Each year, the College Nine 2-credit course, CLNI85: Global Action, addresses different global issues and various global topics such as international aid, the role of women in the world, and extractive industries. In addition to their weekly classes led by student instructors, Global Action students attended a weekly section in which they were able to hear and learn from faculty or professionals working in the field.
After learning about the human rights violations in Tibet, both the student instructors and the CLNI 85 students decided to work alongside the Tibetan Aid Foundation for their final project. The decision was made to help fundraise $1500 to sponsor a Tibetan student for university for a year. This sponsorship would cover housing, meals, tuition, and all other expenses. Global Action students worked to fundraise by collecting donations on their Gofundme websites, tabling at the dining hall, gathering donations from friends and family members, fundraising at local eateries in Santa Cruz, and selling Tibetan crafts donated by the Tibetan Aid Foundation. In addition to these fundraising efforts, the student facilitators organized a Tibetan Culture Night event on campus that would be the final compilation of all their efforts.
At the Tibetan Culture Night, students displayed their educational installations about the culture of Tibet and the Tibetan Aid Foundation. They sold traditional Tibetan dumplings called Momos and additional crafts in an effort to raise the sponsorship amount. The student event had over 80 guests and was able to have local Santa Cruz Tibetans who had escaped Tibet years ago attend as honorary guests. The student instructors coordinated with the Tibetan Nomad Store in downtown Santa Cruz and were able to use their resources to learn more about the symbolism of Tibetan ritual items. By the end of the night they were able to raise over $2000 for the Tibetan Aid Foundation.
Jennifer Phan, a 4th-year College Nine student and the Global Perspectives CoCurricular Programs Intern who coordinated the course this year with Erin Ramsden, said “hard work and perseverance paved the way for success but the real accomplishment came from the hearts and minds of all the students. As Dorjee, the director of the Tibetan Aid Foundation, told us before we began the fundraising, 'It’s not about how much money you raise but what matters most is that in your heart, you love and care and you want to make a difference.' The Global Action students and facilitators found it in their hearts to truly care and in the end, they made a huge difference.”
CLNI85: Global Action is an annual Winter Course, with priority enrollment given to College Nine students. If you are interested in applying to be a student instructor for Winter 2015, please contact Erin Ramsden at eramsden@ucsc.edu in the fall.
For more information regarding classes through the CoCurricular Programs Office, please visit: http://collegenine.ucsc.edu/cocurricular/coco/classes.html
