UCLan students go global to help peers

16 January 2018

UCLan students make annual trip back to Oman to teach leadership skills to peers

Undergraduates from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) have travelled overseas to help students unlock their true potential through peer education.

Three third year BA (Hons) Community Leadership (Top-up) students Jo Wood, Tania Ahmed and Shiria Baksh recently travelled to Oman to deliver a Global Youth Solutions (GYS) conference.

Whilst there, they worked in partnership with students from Nizwa University to deliver the scheme, which saw them present the conference to 50 of their fellow peers. The aim of the programme was to provide basic leadership skills and engage, empower and enable students in finding their true potential through peer education.

One of the students who went on the trip was Jo Wood. She said: “My biggest fear was going to a foreign country to deliver a leadership programme to delegates where English is not their first language.  I soon realised that language was not a barrier and this really helped my confidence grow.

"As part of their final year project, three Community Leadership students planned and successfully delivered the GYS leadership programme, highlighting the importance of generating positive change in their communities."

“Having ownership of the programme and my own small group gave me the understanding of group dynamics and how to manage difficult situations.  The opportunity to put theory into practice really helped boost my employability skills.”

The Centre for Volunteering and Community Leadership (CVCL) created the innovative programme back in 2014 and it was first delivered at the International College of Engineering and Management in Oman, which has now resulted in a yearly trip to the Middle East.  

The aim of this partnership is to create opportunities for university students to develop their leadership skills as well as improve understanding on how to plan and deliver community projects.

Community Leadership course leader Yasmeen Ali, who was part of the trip, commented: “As part of their final year project, three Community Leadership students planned and successfully delivered the GYS leadership programme, highlighting the importance of generating positive change in their communities.

“Enlisting ownership onto the students to plan and deliver the programme is a great way to develop employability skills as well as give them an insight into the challenges of executing a project.”