UEL students enjoy trip of a lifetime to India - University of East London (UEL)

22 June 2017

Fifty students broaden their cultural understanding with fully funded study trip to Mumbai

By Lee Pinkerton

Fifty students from the University of East London (UEL) enjoyed a life-changing trip to India this summer – all fully funded by the University.

The students, some of whom had never been abroad before, enjoyed a five-day study trip to Mumbai, focusing on global awareness, social justice, sustainability, smart cities and inclusion.

The Mumbai2017 programme was organised jointly by UEL’s Office for Civic Engagement, Noon Centre and the Academic Partnerships Office, providing an immersive study abroad experience featuring civic engagement, equality and diversity and cross-cultural understanding.

The programme was designed by charitable trust Common Purpose and run in collaboration with NITIE University in Mumbai. It challenged the students to work on their leadership skills and cultural intelligence by solving problems while working alongside people from different backgrounds.

The lucky 50 students, who were selected from more than 150 applicants, ranged from undergraduates to PhD candidates and represented all of UEL’s seven academic Schools.

They were hosted by 12 students from NITIE University, with firm friendships being made between students from the two institutions.

Dr Jana Javornik, Director of the Noon Centre at UEL, said, “We could see at first hand fantastic friendships developing and blossoming. Helping students to get a deepening sense of 'others' is at the heart of what we do at UEL, and what good global learning is all about.

“The more our world becomes interconnected through technology, the more we have an obligation to ensure an awareness that we share the world with an incredible, diverse range of people.”

One of the students on the trip was Rebekah Pink-Hayes, who is studying for an MSc in NGO and Development Management.

She said one of biggest impressions made on her by the trip was to witness the gap between Mumbai's richest and poorest.

She said, “I had visited and lived in developing countries before, but seeing children with no clothes playing in rubbish in front of a skyline of skyscrapers broke my heart and has motivated me to travel to India again as part of my research for my MSc.

“Actually witnessing the issues that we had been discussing in class allowed me to share an informed opinion and I have no doubt that this experience will help me in my next academic year.”

Natasha Brown, who is studying for an MA in Filmmaking, was planning to make a short narrative film about an inter-racial couple for her final project but her experiences in Mumbai has changed her mind.

She said, “I’m hoping to turn the footage that I got on this trip into a documentary to make people more aware of the issues in India, and to raise awareness of the poverty levels there.”

Gail May, UEL’s Director of Civic Engagement, said “Our students were fantastic throughout the entire experience acting as ambassadors for UEL and showcasing our diversity, adaptability, compassion and commitment to social action and social justice.”

See UEL's Study Abroad page