Global Buddies gives a warm and friendly welcome to new international students at Oxford 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!
Global Buddies
Welcoming our new international students to Oxford Brookes!
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 subsidised, and our Events team has even organised the first 4 weeks, so bring your enthusiasm along and eagerness with you to make new friends. Groups are also free to organise their own activities!
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.
Following its success during the pandemic, Global Buddies was featured in Student News!
Once registrations are closed, we match students based on their interests. We usually have 1 or 2 Mentors (a mix of current UK students and current international students) with a small group of Buddies.
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 Initial 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.
To join, you need to:
- Make sure you have read all the information available on this webpage before signing up, to ensure the programme is right for you.
- Complete the Registration Form (use the links below). Please note, the forms for Buddies and Mentors are different so make sure you complete the one applicable to you. There will be a delay in processing your registration if you are completing the wrong documents.
- Download and sign the Rules & Regulations document (use the links below) to confirm you agree and email the signed copy to global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk. There is a Word or PDF version of the document for your convenience - use whichever one is easiest for you. Please note, the documents for Buddies and Mentors are different so make sure you sign the one applicable to you.
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 before the closing date: 31 August for Mentors and 22 September 2022 for Buddies. If you don’t hear from us by this date, please email global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.
If you have any questions regarding the registration process and you cannot find the answer in the FAQs, please don’t hesitate to email global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.
Registration
- Opens on Tuesday 5 August 2022
- Closes on Thursday 22 September 2022, 5.00pm (UK time)
Why become a Buddy?
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.
Registration
- Opens on Tuesday 3 May 2022
- Closes on Wednesday 31 August 2022, 5.00pm (UK time)
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.
You can become a Mentor if you are a current UK or international student. 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. This is not a paid position. To apply, you MUST have already done at least one semester at Brookes.
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".
To be eligible to receive a Certificate of Participation, please send us a proof that you have completed the 3 activities with your group by sending a photo or screenshot for each activity plus a 200-word paragraph about your experience of being on the programme. Please note, you cannot apply as a group – each member needs to email individually.
- For the January 2022 programme, you must meet the deadline on 29 April 2022 in order to receive the Certificate of Participation.
- For the Autumn 2022 programme, the date is yet to be confirmed.
The programme for Semester 2 (January to April 2022) is displayed below. The programme for Autumn 2022 is still to be confirmed.
Week / date |
Activity |
|
Week 1 Wednesday 26 January
|
Buddies Information Session [For Buddies only] During this online session, we will share information to help you make the most of the Global Buddies programme. We will share the Zoom link via email closer to the date. |
|
Week 1 Wednesday 26 January
|
Mentor Training [For Mentors only] During this compulsory online session, we will share tools and information to help you succeed as a Mentor. We will share the Zoom link via email closer to the date. |
| Week 2 |
Initial Catch-Up It’s time to meet your group! Mentors will organise a first catch-up with their group, online or face-to-face - it's up to you. More information provided during the Mentor Training and Buddies Info Session. |
|
Week 3 Thursday 10 February
|
Junkyard Golf Club Face-to-face event. Join other Mentors and Buddies for this fun evening! 9-hole crazy golf course in a club atmosphere (music, flashing lights and UV lights). |
|
Week 4 Wednesday 16 February
|
Board games evening Face-to-face event. Enjoy a fun and relaxed evening with your group. We’ll provide hot drinks. Board games include (but are not limited to): Cluedo, Oxford Monopoly, Scrabble, Jenga, Pictionnary, mikado and playing cards. You’re welcome to bring your own too! Free event, registration required. Book now>> |
|
Week 5 w/c 21 February |
Explore historic Oxford - competition Take a 2 minute video of your group at a historical site in Oxford - as a group give a brief description of the historical site and why it is of interest to you.
Deadline for emailing the videos is 9.00 on Monday 28 February. |
|
Week 6 Thursday 3 March
|
Cream tea event Face-to-face event held at the Vaults and Garden in the historic heart of Oxford, located on Radcliffe Square in a beautiful historic 1320s building. Scones and tea served at the table with jam and cream. Please email global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk by Tuesday 1 March at the latest to inform us about any food allergies or dietary requirements you have (For example, if you are vegan, gluten-free, lactose intolerant). Bookings are now closed. |
“This semester being a global buddy has been amazing. I have attended the junkyard golf event, and the board games event. Moreover, I have seen my buddies during other events around university too and going for meals too. It was nice to meet people that were so nice, friendly and kind to communicate with, and I feel doing global buddies therefore has made my university experience very rewarding, enjoyable, and memorable.”
“I have enjoyed Global buddies a lot this semester. I have had meet people from different parts of the world and made a lot of new friends. I have enjoyed the activities that were planned for us and also the activities that we did as a group on our own such as going to the pub to watch football matches.”