Our Global Challenges courses are now a finalist in the International Green Gown Awards 2023. We asked our Division Lead, Mary Richards, to share a few words about what this means and the important work they are doing.
'The team and I are clearly thrilled to have got this far and we hope the university will want to use this as an opportunity to open up broader conversations about how we ensure all students and graduates feel prepared to engage in both dialogue and coordinated action to respond generatively to the urgency of the climate crisis. This is not something that can wait. The core team is made up of staff from a variety of different disciplinary backgrounds - engineering, history, health, political science, education, theatre, change management and professional practice which provides a rich source of cross disciplinary dialogue within the framework of the core programme and by extension provides a conduit between research and education.
The programme's unique structure and flexible use of study and assessments blocks provides the freedom to maximise opportunities for students to be able to access the most relevant up-to-date learning and educational content from across the institution. The emphasis of putting learning into practice through a final year Enterprize Project provides a means for students to gain professional experience as a team responding to an industry challenge. For example, this year students worked with Humanity Matters, New Zealand to develop learning resources on genocide for school pupils and with Initiatives for Change to carry out research on knife crime which students then presented in Parliament;. with WeLiterate, students ran a networking event and symposium in central London; carried out Photovoice research with elders in for Enfield Asian Welfare Association (EAWA) to allow the organisation to gain a better understanding of their clients. With Langar Aid (a subsidy of Khalsa Aid), students developed a blueprint and five-year plan for this Coventry based charity providing humanitarian assistance. In addition, students have additional opportunities to collaborate with our international partners and students from Copperbelt University and the University of Zambia through knowledge exchange activities focussed on food security in rural and urban settings in the UK and Zambia.'
Winners will be announced at the International Awards Ceremony, in association with Allianz Global Investors, which takes place virtually at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on 17th July 2023. We wish the team the best of luck at the award show.