encouraging students to see it as an opportunity to engage with their local and university community

Communication and collaboration between groups (staff/student, intercultural, intergenerational, etc.) is extremely important What are your three favourite things about the day?

The workshops

I liked that the workshops got us to get up and move around thinking about personal values

Getting an insight into students

Listening to the perspectives of others.

Meeting other people who are interested in global citizenship

Bringing together students + staff + members of the community

The feel of the day

The enthusiasm of all the people who ran workshops was great generally finding out what is meant by global citizenship

Finding out some of this things happening elsewhere in the University

The memory exercise with Davy, Matt, & Catherine (Global Citizenship and Social Responsibility)

sharing ideas

Design of having different workshops in different rooms with mingling time between

Meeting students and staff who were interested in internationalisation

All the participants clearly wanted to be there and wanted to share their ideas rather than hiding at the back during workshops which made for interesting discussions

Workshop B (Global Citizenship and Student Leaders)

Meeting people

The discussion on social responsibility & sustainability.

it was a really relaxed and fun atmosphere

What are three things you think can be improved for next time?

Try to get more staff there - don't know how we'll do it, but it would be very valuable.

More publicity for the event- I only found out about it by chance as I was looking at the events channel on Myed

Workshop C (Global Citizenship and Edinburgh) - change the removal of shoe to something else (can be issues with being asked to do this)

For me there was too much interaction I think more plenary would have been nice. It would have been good to have a speaker or two to talk about what global citizenship was to get the debate going.

Schedule the groups so that we can all partake.

wider advertisement of the event

Larger group (more publicity perhaps)

A fun activity for the break, like a mini yoga session or a run around game

in the create a global cit. student exercise, perhaps give each group a different student year e.g. 1st, 2nd, PG student (taught/research)

Workshop B (Global Citizenship and Student Leaders) - I felt the link to global citizenship was very tenious.

Start at 11, break at 13.30 for lunch, 14.15 to 16.45

Less time on icebreakers

The chairs could have been laid out in a circle or something rather than in rows when we arrived

be clearer on what is being done in workshop C exercises

Keep to time!

Maybe run it over two days instead of one, it is a broad topic!

seating format in the dining hall - perhaps having chairs in small circles rather than rows

Better time management, to allow for more substantial breaks between sessions Any Additional Comments

It was really nice that all the facilitators were so enthusiastic about the topics. Thanks for putting the workshop on!

Enjoyable afternoon and a useful introduction to the topic, I felt overall it could have used a little more focus and direction at times.

It was unexpectedly fabulous. The group was exceptional as were the organisers and facilitators.

Thank you for a brilliant day!

Very good initiative but still needs some development, especially in terms of drawing a larger audience and having smoother transitions between sessions