Our blogs are written by volunteers and contributors to represent a diverse range of views. Opinions expressed in blogs are those of the contributor. Submitted by Ella Lloyd, Remembering Srebrenica Wales Ambassador, in Srebrenica Memorial Week (5-11 July 2021) In the aftermath of a genocide, much effort is put into […]
Only honesty and meaningful peace talks will stop the violence
By Jane Haries, Peace Education Coordinator, WCIA A predictable cycle of violence: During the past week the world has watched horrified as violence erupted and escalated in East Jerusalem, then between Israel and Gaza, across the occupied West Bank and in towns and cities in Israel itself. By 14 May […]
How global is English? – Celebrating multilingualism
Written by Santi, our long term ESC Volunteer “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences”―Audre Lorde, 1986 “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity – I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I […]
“My Spanish grandmothers got water from the public fountain. Today, I just open the tap”—World Water Day 2021
Written by Santi, our long term ESC Volunteer Both my Spanish grandmothers had the arduous daily task of collecting water from public fountains in their hometowns. Washing clothes or dishes meant recurrent back-and-forth visits to the local river, where women would gather while doing their chores. I can’t even picture the […]
Not just about university: Erasmus+ and the lost opportunities for young people in Wales
By Sheila Smith, former Director of UNA Exchange Like many, I am bewildered at and angry about the UK Government’s decision to leave the Erasmus+ scheme. It has rightly prompted much upset, petition writing and campaigning. Much of this protest, however, has focused on opportunities for students, ignoring the ‘plus’ […]
Blog: Connecting Classrooms in lockdown
This blog is about the Successful Partnerships and core skills courses in Wales, delivered as part of the Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme funded by the British Council and UK Aid. The programme supports schools in the UK to work in partnership with schools around the world and offers […]
Placement Blog: Sean looks back at ‘Welsh Efforts on the World’s Journey’ to end Nuclear Threat.
Sean McGovern is a student with Cardiff University’s Department of International Relations, currently undertaking a 3 month placement with WCIA’s ‘Peace Heritage’ programme. Here he shares his reflections on his first project task – digitisation of CND Cymru’s ‘Campaign Wales’ Archives from the early 1980s. As one of the team […]
Volunteer blog: Eva’s 9 month placement during Covid19 lockdown
Eva Tato Collazo from Pontevedra in Spain, was one of thousands of volunteers who had started an overseas placement when Covid19 hit. Eva, 24, volunteered for nine months as an Events and Marketing Assistant at the National Trust nature reserve in Stackpole, Pembroke. From finding the right project to sharing […]
Caerhys Organic Community Agriculture (COCA)
“We would not have managed without them” COCA is all about a community of people sharing and supporting organic food production, in a spirit of friendship and trust. It is cultural and educational as well as productive. International volunteers pay a huge part in this. COCA has hosted two long […]
HIV/AIDS-Informed: A way to break free
In the year of 2020 we are seeing an explosive increase of the awareness pivoting around what a global pandemic entails given the multiple outbreaks of Covid-19 throughout the world. That is to say that its media coverage and/or government response, although uneven and visibly unsuccessful in many so-called developed […]