Introduction
Global Voices is a unique opportunity for international students at UEA to visit local schools in Norwich and Norfolk and to learn from each other and share their understanding of what it is to be a global citizen. We need international students to become "Global Voices". After training you will deliver sessions in schools about the culture of your home country. The programme brings greater understanding to children and young people about the increasingly interdependent and multicultural world they live in as well as providing international students with valuable experience.
If you are a school interested in having a volunteer then please email: Global.Voices@uea.ac.uk
What is it to be a Global Voice?
Volunteering to become a Global Voice as an international student at UEA will probably involve you in a minimum of about ten interesting hours of activity including some training related to the nature of UK schools, exploring techniques to engage children and young people and, of course, how to communicate effectively.
The nature of the sessions varies depending on the specified need of the school. They can be formal or more relaxed, covering more “academic” material, or covering arts, crafts and local games or customs. As well as workshops within a classroom setting, some Global Voices are sometimes asked to give a short presentation. However, our experience of this scheme leads us to believe that the most effective use of Global Voices is when school pupils can ask the visitor questions, and discuss the topics being covered.
Topics for sessions could include:
- The culture of a country or community – including traditions, education, family life, religions, songs, arts, crafts and dance
- Issues faced in your societies such as environmental issues and areas of national success or concern
- Politics/government/democracy in the country
- An insight into daily life in the country
- History of and stories from the country
- Traditional foods
- Festivals- spring festival, lantern festival- could make lanterns
- Popular culture- TV, music, books, cartoon characters etc
- Ceremonies e.g. weddings, rights of passage
Activity Guides
For suggestions of activities to do on a placement, please download the guides below:Infant School Activity Guide
Primary School Activity Guide
Apply to become a Global Voice
You will need to complete a Global Voice Profile and email it in to the Dean of Students' Office. More information is available here.Apply to be a Global Voice.
Information for Local Schools
The Global Voices' Profiles
View the profiles of our Global Voices and let us know if there are any volunteers in particular you are interested in. If you are happy with any of our volunteers we can find however many you need. To Request a Global Voice(s) to visit your school
- First, look through the Global Voice profiles and see if there is anyone in particular you would like to invite.
- Second, read 'How Global Voices Works' below.
- Third,Contact Us, and let us know you are interested and what you are planning.
- Forth, we will arrange a Global Voice(s) and put you in contact with each other to make arrangements. It will then be your responsibility to work with the volunteer to sort out all the details. If there are any problems with either side, we are here to step in and help.
- Finally, after the Global Voice has visited your school we ask you to complete a School Evaluation Guide.
How Global Voices Works
Global Voices fits in with the National Curriculum, chiefly Citizenship Education. The sessions can really help children to understand “diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding”. It enables pupils to engage in the curriculum in a more dynamic way, benefiting from the personal experience of the Global Voice. This is a free programme for the schools who wish to take part and all the ‘Global Voices’ are volunteers giving their own time.
It is important to remember that you are inviting a guest into your school who has not only given up his/her time to come, but is probably anxious about what to expect and whether they will be understood and appreciated. We know that attention to the following matters is likely to lead to a successful visit.
Having been allocated a Global Voice, it is essential that the teacher in charge speaks to the Global Voice before the lesson in person or over the phone about the class (age, number of students, if there are any students with particular needs e.g. a disability that may affect a student’s ability to participate in activities run by the global voice, previous knowledge of the students on the subject that the Global Voice is covering) and what the session aims to achieve (what the teacher hopes the pupils will learn from the session).
On the day, it is important that the Global Voice feels welcomed and supported by the teacher in order to help the pupils, teacher and the Global Voice to get the most out of the session. The teacher must always be present during the session – generally Global Voices are not trained teachers or youth workers, and may not have had a criminal records bureau check - it is not appropriate for them to be left to take responsibility for the pupils at any time. The teacher is responsible for maintaining discipline in the classroom should be engaged in the session, acting as a model participant in order to support the Global Voice and to help the pupils to get the most out of the session.
