Bournemouth University has been successful in its application to the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Leadership Governance and Management (LGM) Fund.
HEFCE invited applications to the LGM Fund for projects that would support the implementation of their sustainable development strategy for the sector.
Chris Shiel (Centre for Global Perspectives) and Amanda Williams (BU Environment & Energy Team) submitted a joint bid, worth a total of £58k, in partnership with the University of Sussex, for a small-scale project focusing on broadening leadership support for sustainable development.
The project will involve working with Board members and senior management teams at these two distinctly different institutions and cascading learning to two further HEIs (Arts University College at Bournemouth and Northampton).
Workshops will seek to raise awareness about the broad sustainable development agenda with a specific focus on leadership behaviours to embed sustainable development and achieve challenging carbon reduction targets. Participants will have the opportunity to increase their knowledge of sustainable development; explore the breadth of concerns; identify their potential role in supporting culture change; and develop approaches to securing commitment to carbon reduction and sustainable development.
As external facilitator, Ann Finlayson (Director of SEEd) will contribute her experience as a Commissioner for Education and Capability Building for the Sustainable Development Commission, and bring to the project her expertise in leading workshops for senior staff including Government ministers.
Chris Shiel, Director of the Centre for Global Perspectives, said: “If we are to secure sustainable development and achieve ambitious carbon reduction targets, it is vital that Board Members and senior staff are able to lead by example. We are delighted to have been awarded funding to take this project forward.”
In their feedback, HEFCE highlighted that it was a highly competitive field and the panel was particularly impressed by the proposal, which one assessor commented was a “valuable small scale project, capable of making a positive impact more widely on the sector”.
Last year in June, The Centre for Global Perspectives supported colleagues from the Earth Charter 
in the organisation of a Symposium which explored the difficult choices that need to be made in relation to economic sustainability, sustainable tourism and environmental sustainability. Bournemouth Council has endorsed the Earth Charter. However this might seem out of line with the organisation of the annual Air Festival. The event has provided a forum for key stakeholders to share their perspectives and work towards more sustainable solutions.
Please find the Executive Summary Report from the Symposium.(pdf 21KB).
As a direct result of the Symposium, the Bournemouth Air Festival Go Green Action Team (BAFGGAT) consisting of representatives from the Earth Charter, the Bournemouth Borough Council, the Air Festival organisers, CGP and the Dorset Energy Advice Centre was created and has regular meetings to ensure that future Air Festivals will adopt best practices to create the right balance of sustainability across the economy, tourism and the environment.
The Centre for Global Perspectives aims to raise awareness locally about the global issues that affect our lives, including but not limited to: the environment; human rights; sustainability; poverty; fair trade; migration; global health etc., and any other issues which BU staff and students might like to suggest, related to developing global citizenship.
We are particularly interested in working with groups of students and staff who are interested in establishing activities related to significant global issues and global processes. We do not intend to prescribe what form engagement might take but suggestions could include Discussion Groups, Campaigning, Fund Raising; Awareness raising etc and might range from holding, for example, an awareness raising stand in reception, to a Fair Trade fashion show, or a recycling event. They might also include partnership with NGOs, engaging with wider campaigns and inviting speakers who might challenge our perspectives and share their experience.
By establishing and engaging with the various interest groups that could be set up around some of these significant global issues, we hope that participants will have the opportunity to meet new friends, build self-confidence, broaden perspectives and develop some of the skills that will support future employability. Some may even go on to make a contribution towards tackling global poverty, social injustice and addressing the need for sustainable development.
If you are interested in engaging with a particular global issue, or already have a personal interest that you think others might like to be involved with, then please sign up at the Centre for Global Perspectives stand at the BU Careers and Placements Fair or alternatively contact ppooi@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Sign up now and be part of a Centre for Global Perspectives Interest Group.
Popular and art-house films from around the world, covering a wide range of themes and issues, from love and loss to asylum, war and world politics
View this term's Global Cinema film programme.
This is a DEA funded project. Publication completed, and dissemination ongoing.
More information ...
This is a Higher Education Funding Council, Leadership, Management and Governance Funded project. To be published April 2008.
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The Centre for Global Perspectives at Bournemouth University has worked in partnership with Dorset Race and Equality Council (DREC) to collect data to understand the impact of increasing numbers of migrant workers on the provision of public services, with a view to identifying future projects which have the potential to alleviate pressure and enhance services.
The project came about as the result of a successful bid by Bournemouth 2026 and Poole Partnership to the Migration Impact Fund to address additional pressures that may have been placed on public services as a result of increased migration. DREC is implementing the project. It is hoped that the project will enable a better understanding of the needs and expectations of migrant workers and enhanced support.
The survey has now been completed.
The Centre for Global Perspectives has undertaken a survey of staff at BU to gain their views on global perspectives, internationalisation and sustainable development. The last time a staff survey was conducted was in 2005. In 2009, the opinions of students were sought. The latest survey sought to evaluate how much has changed at BU since 2005.
Bournemouth University remains committed to the introduction of global perspectives into the curriculum.
The survey has now been completed and a report has been produced.
The Centre for Global Perspectives Staff Questionnaire 2010 report (pdf 343 KB).