Global Faculty
The aim of the global Faculty is to involve young people in a critical engagement with intercultural issues and actively promote a global ethos and linguistic and cultural diversity through local and international links and events, communication and an exchange of knowledge in the pursuit of peace. Global Faculty students are part of an exciting programme geared towards creatively approaching global issues and promoting cultural diversity. During their two years at the college students are trained in the essential skills to involve the student body, the local community and a wider global audience with issues of global concern. Making use of expert contacts, such as a nonviolent protest leader, a war journalist and a conflict mediator, we train students in areas such as debating, journalism, mediation, nonviolent campaigning and understanding aggression. In turn, students use these skills and knowledge to engage fellow students and local school children in conflict transformation and how to raise awareness of global issues. By for example organising a Thematic Exhibition about how different cultures represented at the college approach “love” or “rites of passage” differently, students and the local community gain a better understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. Students are expected to take initiative and play a crucial role in decision making and identify which issues need to be addressed, and how we can use our skills and knowledge to support the local community or a particular group abroad. Students who chose to specialise in another faculty will be able to benefit from the knowledge and skills within the global Faculty through sessions that prepare them for project week, summer projects and/or gap year. Students will be trained in increasing their intercultural understanding and using media to raise awareness of their projects. global Faculty students will also offer sessions to the wider student body about, for example, journalism or non-violent campaigning, based upon the expert-training they have received. Having identified a particular pressing issue of international concern, in a very short time period, students can organise an Emergency Forum with professionals to increase the understanding of the issue and raise awareness of its complexities.
Students can also opt to be trained in, for example, Interpreting and translating to improve their language skills by facilitating a meeting of the Security Council during the annual Model United Nations in February. Language or culturebased Project Weeks to, for example, France or the Middle East, the October (Critical Engagement) and January (Peace) Diploma Periods and global Concerns weeks will further allow students to engage with global issues and intercultural understanding.
