What you should know about Global Citizenship opportunities when coming to University

At its heart, global citizenship is tightly rooted in adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1945, and the 2015 adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations defines it as an umbrella term for individuals and communities participating in social, political, environmental, and economic actions with a global outlook. The key idea is that individuals embrace that they are part of a network of people around the globe, rather than isolated actors. According to the United Nations, universities’ role in promoting global citizenship is through educating students on their role, and opportunities to contribute, within a global community. For which there are many opportunties at Cardiff.

Why global citizenship

Global citizenship education was born to fill the knowledge gaps individuals have regarding the global community, which is becoming increasingly important when considering the growing interdependence due to globalisation. This means that global education and international solidarity are becoming more important. For univeristy students, coming of age during a time of increased global challenges, being a global citizen can add to your employability and help you foster a more open mindset.

Becoming a global citizen: active ways to get involved as a student at Cardiff University 

Volunteer

By spending time volunteering, you can meet people that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to meet – share experiences with them and learn about their lives. Through meeting a diverse range of people, you can broaden your perspective on Wales and the wider world, while contributing to your local community.

Cardiff Students’ Union have a wealth of projects related to a variation of areas that you prospective students can work on during their time at university. These are subject to change but are available here.

You can find other volunteering opportunities through volunteer Cardiff  and Skills & Volunteering Cymru (SVC).

Learn a language 

Gaining knowledge of another language not only contributes significantly to your personal growth and employability but also helps you advocate for global issues to more people and enables you to communicate with more people from all over the world. For instance, proficiency in Spanish can enable you to communicate with 595 million people around the world, and more easily navigate through at least 20 Spanish-speaking countries globally.

Students can get free language classes throughout their time at university with Languages for All.

Go Abroad 

International travel can further broaden your perspective, and enable you to understand different cultures and global issues. Travel’s ability to push you out of your confront zone is great for your personal development and broadening your worldview. It facilitates your interpersonal skills and allows you to build a network of others who are globally curious and ready to create change. Finally, don’t forget the opportunity to improve those language skills and put them into practice.

Students can get funding to spend time abroad through Global Opportunities – see this serious blog for information on funding for summer programs.