Published 27 March 2023
On Thursday 16 March, the Student Engagement Team, in collaboration with Arc, hosted an event to celebrate the return to campus of our international students and the incredible richness of our diverse student community.
Over the last few years, we have felt the impact of the absence of our international students from campus keenly, and we know that our students have been even more affected. This event allowed students to reconnect and revel in some fun, as they were welcomed to Country by Aunty Yvonne Simms, Begedal Traditional Land Owner from the La Perouse community, and heard warm words of welcome and guidance from Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education & Student Experience, Professor Louise Lutze-Mann.
Read on for more details of the evening and view the compilation of video competition highlights!
Supporting our international student community
With many more international students expected to return to campus by Term 2, 2023, there are a range of services available, and an uplift in student accommodation support for new and returning international students on the horizon. These include:
- For arriving international students, the International Welcome Centre will be running the week before O-Week, during O-Week and in Welcome Week (Week 1). The Welcome Centre will support students directly on arrival to find their way around campus, and engage with their UNSW student peers.
- The Cultural Mentor Program is a peer support program that introduces new international students to a senior student called a Cultural Mentor who can help make the transition to UNSW easier.
- For students struggling with their English speaking confidence, Let's CommUNIcate offers free, weekly English conversation workshops led by experienced and trained student facilitators.
- And the Language Exchange Program aims to bring together students looking to broaden their language skills in a fun and relaxed environment. Running once a week from Week 2 until Week 10, students are matched with other students who speak different languages to teach and learn. This free program has connected over 12,000 program participants since 2010, and over 120 languages have been exchanged.
For more information and services available for international students, visit the student website.