Cultivating connections through the Global Citizenship Cohort

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 23:20:39 +0000

The Global Citizenship Cohort (GCC), now in its third year, has been providing first-year students with an enhanced first-year educational experience.

Students are given the unique opportunity to connect some of their first-year courses around a common theme while interacting with a group of like-minded students. The theme for the past few years has been very popular, and centres around water, sustainability and social justice. Students in the cohort have been provided with connections to professors, mentors, job opportunities and volunteer opportunities that complement their academic experiences. This combination offers a unique and engaging undergraduate experience and a head start in whatever career they choose to pursue.

Students in the GCC take five of their 10 first-year courses together: two in the fall, two in the spring, and seminar - for Cohort students only - that runs all year. These five courses are taken as a group, giving the opportunity to build friendships among students with similar interests, be taught and mentored by a core group of inspiring professors, develop leadership skills, and learn how to have a positive impact on the world.

If students already have a major in mind, the cohort will help to fulfill electives and liberal education requirements. If they haven’t chosen a major yet, these courses will give a taste of the variety of disciplines available and help to find a path for the future. Students who complete the five courses as part of the group will receive a Certificate of Global Citizenship upon graduating.

Students that participated in the GCC have gone on to pursue new interests they discovered while in the program.

“Even though my major is environmental science, this semester I am doing an independent study in anthropology that is related to land use issues in Ireland. Taking the anthropology class as part of the cohort last year showed me that this discipline also gives a very important perspective on environmental issues and that it is important to look at both the scientific and social science aspects of an issue,” says Flavia Egli.

Last year, students in the GCC had the opportunity to work on a Southern Alberta Water Charter project with the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC), a community-based, not-for-profit group that works to find practical solutions to environmental challenges that impact us all.

Several of the students formed lasting relationships at the OWC and continue their work either as volunteers, or in the case of Antoine Gendron, on the board of directors.

“The project gave us the time and space to apply what we are learning and our passions into the community and the university. It allowed us to start using our potential beyond hypothetical situations,” explains Gendron.

Jace Briand also volunteers with the OWC and is doing an independent study with one of his GCC professors.

“I really enjoyed all the different presentations we had and how our professors showed us how the many different subjects are tied together. It was great to see so many connections between the majors and minors represented by the cohort members,” he explains. “It was the perfect way to start my first year of university. The cohort is directly responsible for helping me decide which educational path was right for me.”

Katelyn Arik puts special appreciation into the social aspect of the cohort.

“I enjoyed how as a first-year in the cohort you get to deal with the challenges of being a first-year with other people that are going through the same things as you. The cohort made it easier to find a group of friends too because everyone shares the same classes,” she says. “It may seem scary, but just sit next to someone and start a conversation. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is hard enough as it is; sometimes all you need is to know you are not the only one struggling. Push yourself to think outside the box and challenge yourself no matter how simple the task seems.”

In 2018-2019 the GCC will expand to offer an additional theme: one group will focus on water and sustainability, while a second group will focus on identity and politics. Both themes will offer different perspectives on what we see taking place in the world around us. Each theme will also ensure that students are well-prepared for their second, third and fourth years at uLethbridge, as well as for their transition to careers beyond university. Not only do students receive a unique social jump start to their university career, they also have guided access to further opportunities such as applied studies, independent studies, co-operative education, and teaching assistant positions.

Applications for the Fall 2018 cohort are open until June 1st, 2018 and entry is competitive so space is limited. Students in any Faculty of Arts & Science major can participate and students from other majors will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Please feel free to contact the coordinator Dr. Jay Gamble (403-382-7178 jay.gamble@uleth.ca) with any questions you might have, or learn more about the student cohort at ulethbridge.ca/artsci/gc.

Global Citizenship Cohort demonstrates diverse interests

caroline.zentner — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:38:31 +0000

Students in this year’s Arts and Science Global Citizenship Cohort stepped up to help out. Their projects included everything from volunteering at the Soup Kitchen to getting involved in the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) and signing a water charter.

“The theme for the Cohort was water, sustainability and social justice,” says Dr. Shelly Wismath, co-ordinator for the Global Citizenship Program and instructor for the Cohort’s seminar course, Lib Ed 2150. “They got to pick their project for the course. We had some environmental science majors who were keen on water issues. Others in the humanities and social sciences were really interested in social justice issues. They all got really got engaged and they bonded, too. One of the main goals of the cohort was to provide first-year students with this built-in support group from day one.”

One group created rain barrels for the Campus Roots Community Garden and another worked with the YWCA on an event called Attire to Inspire, which provides grad dresses to women who can’t afford the cost of a new dress. They also volunteered at the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen, preparing and serving food.

As part of their class project, Adebowale (Debo) Adeneye, at left, and Paris Ellis talked about volunteering with Attire to Inspire. The YWCA program provides grad dresses to high school girls without an outfit for their big day.

Paris Ellis and her group were inspired by a speaker from the OWC. They met with the OWC, signed the Southern Alberta Water Charter 2017 and volunteered to survey the state of the Oldman River near Taber and take water samples to be tested for bacteria and pesticides. Ellis says the Cohort and project helped students connect.

“I definitely think it brought a lot of us together. The friends that I did my project with, four of us have the same major and we all have pretty much the same classes. It was nice because you could walk into class and know people,” says Ellis. “It was a lot of fun.”

Another group wanted to reduce the number of plastic water bottles being bought. Their project involved getting a water dispenser for refillable bottles in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall. They raised enough funds to buy the dispenser, which should be installed in Section C on the 6th floor stairwell sometime this summer.

Other student projects involved: calculating a water footprint; conducting a food audit comparing the cost and nutrition of food bought at Urban Market and at a grocery store; volunteering at an assisted-living facility; and volunteering with the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association. Some students elected to write papers or create posters and they tackled subjects like social issues facing Aboriginal people in Canada and the threat of further development in the Jumbo Valley near Invermere.

For his project, Andrew Buckman delved into the reasons why people give to charities and how some charities operate.

“A lot of people are doing it just for show and they don’t have a practical way of accomplishing things. They want to make a difference but they don’t really know how to do it,” he says. “Others just add titles behind their names by joining a lot of things but it’s impossible to really be involved in everything.”

UNews - Global Citizenship Cohort

Cultivating connections through the Global Citizenship Cohort

Related Topics

Global Citizenship Cohort demonstrates diverse interests

Related Topics