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Activities for all students

Here are all of the BrookesEDGE activities currently available for you to take part in. 

Advanced Japanese Translation Workshop

This activity offers students a chance to develop advanced skills in Japanese-English translation, across a range of text genres / styles. A charity outreach / knowledge exchange event in S2 will be planned and hosted by students participating in this activity, which has a BrookesEDGE rating of 50 hours overall, based on your participation in the workshops, preparation at home and charity activities.

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Laurence Mann at lmann@brookes.ac.uk for further details and enrolment.

Bacchus Ball Organising Committee Membership

Students who participate in the Bacchus Ball Organising Committee are part of dynamic team which effectively launches an event business each year to plan, develop, design and deliver the Bacchus Ball. 

Members of this committee will learn to: 

  • understand and build relationships with a range of stakeholders, including employers, faculty members and relevant charities
  • manage uncertainty when raising funds in a very price sensitive and competitive student market
  • analyze complex elements of a successful event (audio visual systems, decorations, catering, live music, venue management, health and safety management, etc.)
  • work collectively to create and implement innovative actions to develop the Ball concept; serve a diverse audience of students, employers and faculty; evaluate the impact of and connections between the activities of diverse demographic groups
  • develop strong team-work skills; facilitate and mediate progressive discussions among interested parties (stakeholders) to help resolve issues and conflicts
  • apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development.

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Nicole Ferdinand at nferdinand@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Bringing a local war memorial to life

This project offers an opportunity for students to engage with local history, by carrying out research on names on local war memorials. These will usually be people killed in the First World War and Second World War, but could include other conflicts. The methods used in the Hemel at War project will be the basis of the research. Outcomes could range from a listing of those on the memorial with basic information such as date of death and where they were killed, but might also include far more detailed biographical information on some cases. 

This activity is open to all students. 

Interested students should contact Richard Grayson at rgrayson@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Brookes Creative Student Assistant

A Brookes Creative Student Assistant is a paid opportunity to work with the School of Arts initiative Brookes Creative (BC). As an assistant in the team, you would choose from a variety of roles that help to run the project from social media content creator, media crew, website developer, events organiser, graphic designer, copy writer, podcaster and so on. You will be working in a interdisciplinary team with students from a range of subjects across the faculty of TDE. There are weekly team meetings as well as independent working remotely. We navigate an uncertain landscape through collaborative problem solving and strategic planning. Students who are BC assistants have a transformational journey, becoming aware of the values they aspire to follow in their professional lives.

Quote from a recent team member:

"Being a part of the Brookes Creative team for the past two years has been an incredibly rewarding experience in many ways. As a Student Partner, I have been able to make connections and collaborate with innovative and talented members from across the university on a number of meaningful projects, opportunities I would not have had otherwise. I have also gained so much more confidence in many practical skills as well as interpersonal and enterprising skills, thanks to the continuous support from everyone on the team. Brookes Creative has really been a pillar for building a stronger sense of community in the School of Arts. It’s a friendly and encouraging environment that bridges the gap between students, staff and external employers. I would really encourage everyone to find ways to connect with Brookes Creative in whatever way they are comfortable with."

Interested students should contact Lucy Turner at  lturner@brookes.ac.uk.

Brookes Creative Meet-Ups

Brookes Creative Meet-Ups provide students with the opportunity to engage in dynamic, informal networking events aimed at fostering collaboration and future career development within the creative industries. By attending these meet-ups, you will connect with like-minded creative students, industry professionals, and local entrepreneurs to share ideas, discuss current projects, and explore potential collaborations.These sessions encourage you to pitch your own creative projects, gain feedback, and collaborate on initiatives that could shape your future career. You’ll have the chance to network, exchange experiences, and build valuable relationships with peers and professionals, preparing you for the realities of working in the creative industry.

Interested students should contact Lucy Turner at lturner@brookes.ac.uk or Farzaneh Heidari at fheidari@brookes.ac.uk 

Business Challenge Week

During Semester 2, we host an annual Business Challenge Week. This gives teams of students the opportunity to gain real-world problem-solving experience by working on one or more interdisciplinary ‘challenge’ projects brought to us by Oxford Brookes’ partner enterprises. By taking part in this week you will be able to:

  • boost your CV and stand out from the crowd by demonstrating a week of practical engagement with real organisations
  • apply your skills and experience to problems and opportunities that our partners are currently wrestling with – and which require specialist, academic input
  • experience life in a problem-solving project team, making a real difference to our partners and their clients
  • work with students from other programmes and faculties, learning new perspectives and analytical approaches
  • bolster your competencies in design thinking and creativity, personal resilience, and team working - as well as skills in project management and organisation.

This is a work experience and enterprise opportunity for Oxford Brookes postgraduates.

Interested postgraduate students should contact Karla Zimpel-Leal at kzimpel-leal@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Cultures and Societies Podcast/Blog

You will help to organise, run, and promote a regular podcast or blog exploring cultures and societies. This is an ongoing commitment to establish, record and publicise a languages/cultures-related podcast/blog. You should expect to give approximately a total of 2 hours of your time per week. 

This activity is open to all students. 

Interested students should contact Dr. Irène Hill at ihill@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Curriculum Consultants

Our Curriculum Consultants are student partners who collaborate with academic staff and programme designers from a wide range of faculties, departments and roles. The team is dedicated towards representing the student voice, advocating for inclusion and equity through a joint exploration of ideas, opportunities, and by addressing challenges with inclusive, open discussions. 

Students demonstrate the BrookesEDGE competencies by questioning the norms of our curriculum and then collaborate with staff to develop viable, equitable and inclusive solutions.

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Élise Tanner at etanner@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Dialogue in Migration and Refugee Studies

Students from all faculties and programmes are welcome to take part in the interdisciplinary Dialogue in Migration and Refugee Studies series. This is a non-credited series of lectures and seminars, from different disciplinary perspectives, about topics connected to migration and refugees. The lectures are online and open to the general public, whilst the seminars are in person and for Oxford Brookes students only. By participating in the sessions regularly, you can receive  a BrookesEDGE certificate. 

In the past, disciplines covered have included international development, criminology, sociology, history, business studies, media, literature and others. This opportunity has also proven very useful for students doing dissertations or essays on the topic, as well as those who may want to work in the field after graduation. 

The online lectures are open to all students. The full programme, including face-to-face seminars, is open to students who can attend Headington Campus.

Interested students should contact Dr. Esteban Devis-Amaya at edevis-amaya@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Europe Japan Research Seminar (EJRC)

You will attend and participate in regular evening guest lectures on Japan-related topics organised by the Europe Japan Research Centre, enabling you to develop a deeper understanding of a fascinating culture and society, while developing key competencies required to make a significant and sustainable contribution in a globalized world. 

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Alexander Jacoby at ajacoby@brookes.ac.uk for further details and enrolment.

Global Buddies

The Global Buddies programme brings together our current UK and international students with newly arrived international students. Please refer to the "How Does It Work?" section of the Global Buddies webpage for more information.

This activity is open to all students.

Please see the Global Buddies webpage about the required student commitment and how to join.

Global Languages Society

You will help to organise, run, and promote one or more events under the programme of the Brookes Global Languages Society. This is an ongoing commitment to establish, publicise and lead at least one Global Languages Society-related event. You should expect to give approximately a total of 2 hours of time per week for at least one semester to support the President of the Society.

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Irène Hill at ihill@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Hiroshima Peace Event

You will be part of a student team organising an awareness-raising event for world peace at Brookes focussing on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Central to this event will be the folding of paper cranes by event participants to be sent to the Childrens’ Peace Monument in Hiroshima. You will also organise talks, discussions, and perhaps a film showing for this event to encourage participants to think critically about the history of the atomic bombs in relation to the current global situation. Key competencies: Futures thinking; critical thinking; collaboration; problem-solving; normative; self-awareness. 10-15 hours.

Participants should be aware that the impact of the atomic bombings is a distressing subject matter. 

Interested students should contact Alice Freeman at afreeman@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Immersive experiences and their sources in the Humanities

Immersive experiences are increasingly popular in the UK, US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with a rush of recent offerings focusing on literature, history and art. The British theatre company PunchDrunk’s 'Sleep No More', based on Macbeth, first opened 2009. This was followed in 2017 by a live theatre performance in Virtual Reality entitled 'To be with Hamlet'. Interactive live streaming performances during the Covid pandemic shed further light on the role played by ‘mediation’ in communicating art and literature through digital fora. Immersive experiences focused around the art of Monet, Van Gogh and others have proved popular; Guy Fawkes recently provided the inspiration for a immersive experience near the Tower of London; while the history of Notre Dame has been revealed in novel ways through immersive technologies.

This project invites you to research immersive experiences in the UK and further afield, writing summaries of their sources in literature and art.

This activity is open to all students

Interested students should contact Katherine Craik at kcraik@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Introduction to Chinese Language and Culture

This activity offers students the chance to develop basic Chinese Mandarin proficiency, as well as understand and appreciate China’s rich culture and heritage. 

In completing the activity, you will be able to hold a basic conversation in Mandarin, recognise around 60 Chinese characters and use them to write a short paragraph. You will also learn about important aspects of Chinese society including daily life and etiquette, as well as gain insight into Chinese culture through a calligraphy workshop. 

Interested students should contact Francesca Leiper at fleiper@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Introduction to Korean Language and Culture

This activity offers students an opportunity to learn basic Korean language, while acquiring a familiarity with Korean society and culture. This course includes aspects of digital immersion. Professionally designed university course materials will be supplemented with a range of fun language-learning activities, as well as stimulating visual aids and multimodal learning resources, including pop culture content.

This is a 30 hour course with a BrookesEDGE rating of 50 hours overall, based on your participation in the classes and preparation at home. 

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Laurence Mann at lmann@brookes.ac.uk for further details and enrolment.

J-Pop Workshop

This activity offers students a chance to develop translation and research skills in Japanese, using online tools to search and locate metadata for J-Pop songs, including lyrics, artist, year of release. Students participating in this activity, which has a BrookesEDGE rating of 50 hours overall, will also contribute to a growing database of J-Pop translations.

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Laurence Mann at lmann@brookes.ac.uk for further details and enrolment.

K-Pop Workshop

This activity offers students a chance to develop translation and research skills in Korean, using online tools to search and locate metadata for K-Pop songs, including lyrics, artist, year of release. Students participating in this activity, which has a BrookesEDGE rating of 50 hours overall, will also contribute to a growing database of K-Pop translations and feed into curriculum development activities for Korean studies at Brookes. 

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Laurence Mann at lmann@brookes.ac.uk for further details and enrolment.

OBU Officer Cadets

This activity involves undertaking Reserve Officer training modules in preparation for either Reserve or Regular Commissioning Courses at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Officer Training Corps (OTC) training starts with the teaching of basic military skills before developing command and leadership skills in the second year. Throughout, Officer Cadets learn to work within cohesive and inclusive teams, communicate effectively in stressful situations, and develop practical solutions to problems. At the conclusion of the second year, Officer Cadets will be able to lead sections of 8 or platoons of 28 in tactical scenarios. Skills and character are also developed through taking part and leading a wide variety of sport and Adventurous Training activity which is funded and enabled by the Army.

Time commitment (approx.): Officer Cadets are funded to attend up to 45 hours of training every year but can range above or below depending on availability and need. Attendance is encouraged at Tuesday training evenings, field weekends (4 per term) and at the Summer exercise (10 days, either UK or Europe).

This activity is open to all students who can attend, however you must be enrolled on the OTC to join this activity and you will be manually added to the activity following enrolment.

Interested students should see the OTC website at Universities Officers’ Training Corps and, once enrolled with OTC, should contact Dr. Laurence Mann at lmann@brookes.ac.uk to enrol on the BrookeEDGE activity.

Oxford Brookes University and Community Choir and Orchestra (OBUCCO)

All students are welcome to become members of the University choir and/or orchestra. Both ensembles rehearse for two hours a week in preparation for a charity concert at the end of each semester. The concerts are open to the public and aim to raise funds for local charities. Being part of a musical ensemble builds confidence, boosts wellbeing and mental health, develops team work and social skills, and with OBUCCO you will be making a difference to someone’s life in our community.

 This activity is open to all students at the University but orchestra member must have their own instruments. 

Interested student should contact Craig Prosser at musicperformance@brookes.ac.uk for further information and OBUCCO registration. 

Oxford Human Rights Festival Committee

Over the past 20 years, the Oxford Human Rights Festival has used its platform to shed light on the importance of human rights through engaging programmes consisting of films, performances, talks, exhibitions and more. The festival is led and organised by a student committee of various disciplines, giving students the opportunity to meet outside of the classroom, to add some experience to their CV and to learn more about the current state of human rights globally. Students can participate by planning events such as film screenings, performances or exhibitions, or by contributing a specific skill set such as design, social media, writing and so on.

Planning begins in semester one and the festival runs in March.

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Jackie Kearney at j.kearney@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

SPARK Awards Programme (Brookes Enterprise Support)

SPARK is a comprehensive program designed for Oxford Brookes students, graduates and staff across various disciplines, irrespective of their business background. It aims to offer guidance in transforming initial ideas into potentially scalable ventures.

It also provides students with enterprise skills (networking, identifying relevant audience/customers and communicate effectively with them, understanding budgets, analysing and accessing current markets and risk calculating/preparing etc.) that will enhance their employability, whether they will choose to explore a business idea or move on to a professional career.

This program is ideal for anyone looking to explore and test their ideas in a low-risk and safe environment, while expanding their professional network.

The program consists of 5 workshops and a pitch session at the end, each focusing on specific aspects of idea development.

SPARK is open to Oxford Brookes students, staff and alumni (4 years currently). The pitch for a chance to win £500 is only for Oxford Brookes students and alumni.

Interested students should contact Afroditi Pekou at apekou@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Student Action for Refugees (STAR)

STAR student groups, at colleges and universities across the country, work with the STAR charity's central team of experts at a number of levels to bring about lasting change. As a member of Oxford Brookes' STAR student group, you will volunteer locally, working directly with refugees to build understanding and connections. You will also support national campaigns for policy change and for equal access to higher education for refugees. Through this work, with experts and peers, you will learn about refugee protection and the asylum journey in the UK. STAR work helps you develop all eight of the UNESCO Key Competencies for Sustainability.

Interested students should contact Andrea Macrae at andrea.macrae@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Student Research Launch Pad

The Student Research Launch Pad enables you to become a published researcher and disseminate the work you've done as part of your degree, either from your coursework, projects, dissertations, etc. Sharing and publishing your research helps you to develop invaluable graduate skills such as critical thinking, and visual and verbal communication skills, as well as graduate attributes such as confidence, creativity, and professional autonomy. Being able to communicate complex ideas to a wide audience in simple and interesting ways is a crucial stand-out skill in the digital age. The Student Research Launch Pad will help you develop these skills and attributes so you can aim for new horizons. See the Launch Pad webpage for more information about ways you can get published and share your research more widely.   

This activity is open to all students.

Interested students should contact Dr. Louise Taylor at louise.e.taylor@brookes.ac.uk for further details and enrolment.

Sulitest (Sustainable Literacy)

Oxford Brookes Business School encourages all students to develop sustainability literacy through the ‘Sulitest’ tool. It takes about 30-45 minutes and is a multiple-choice session of 28 core international questions (plus UK local questions) is a tool to help students to self-assess what they know about the economic, social and environmental sustainability challenges facing the world. It considers what the United Nations believes is the appropriate level of required knowledge in economic, social and environmental responsibility for higher education students all over the world. In terms of employability, it shows how aware you are of the world in which we live – and can help you to direct your future learning. 

Some key points are: 

  • This is an important instrument. By taking part, you will be taking part in the biggest-ever online quiz EVER TAKEN by university students around the world. You are making history! Over 70,000 students around the world have already taken it!
  • It is online and “open book” and you can take as long as you want to answer. This means that you can use any resource you wish to help you to answer the question(s) but it is for you to determine how long you wish to take.  
  • You get immediate feedback online once you finish and you can use the results for self-reflection and personal learning for the future.     
  • A single correct answer (from four multiple-choice options) is possible for each question. 
  • A correct answer gives four points. "I am unsure" gives 1 point. A wrong answer gives zero points. 
  • This is not a test! Please remember this is a learning development tool, and not too be disheartened by a low score. There are few experts in all areas of sustainability literacy – we all have something to keep learning! 
  • Please note that you cannot change an answer once validated.

After the validation of the last question you will have your personal score (this score will be sent at the end of the session to your examiner). This is a developmental quiz and is ‘pass/fail’ for completion. 

Interested students should contact Karen Cripps at kcripps@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Supporting the Migration and Refugee Network

This activity scopes over a variety of tasks related to the Migration and Refugee Network, including supporting or participating in network events, promoting the network activities to students or other groups, assisting members of the network with administrative or research-focused activities.

Interested students should contact Tamsin Barber at t.barber@brookes.ac.uk for more information.

Translation and Adaptation Workshop

This activity offers students a chance to develop translation, adaptation and cross-cultural communication skills. Students participating in this activity will contribute to a multimedia database that will feed into a new module on the adaptation of visual and cultural works into a different culture and / or language . Material used will comprise films, drama series, anime, music videos and multimodal social media content.

This activity has a BrookesEDGE rating of 20 hours overall, based on your participation in the workshop and preparation at home. It takes place on Mondays during Semester 1, from 4-5pm in Clerici G27.

Interested students should contact Enora Lessinger at elessinger@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Triggering Change - A Global Digital Video Competition

Triggering Change is a global competition offered by John Cabot University (Rome), in collaboration with Oxford Brookes University, Richmond University (London) and University of Arkansas (Rome). Dr Karen Cripps (Senior Lecturer in Responsible Management and Leadership) is leading the Oxford Brookes collaboration.

The competition is run once per semester, so this will be updated ahead of each semester. Triggering Change is a two-minute pitch that uses creativity to inspire action on sustainability. Since its creation in 2022, it has involved 430 students from 80 countries.

Every semester, the pitch revolves around two UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Participants attend four online Prep sessions with global experts and then produce their pitch, either individually or in a pair. Before and after the project, students take an online awareness test that measures their eco-literacy. The average increase in scores over the course of the five-week duration of the project is 15%.

Winners receive a €100 Patagonia voucher. A Certificate in Sustainability is available to students who complete the pitch.

Registration for the pitch is due by September 27 2024. Registered participants will then receive a link to attend Prep Session 1 and will join a dedicated Google Classroom course (a Gmail address is required for this). Students will receive links to attend subsequent sessions after they have completed the preceding ones.

Participants must complete the first Sulitest Awareness Test session by 10 October to be registered in Triggering Change. The second Sulitest session must be completed by 30 October at 11:59 PM. Please refer to the Google Classroom for detailed instructions.

For details of the pitch and for more information, students should contact Karen Cripps at kcripps@brookes.ac.uk.

Virtual World Tour on Climate Change Solutions

Oxford Brookes University has joined a collaborative project run by Coventry University with the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education Working Group on Climate Change and Environment. Dr Karen Cripps (Senior Lecturer in Responsible Management and Leadership) is leading the collaboration on behalf of Oxford Brookes. 

Karen will be delivering an online session on Tuesday 29 October 2024 at 1.00pm on ‘Food and Food Waste: What is on the Menu for Climate Change Solutions?’. To register, follow the instructions below.    

  • Global universities have come together to offer this Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project to explore cutting-edge solutions to climate change. 
  • Students will explore through a mix of self-paced (asynchronous) and live sessions (synchronous) with global experts, and meet students from across the world.    
  • Students will understand diverse environmental practices, ethical reasoning and actions, and collaborative/problem-solving skills. 

Session dates will be launched in September 2024, and will be offered across the academic year until July 2025. 

To receive a certificate of engagement, Oxford Brookes students should participate in a minimum of 2 sessions throughout the year and to write a short reflection through an online survey link that will be sent.   

To sign up to the programme in order to hear about the session dates and to gain access to the training pages (on Aula), students need to sign up via Aula. See the information flyer and enrolment instructions for more information.

Interested students should contact Karen Cripps at kcripps@brookes.ac.uk for further details.

Volunteers for digital skills workshops for the Oxford senior community

Students from all faculties are welcome to be part of a team of volunteers taking part in weekly one-hour digital skills workshops for the Oxford senior community. You will be supporting members of the Oxford senior community with their digital skills and helping with a wide range of individual digital issues and questions. This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in an intergenerational exchange which can be truly transformative for the seniors. The students and seniors usually work 1-1 or 1-2, depending on the number of volunteers and seniors at the workshops and the seniors bring and use their own digital devices. 

These workshops run in Semester 1 and 2, usually weeks 2-10 - so this activity is worth around 18 hours in total if you volunteer in both semesters. These workshops take place on the Headington Campus at Gipsy Lane.

If you are interested in being involved, please contact Lisa Hale at lhale@brookes.ac.uk for further details.