Category Archives: Culture Connect

Interested in joining Culture Connect?

3930 16 Culture Connect Plasma update AWLearning through sharing

Our cross-cultural peer mentoring scheme helps new students settle into university life and meet friends from around the world.

Why you should become a mentee or mentor

This is a great opportunity to

  • get to know someone through a one-to-one supportive mentoring relationship
  • develop your cultural awareness and learn about different traditions
  • attend social activities and regular soft skills training with other members
  • prepare for work in diverse organisations and add to your CV
  • gain eligibility for the Hallam Award which is recognised by employers

Additional support

You will also be allocated to a learning set – a small, intimate group of mentees or mentors of different nationalities which enables you to gain a wide range of perspectives. You can discuss challenges and share helpful advice during your time on the scheme.

How to join

We will be recruiting for volunteers in August and September. Register your interest today at go.shu.ac.uk/applycc

You can also like the Facebook page at facebook.com/cultureconnectshu

Viva Africa & Culture Connect Celebration

  • 6pm-7.30pm, Wednesday 1 April
  • The Heartspace, City Campus

This event is open to all students and is free for everyone to attend!

Join Global Community (a Students’ Union society) for a spectacular showcase of African culture. You will get to watch talented performances, play fun activities and appreciate a mini exhibition. 

Global Community aims to instigate multicultural interactions and are especially delighted to see the successful completion of the Culture Connect peer mentoring scheme by many SHU students. Later in the evening, they will be hosting the scheme end ceremony.

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Festival de la Piñata

Wednesday 18 March, 6–9pm

Hallam Hall

Join Culture Connect peer mentoring scheme for a tour of Latin American cultures. We are bringing to you performances, games, language workshop and lots of funs! This event is open to all students and is organised by Global Community, a Students’ Union society. Entry is £2 or free for society members.

African drumming

Wednesday 1 April, 6pm-9pm

Heartspace, level 2 Owen building

Join Culture Connect for an evening of African drumming. There will be performances, snacks and fun activities. This event is open to all students and is organised by Global Community, a Students’ Union society. Entry is £2 or free to society members.

* African drummers to be confirmed.

Conversation Club – Yousif Hussain

Member from SudanSLS-ISS-660-Case-studies

MSc Information Systems Security

‘When I joined Sheffield Hallam I decided I was going to manage my time carefully to balance between my course study and my extracurricular activities. I believed that the value of my UK experience will be much more than the degree. Since I arrived I’ve taken part of any available opportunity to develop skills such as leadership and communication. When I joined Conversation Club my goal was to enhance my confidence and abilities of meeting new people and making new friends. Conversation Club created the fun ice-breaking atmosphere in which I could make new friends, learn more about British culture and develop skills I never had the chance to develop in such fun activities before. It’s much more than just a networking event.

‘Studying an MSc degree in the computing field can be very stressful and I realised that if I don’t reset my brain engaging in fun activities, my academic performance would degrade. Firstly when I joined Conversation Club, being a new student, I wanted to make friends. I did indeed make friends in the activity; however, this activity did provide me with more than friends. It is one of those unique opportunities where I got to make new friends, have a great time while developing my soft skills such as teamwork, and learn about different cultures while meeting people from all over the world.

‘I highly recommend that all new students, especially those who come from abroad, join Conversation Club as soon as they arrive if they want to feel home. The organisers of Conversation Club are among the nicest and funniest people I have met – not only in Sheffield but in my life – and I’m sure Conversation Club will be one of the main moments I’m going to miss if I leave Sheffield.

‘I also joined the great Culture Connect scheme as a mentor. The strong relationship I developed with my mentee from China made this experience mutually rewarding. I used my experience to guide her and make her feel at home at Sheffield Hallam while I got the chance to learn from her experiences. And we benefited from the fact that we both come from amazingly different backgrounds. This opportunity helped me develop my communication skills and social confidence and awareness while making new great friends, learning about different cultures and having an unforgettable time.

‘I’m looking to become an IT entrepreneur in the near future. The extracurricular activities will shed some light in areas that the academic courses won’t address. I’ll meet people from different backgrounds and learn their experiences, adopt their problem solving skills and I’ll develop the soft skills required to tackle real-life challenges.

‘Conversation Club is much more than just a regular networking event. For me it is so important that I added it to my coursework schedule. It is a great opportunity through which I could have a great time, meet new great friends from all over the world, and learn about different cultures while developing necessary skills such as communication and teamwork. I can release the stress by taking some time away from studying, so I can return to it with more energy.’

The next Conversation Club is on Thursday 26 March at 5pm-7pm in Room D105, Collegiate Crescent.

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We celebrate our inspirational women

On Sunday 8 March we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD). Observed since 1909 it was a global celebration of respect, appreciation and recognition of women, while continuing to call for greater equality.

Thousands of events occurred to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women and Sheffield Hallam University was an active participant.

Students and staff were nominated by colleagues shared their inspirational stories.

Watch Culture Connect mentee Hala Alnaji’s  inspirational video below:

Students and staff had their photos taken with the blue stocking


The term ‘bluestocking’ has been associated with intellectual thinkers throughout Europe for around 500 years. It can be traced back to the 15th century when intellectuals met in Venice and deliberately wore blue-coloured stockings.

In the 20th century the bluestocking was claimed by the Blue stockings Society and gained significance as a symbol of equality for women in higher education.

Following in the footsteps of the women’s rights movement, we wish to claim the bluestocking in celebration of our diversity, including our female, LGBT and black and minority ethnic staff and students.

Culture Connect – Learning through sharing

This cross-cultural peer mentoring scheme helps new students settle into university life and meet friends from around the world.

 Why you should become a mentee or mentor

This is a great opportunity to

  • get to know someone through a one-to-one supportive 10624034_621729487949167_3968149411432827670_omentoring relationship
  • develop your cultural awareness and learn about different traditions
  • attend social activities (organised by Global Community,
    a Students’ Union Society) and regular soft skills training with 1911607_10152803496385985_3927576469719184070_nother members
  • prepare for work in diverse organisations and add to your CV
  • gain eligibility for the H allam Award which is recognised by employers

Additional support 
You will also be allocated to a learning set – a small, intimate group of mentees or mentors of different nationalities which enables you to gain a wide range of perspectives. You can discuss challenges and share helpful advice during your time on the scheme.

Join today – visit the Culture Connect Facebook page.

What our members say
Mentees
‘You get a friend who walks along with you as you get to know about life at university. I now have many friends and I feel fully integrated in the university.’
Judith Khamoni from Kenya

‘It breaks down all the fears that many people feel today due to lack of understanding of cultural differences and language barriers. It embraces these differences and you have the chance to make friends, try new things and experience a new point of view. You are always learning something.’
Katrina Love from Britain

Mentors
‘Culture Connect helps me to get friends from over the world, have fun, learn experience and improve my skills such as time management and communication skills. It makes my university journey more meaningful.’
Bui Huynh Thi Nhat Thanh from Vietnam

‘It brings together the university community because it gives British students first-hand experience of engaging with international students. The media constantly portrays international students in a negative light and Culture Connect dispels media falsehoods.’
Sami Riaz from Britain

Boost your future career with Culture Connect

Tuesday 27 January
1–2pm
Careers and Employability Centre

Find out more about Culture Connect – our
highly successful peer mentoring scheme.
Train to work as a mentor or mentee and
gain invaluable skills that will enhance
your CV.10696446_879239468827488_1952846535411266251_n

You will hear from students…

Yuvini Hettiarachchi
Mandhai Rinchin
Anees Khan
Charlotte York
Qi Li
Emenike Okeoji
Dan Armstrong
Dipika Khanal
Amaka Akinteye

Book now

Boost your future career with Culture Connect

Tuesday 27 January
1–2pm
Careers and Employability Centre

Find out more about Culture Connect – our
highly successful peer mentoring scheme.
Train to work as a mentor or mentee and
gain invaluable skills that will enhance
your CV.10696446_879239468827488_1952846535411266251_n

You will hear from students…

Yuvini Hettiarachchi
Mandhai Rinchin
Anees Khan
Charlotte York
Qi Li
Emenike Okeoji
Dan Armstrong
Dipika Khanal
Amaka Akinteye

Book now