School/Directorate: Centre for Entrepreneurship
Key Theme: Support the Global element of the Cardiff Met EDGE developing students as global citizens; Activities/initiatives that will promote integration between Home and International students; Activities/initiatives that celebrate cultural diversity and inclusion at the University.
Impact and Achievements:
The Global Gathering event, funded by Global Grants, gave the opportunity to bring together international students with an interest in business. The event included ice breakers, games and guest speakers who outlined support for international students who want to start a business within the UK, and other opportunities available to them. The Global Gathering was attended by 5 speakers and 25 students.
Following the event, a WhatsApp group was started to keep the new community in touch with the centre activities and for them to communicate ideas and opportunities to each other. The project supported the Global element of the 'EDGE' strategy by creating an international community of entrepreneurs that can develop events together and form a new society following the EDGE ethos of Ethical and Global communities. The project will have reach beyond the University into the local and global communities as students share their business knowledge and experience. The project also directly supported the University's business in enhancing student experience on campus through entrepreneurial talks and shared experiences. The project was interdisciplinary and open to students from any academic school, and as the students were from UK and international backgrounds it encouraged them to work together and collaborate internationally.
The Global Gathering event received positive feedback, with students stating that the event was relevant to them, they learned new things about entrepreneurship, they made useful new contacts and understood more about setting up a business in the UK. The event will also have long-term impact as the team have plans to either continue this network with future events, or look at alternative options such as the creation of a student society.