Global Buddies
Welcoming New International Students to Brookes
Global Buddies gives a warm and friendly welcome to new international students at Brookes through our programme. Are you looking to make new friends from all four corners of the globe and transition into Oxford life quickly? It doesn’t matter whether you are shy or outgoing, anyone can join!
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QUARANTINE
If you are required to quarantine when entering the UK and would like to chat with a current Brookes student during your isolation period, please email global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk. We will put you in touch with one of our Global Buddies Mentors. See our Online Activities page for more quarantine activities.
What is Global Buddies?
Global Buddies runs every semester and brings together our current UK and current international students, who we call Mentors, with newly arrived international students, called Buddies, through organised events and activities. Many of these events are free or subsidised, and our Events team has even organised the first 6 weeks (see below), so bring your enthusiasm along and eagerness with you to make new friends. Groups are also free to organise their own activities! Please note: due to Covid-19 and in order to follow university guidelines, we will not be able to provide the same type of activities this semester.
Mentors can share their experiences and provide tips about how to settle into life at Brookes and Oxford, and new international students will share their unique experiences and culture.
How does it work?
Once registrations are closed, we match students based on their interests - languages and hobbies. We usually have 2 or 3 mentors (a mix of current UK students and current international students) and 3 to 5 buddies, but this may vary depending on the number of students who register for the programme.
When the groups are formed, we will email you the contact details of your group. You are then free to start getting in touch with each other before the Inital Catch-Up. We recommend you attend three activities with your group each semester.
More about how groups are matched can be found in our FAQs.
How do I join?
To join, you need to:
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Complete the Google registration form below. Please note: the forms for Buddies and Mentor are different, make sure you complete the one applicable to you.
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Read the Rules & Regulations document, sign it to confirm you agree with it, and email the signed copy to global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.
Make sure you have read all the information available on this webpage before signing up to the programme.
Sign up to be a Global Buddy this September
Please make sure you are filling out the correct form and dowloading the correct Rules document, they are different for Buddies and Mentors. There will be a delay in processing your registration if you are completing the wrong documents.
To apply as a Mentor, you MUST have already done at least one semester at Brookes.
Registration deadline for Semester 1: Tuesday 15 September, 2pm (British time)
Due to the high number of registrations we receive each semester, we are unable to send an email to each individual student to confirm we have safely received their registration form and signed Rules & Regulations document. We will however email you w/c 14 September to confirm whether you have successfully signed up for the programme. If you don’t hear from us by 19 September, please email global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.
If you have any questions regarding the registration process and you cannot find the answer in the FAQ, please don’t hesitate to email global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.
Buddies - New International Students
Why should you join?
Starting at university can be a challenging time, especially if you are also travelling to a new country and adjusting to a new culture. Being part of Global Buddies helps make this experience a positive and rewarding one.
- A great way to make new friends from around the globe and have intercultural experiences.
- Settle into Oxford life more quickly.
- Share your unique culture with others and spread intercultural awareness.
- Make new friends from around the globe.
- Learn more about the British culture through our Mentors as well as other cultures.
Mentors - Current Students
You can become a mentor if you are a current UK or current international student and you will be responsible for leading a group of new international students to help them integrate into UK life and encourage them to make new friends. To apply as a Mentor, you MUST have already done at least one semester at Brookes.
Why become a Mentor?
- A great way to make new friends from around the globe and have intercultural experiences.
- Being part of a peer mentoring scheme looks great on your CV.
- Increases employability through transferable skills, such as team building and leadership.
- Opportunity to join an informal mentor catch-up to share tips and experience with other mentors.
- Develop essential work-related skills by attending free Mentor Skill Sessions
Mentor Skills Sessions
Attendance is not compulsory and you can choose which session(s) you want attend. To get a Certificate of Training Completion, please sign up in advance via this Registration Form. Buddies are welcome to attend the Cultural Awareness session but should follow the joining instructions available under "Global Buddies Events". Buddies cannot join the 2 other sessions.
| Date/time | Session |
| Tuesday 20 October, 11.00-12.00 | Cultural Awareness |
| Tuesday 10 November, 15.00-16.00 | Developing leadership skills |
| Tuesday 1 December, 10.30-11.30 | My Mentor experience: CV and Transferable Skills |
Rewards on Completion
To successfully complete the programme, you need to keep in touch with your group once a week and attend 3 activities together during the semester. More information will be shared with students who are taking part in the programme.
Students who successfully complete the programme will be entitled to:
- Receive a Certificate of Participation
- Complete BrookesEDGE STAR entries under "Communication" and "Working with Others"
- Mentors will receive a certificate if they complete all the Mentor Skill Sessions
Global Buddies Events
Due to Covid-19 and in order to follow university guidelines, we will not be able to provide the same type of activities this semester. We encourage you to join activities which are already organised at Brookes, by ISAT, Brookes Union or Brookes Sport for example. Please always remember to follow government’s guidelines, keep social distancing and not to put yourself or your group at risk.
| Week / date | Activity |
| Week 1 & 2, from 21 Sept to 4 Oct. Online | Initial catch-up It’s time to meet your group! Mentors will be in charge of organising this initial catch-up online. You are welcome to meet up more than once with your group! |
| Week 3 5-11 Oct
| Suggested activities
Pick one of our suggested activities or organise your own! We’ve only selected affordable or free activities. If you decide to meet in person, please make sure you follow the latest government guidelines and the safety measures put in place in each venue.
|
| Week 4 12-18 Oct
| Scavenger Hunt in Oxford Go on a hunt around Oxford! The list of challenges will be published here and on the Global Buddies Facebook group in Week 3. |
| Week 5 19-25 Oct
| Cultural Awareness Session & Quiz (online) It’s ISAT’s Cultural Awareness Week! Join us for an online informative session and a quiz! The winner of the quiz will get an Amazon voucher. All the details about these 2 events, including dates and links to join, will be published on the ISAT Social Events page. |
| Week 6 26-31 Oct
| Halloween Themed Activities More information will be available soon! |