Attending UKCISA Fest 2020
UKCISA is the UK Council for International Students Affairs. They provide advice, guidance and information about the international student experience. Their work covers topics such as immigration, culture and mental health. They work with UK universities, unions and students.
Recently, UKCISA held an online event aimed at international students, the “UKCISA Fest”. Longing from the 16th to the 20th of November, there were many online conferences that discussed the current situation related to international students in the UK.
This time, I attended different events to know more, here is my experience:
The first discussion I joined was “Student Space: Navigating Your Student Life During Covid-19 Pandemic & Mental Wellbeing Support”. The presenters were Parvathy Ramesh, a #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador and Dominic Smithies, Student Voice and Equality Lead, Student Minds. Here, they talked about the free support options for international students in the UK in regard to mental health. They also presented a platform named “Student Space”. This site is meant to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students can get in touch with Student Space by phone or text or also find out what resources are available in each university.
The second panel I joined was “International Education Strategy - Conversations with UK International Education Champion”. The presenters were Sir Steve Smith, the UK Government International Education Champion, Anne Marie Graham, the Chief Executive of UKCISA and Nebu George, a #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador. Sir Steve discussed the impact of COVID-19 on international students, and how the UK government is making sure that students are safe since the moment they arrive, and also highlighted the importance of delivering high-class education even in these times. Also, he described the new option that students will have to remain in the UK for two years after they complete their studies.
There were many other topics covered during these days of UKCISA, regarding the new visa conditions for international students, the Student Unions in the Universities and more information regarding international social and academic life for international students. Remember to check what this organization has to offer: https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/