Become a Global Buddies mentor and help new international students settle into life at Brookes

8 June 2023

Three students talking and walking inside a building on campus.

Starting at university can be a challenging time - especially for students who are travelling to a new country. You can help make this experience a positive and rewarding one for our international students arriving in September by becoming a Global Buddies mentor.

The Global Buddies programme is run by the International Student Advice Team (ISAT) at Brookes and relies on the involvement of current students. Global Buddies mentors volunteer to lead and support a group of new students by sharing tips and experiences about academic and social life at Oxford Brookes.

It’s a great way to make friends from all over the world and learn from international students about their own countries and cultures. You can attend a range of free or discounted organised activities with your buddies, as well as taking advantage of training sessions where you can develop work-related skills for your CV.

For more information and to sign up, go to the Global Buddies webpage. If you have any questions, email the team at global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.

Here’s what one of the current participants has to say about being a Global Buddies mentor:

More information

Nurfathun Mohd Sabri

MA Urban Design

“Being a Global Buddies mentor has been an amazing experience and lots of fun. I studied for my bachelor’s degree here before coming back to do a master’s after three years of working in Malaysia. I was looking for opportunities on the Oxford Brookes website to get some leadership experience and saw Global Buddies being advertised.

“In my first semester I signed up to be a ‘buddy’, and then in January I became a mentor myself. I mentor five students, who are all from India or Pakistan and study a range of courses. We have a WhatsApp group and have taken part in activities organised by ISAT - ice skating, crazy golf and board games. The biggest challenge is finding a time when everyone is available.

“I think there’s mutual benefit for mentors and their buddies. As a mentor you get to expand your network and meet people from different countries and cultures. I met someone from Japan on one of the ISAT activities and now we’re good friends - we’re even going on a trip to Europe together.

“It can be challenging coming to the UK as an international student, from the language barrier to the weather. Having a Global Buddies mentor can help you to familiarise yourself with the Brookes campuses and what Oxford has to offer - even small things like where to go for grocery shopping

“If you’ve been at Brookes for a while I’d really recommend signing up to Global Buddies and sharing some of your knowledge and experience with other students.”