Connect
How will you CONNECT?
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Last year Manitoba welcomed 11,000 new immigrants, the highest number in 50 years.
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In 2008, U of M was the destination of choice for almost 2,200 full-time international students, hundreds of prospective students perfecting their academic English, and almost 100 short-term exchange students from around the world.
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More U of M students are choosing to take advantage of short-term study abroad options each year.
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New technologies are reshaping the way we communicate, do business, make meaning, and relate to one another.
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Employers and community leaders view a cosmopolitan world view and well developed cross-cultural skills as a predictor of success, a building block for effective careers, and the basis for cultivating respectful relationships and robust networks.
Whether you plan to sojourn abroad or not, the benefits of having cross-cultural skills, international perspectives, and personal networks are increasingly apparent.
Becoming more aware of the full range of possibilities and opportunities on an international campus like our own is the first step in improving your ‘international I.Q.’ and developing the kind of skills and networks that will help you prosper in the future and engage more effectively in the classroom, in the workplace, in our communities, and around the world. The opportunities to develop a more global perspective and enhance your intercultural skills are endless – all you need to do is CONNECT with them. (read more...)
How do I CONNECT?
- Watch for the CONNECT wordmark
on posters, websites, and brochures throughout campus- it will identify programs, workshops, and events that provide opportunities to forge connections between international and Canadian students and build the skills, networks, and awareness that will help you better prepare for a global future. -
Check the CONNECT homepage frequently for links to great opportunities and resources. The list will grow and evolve, change and adapt, just as you will when you start connecting on campus.
There are hundreds of ways and ideas on how to CONNECT on campus, in your community, and with the world. Here’s a few!
- Join the Volunteer English Practice Program (VEPP) and help an international student practice their conversational English skills.
- Volunteer or engage in support services like the Campus Buddy Program & the Peers: Students Helping Students network.
- Lend your experience and support to a new international student in U1 through the International Student Mentorship Program.
- Join a student group that has an international or cultural focus.
- Volunteer as a Group Leader during the annual ICS Intercultural Day retreat.
- Participate in alternative spring break programs, such as the Alternative Spring Break with IRCOM program, that put you in touch with students from other faculties and disciplines, and with communities that you might not otherwise discover.
- Volunteer in the Welcome Family Program and help a new international student navigate smoothly through their first few days in Canada.
- Get involved with the International Centre of Winnipeg.
- Register for a summer Travel Study course or plan to study overseas for a term or two as part of a Student Exchange Program.
- Participate in a Study Tour, such as the Bangladesh Service Study Tour.
- Stay informed through the (be)World W.I.S.E. Newsletter.
- Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Reationship Between Living Abroad andCreativity, William W. Maddux (INSEAD) and Adam D. Galinsky (Northwestern University)
- A Culture of Opportunity: Building a Globally-Prepared Workforce, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
- Internationalizing Canadian Campuses, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
- Preparing Globally Minded Students and Employees, Nancy Arthur (University of Calgary)
- Technology and Tolerance: The Importance of Diversity to High-Technology Growth, Richard Florida (Carnegie Mellon University) and Gary Gates (The Urban Institute)
- Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting Culturally Different Employees, Don Rutherford
- Culture and Leadership Across the World: The GLOBE Book of In-Depth Studies of 25 Societies. Edited by Jagdeep S. Chhokar, Felix C. Brodbeck, and Robert J. House
For more information about the CONNECT Campaign, contact:
International Centre for Students
541 University Centre
Ph: (204) 474-8501
Email: ics@cc.umanitoba.ca
541 University Centre
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada