More than coffee and culture at Culture Café

CULTURE CAFÉ

With over 27% of UNSW’s 52,582 students being international and a goal to increase this number further, it is important to have great support networks in place, says Anna Giovanaki from Arc @ UNSW. For the past three semesters, Anna has overseen the running of Arc’s Culture Café; an initiative aimed to celebrate international students' diverse cultures, languages and ethnic backgrounds, and also provide them with support and guidance for their stay in Australia. 

Many international students who come to UNSW have poor English skills, and can come from completely different cultures where norms and customs can be opposite to those of Australia. While the university host peer mentoring programs, the idea to create a more informal setting arose. 

Through fortnightly sessions, Culture Café provides this informal and relaxed setting, for overseas students to practice their English skills, learn and share useful knowledge of living and studying in Australia and connect with people in a similar situation while enjoying a tea or a coffee. 

Each session focuses on a relevant topic to facilitate discussion but also to give local information; for example, how the housing market in Australia works, tips for local job interviews, what their legal rights are in various situations and preparing them for assignments and exams in a different school system. These are topics that local students might already know or at least would know where to find the information. When you are new to a country, there is a lot of new information, and it can be overwhelming to take it all in, says Anna. 

More than anything, the Culture Café is a safe and inclusive setting where students can drop by when they feel like it. Anna says that some students come by a couple of times during the semester, while others come every time. The idea is to make it low-threshold, so that they can come by whenever they feel like sharing stories and being around people who is also far from home. 

Anna says that it has been a very positive response from the participants, including current UNSW student Magic, who takes part of the Culture Café regularly: 

"The Culture Café is a very useful and relaxing activity to spend an hour and a half every fortnight, as we discuss helpful topics and share life experiences. I really enjoy the wisdom and passion that everyone brings to the conversations”.

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