COIL Abroad: Denmark
Tags: February 2023, Vol. 3, Issue 2
During Winter Reading Week, a group of eight students from degree programs across the Faculty of Social and Community Services (FSCS), flew to Denmark, accompanied by Global Learning Coordinator, Ayesha Amin, faculty members and Program Co-ordinators, Julie Muravsky (Bachelor of Addictions & Mental Health) and Linda Hill (Bachelor of Community Development).
In line with Humber’s Internationalization Strategy Pillars 3 (Taking Humber to the World) and 4 (Globalization of Humber’s Polytechnic Identity), this week-long faculty-led trip was part of a hybrid three-week Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project, with long-standing academic partners, UCL University College Denmark who have collaborated on COIL initiatives with the FSCS since 2021, as part of their Interprofessional Learning program (called “TIP”), with students in their Social Work, Social Education and Teacher Education programs.
This COIL abroad enabled students to connect, learn from and with, collaborate on, and immerse themselves in, an intercultural and interdisciplinary case study analysis, in which students from Humber and UCL were grouped together to develop a case study and present a video on how they would respond using an interdisciplinary, international approach to support.
Avion Campbell – Bachelor of Community Development
“The trip allowed me to look at Denmark’s local customs, culture, and services through a multicultural, intercultural and cross-cultural lens. It was one of the best experiences of my life – I made new friends and gained new social learnings and connections that will help my practice in the future. I believe all Social Service Professionals need global experiences.”
Chloe Bonavita – Bachelor of Addictions and Mental Health
“I participated in the COIL abroad trip to Denmark because I wanted to push myself to do something out of my comfort zone. Although I was already going in with high expectations, I can confidently say that this experience exceeded those expectations in so many ways. It was so fascinating to learn about how they approach social issues in Denmark through educational trips. Not only did I learn so much, but I made so many new connections during this experience. I am beyond grateful for the new friendships I have made within Humber as a result of this trip, along with those friends in Denmark, who were so amazing and took the time to make us feel welcome, show us around, and teach us about Danish culture. This experience really opened my eyes to the type of views held in another part of the world, which has allowed me to continue my learning with a wider perspective.”
