Until recently, the Talloires Network has focused mainly on university administrations and faculty, because it is vital that these stakeholders support civic engagement as part of the mission of higher education. However, we also recognize that the greatest resource that universities have to positively impact their communities is their students. As demonstrated by the successful first year of the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship, student participation and initiative is critical to the success of university civic engagement programs all over the world. Therefore, the Talloires Network is now making a concerted effort to involve students at our member institutions and become a resource for students who are active in, or wish to be active in, civic engagement activities.One of the key roles that the Network plays is to connect people from around the world with interests in civic engagement. We recognize that there are many students at our member institutions with diverse and extensive experience founding, leading, and participating in university civic engagement programs. Therefore, we have instituted the Student Peer Advisor (SPA) program to make some of our most involved students available to their peers to give advice and support. Visit our Student Peer Advisor page to learn more about these exceptional students. These students went through a competitive application process to be selected as SPAs, and they have committed to serve in this position for one year.
Students who are interested in seeking advice or exchanging ideas with like-minded peers around the world are encouraged to contact our Student Peer Advisors. To further facilitate communication and exchange, the Talloires Network has also created a Discussion Forum. With active participation from our SPAs, other interested students, and Talloires Network staff, we hope that this Forum will become a valuable resource for students eager to connect with their peers. Through our Talloires 24 Student Discussion Series, we will discuss specific topics related to higher education civic engagement each month. The first discussion in the Talloires 24 Series will be held on June 17 starting at 13:00 GMT and lasting for 24 hours, addressing the introductory topic: “What is civic engagement and how can students initiate a civic engagement project?” We encourage all interested students to take part in the discussion!
For more information on the Student Peer Advisor Program or the Talloires 24 Student Discussion Series, please contact John Pollock.
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