Creative transformation in times of pandemic: updates from the Global Campus Regional Programmes

08 April 2020 - Some weeks ago, following the restrictions issued by the Italian authorities to fight COVID-19, the GC headquarters in Venice had to quickly reorganise itself as a remote working community. Now the impact of the pandemic has extended to other regions of the world including those where the seven Regional Programmes of the Global Campus of Human Rights are based.

 

Despite the circumstances, the Global Campus feels as united and resilient as ever. The importance of the creative transformation of our communities around human rights values cannot be over-emphasised in these unprecedented times. We are challenged as a global community to transform our work using all the online tools available to us, while also looking at the world from a new, unprecedented point of view.

 

Watch the message from the GC Secretary General Manfred Nowak

 

 

Online teaching of our MA programmes

All regional programmes (GC Europe, GC South East Europe, GC Africa, GC Asia-Pacific, GC Caucasus, GC Latin America Caribbean, GC Arab World) are transferring their MA teaching activities into e-learning formats to adapt to the fast-evolving situation. Academics and administrative staff continue to support the GC global community of students by delivering educational and operational support remotely. In this time of a global health crisis the collaborative nature of the GC Universities, and its experience in working as a decentralised network, are emerging as important strength.

 

Rearranging joint events and other regional activities

The best practices adopted by the Regional Programmes to protect the health and wellbeing of students and colleagues include remote thesis supervision, research internships (which replace the onsite internships at host organisations), virtual exchanges of lecturers, and moving events planned on campus and around the world to videoconferencing. Regional Programmes can offer creative solutions. Has the time come for a news blog on human rights in the pandemic? Students from the GC-Asia Pacific may be able to give advice. Do you need to prepare for an e-defence? Fellows and Graduates from GC-Europe could provide you with tips or tutorials. Each Regional Programme is looking into the possibility of hosting future joint events virtually, should participation in person not be feasible. It will be the aim of the GC to keep you informed of plans as they progress.

 

Improving the protection of vulnerable people

Monitoring the situation of Human Rights and democracy is a key issue in each region. The GC applauds the work of the network member institutions as their students, alumni, academics and researchers keep on addressing crucial issues such as the protection of vulnerable people --those suffering most the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. As educators, students and human rights defenders this is the time to watch out for abuses in order to ensure that limitations of rights and freedoms are not paving the way to authoritarian regimes, and that the balance between health rights and other equally important rights is not lost.

 

Free, transparent and critical information on your doorstep

This is a great time to take advantage of our GC Human Rights ‘Pills’: short videos, articles, online courses and research works selected from our Regional Programmes that can help all of us to reflect on crucial themes that the health emergency confronts us with daily. Take our Human Rights Pills via our social media channels!

 

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube

 

Last but not least: check our website updates under the section dedicated to the Regional Programmes in order to learn about their work and educational activities.