With over 130 nationalities represented on campus, the Global Village Day celebrates IE University’s diverse community that represents every corner of the globe. Last year’s event welcomed more than 500 participants and included IE University students, faculty, staff and alumni. The event featured performances by various IEU clubs, including presentations by Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, India, Lebanon, Bolivia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, as well as the IE Music Club, the Salsa Club and the IE Dance Club. The event was chaired by the IE Public Speaking Club.
This year we had several ideas to celebrate the Global Village, but unfortunately food tasting and live cultural performances had to be taken off the table because of Covid-19. Reimagining and starting from scratch was a challenge for us, as our entire concept was already in place for the event to take place on April 14, 2020 at Castellon de la Plana. But our great team kept their spirits up, persevered and, with the help and support of Campus Life, we were able to reinvent the experience with the involvement of many university participants.
Our efforts led to the launch of the weekly Global Village Recipe Series, published in the Campus Life Newsletter. We received local recipes from lots of countries including Syria, New Zealand and Sweden, and were delighted by the engagement. We ended our successful recipe series with the Global Village 2020 video. The video comprised sung and spoken pieces from members of the IE University community, as well as cultural performances from the past and snapshots of previous Global Village celebrations. This demonstrated the true spirit of our diverse community, and showcased Global Village’s heart and soul.
Looking back on these one-of-a-kind experiences, there is always something to learn, reflect on and take pleasure in. Engaging with the community virtually required patience and sensitivity, since it wasn’t possible to know in what circumstances or state of mind individuals may have been. That’s why we took into consideration the personal challenges that people might have been facing, and adapted our engagement accordingly as best we could. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to see that so many people from IE University valued this tradition and helped to continue the celebration. We feel privileged and fortunate to be part of such a diverse and dynamic community, where our cultures and differences are not only appreciated and valued but praised and celebrated!
The year ahead may present more challenges, but we know that the IE University community will be stronger for it. We’re sure that next year we’ll be able to celebrate our Global Village Day the way it deserves—with all of us there. After all, everything’s better together!
Post written by students Fabia Richter and Tanvi Maniktala & Associate Director of Campus Life Jennifer Serrat
