Celebrate International Development Week on campus Feb. 5-8

University of Calgary International is celebrating International Development Week the first week in February with a series of events to raise awareness about international development issues, focus on innovative solutions to global challenges, and discuss the role of the university in international development.

Activities during the week include collaborative discussions around development topics, a demonstration of a humanitarian simulation game, and the semi-final competition of the World’s Challenge Challenge.

"Events like these provide an opportunity to collaborate and engage in very important discussions about world issues, and to bring ideas to the table," says Vice-Provost (International) Janaka Ruwanpura. "One of the great features of these events are their interdisciplinary nature. Faculty, students and staff from different disciplines will work together to tackle the challenges of the 21st century."

International Development Week is a Canada-wide event, spearheaded by Global Affairs Canada as an opportunity to engage others in learning about poverty reduction and international humanitarian assistance in the developing world. This the second year that it has been celebrated on campus.

By leveraging the university's research and academic strengths with United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and Global Affair’s Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy priorities, the university aims to improve conditions of communities in low- and middle-income countries, create sustainable impact through innovation, build capacity and share knowledge.

Event schedule

Collaboration for International Development
Feb. 5, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Husky Oil Great Hall, Rosza Centre

This event will include roundtable discussions on different development topics, provide participants the opportunity to network, and exchange ideas on addressing global issues. A special announcement will also be made on new funding for piloting innovative ideas and initiatives in international development.  

AFTERSHOCK: a humanitarian crisis game
Feb. 6, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Alberta Room, Dining Centre

AFTERSHOCK is a game designed to train humanitarian aid workers. This session will include a demonstration of the humanitarian crisis game called AFTERSHOCK by the research group PAXsims. The game’s designers will discuss how board games can be used to explore the inter-agency co-operation needed to address the emergency and early recovery phase of a complex humanitarian crisis.

University of Calgary’s World’s Challenge Challenge semi-finals: Finding solutions to global problems
Feb. 7, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hunter Hub Collision Space, MacEwan Student Centre

In this Dragon’s Den-style completion, UCalgary students will present their unique solutions to global problems. Teams of three will pitch their solution to the audience and a panel of judges in under three minutes. Six finalists will be announced at the semi-finals and matched to mentors who will coach them and help them prepare for the UCalgary finals competition on Mar. 7. Winners will move on to compete at Western University.  Applications are due by Feb. 2.

Storytelling the Sustainable Development Goals: Engaging the student voice
Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Alberta Room, Dining Centre

Join the Sustainable Development Goals Alliance in a discussion surrounding the sustainable development goals (SDG). This event features a special workshop presentation, Empowering the Student Voice: World Café, discussing how the SDG impact the decisions we make as individuals and as a community.

Learn more about International Development Week and register for these events.