Global Partner Studio (GPS)

Global Partner Studio (GPS) Institute, October 2018.

Transform global partnerships into catalysts for high-impact experiential learning.

Topic description

In the exciting world of high-impact experiential learning, relationships are everything. UB faculty and staff have amazing partnerships with institutions and regions all over the world. By building on these partnerships we can engage faculty, students and community members in ways that will result in deep and lasting impacts.

In October 2018, The ELN hosted our first Global Partner Studio (GPS) Institute, inviting colleagues from Ghana, Jamaica, Tanzania and Zimbabwe for a week of sharing, networking and capacity building toward deepened collaboration and partnerships. The week was a resounding success, and everyone left excited about further leveraging the promise of global collaboration.

Explore the GPS Institute through the following links.

Since the Institute, a great deal has changed. We now find ourselves working remotely as we cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and its many challenges. And yet, through our enduring relationships, our engagement continues to grow in exciting and important ways.

Global engagement is more important than ever and through the benefits of technology and virtual engagement, we invite our students to connect with our partners, offering their talents and resources through engaging projects and activities.

Featured projects represent ongoing initiatives and requests by our global NGO partners. But please note that these are only a beginning. Once students get close and learn about the organizations and the communities and regions they touch, new possibilities will emerge and develop, allowing us to fulfill the promise of the Global Partner Studio.

Project outcomes

Students will collaborate with partner liaisons on customized projects that support strategic needs and priorities. Projects may include digital storytelling, research, marketing, or other types of activities that help build capacity for organizational impacts while also aligning with students' goals and interests. Student projects will be shared with the GPS community toward fostering further synergies and community growth.

Core partners

Projects include global community-based organizations and NGO's. See individual project profiles for featured partners.

Project mentor

Mara Huber

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Research and Experiential Learning, Director of

Experiential Learning Network

Phone: (716) 829-2834

Email: mbhuber@buffalo.edu

Projects related to this topic

Coloring in the Classroom

5/29/20

We will design and develop "classroom kits" for schools throughout the Mara Region of Tanzania, and create a strategy for piloting and distributing the kits.

Creating a Community Bicycle Lab

5/29/20

Students will help develop a Community Bicycle Lab through Hope Revival Children's Organization (HRCO) in Mara, Tanzania in collaboration with Spoke Folk Community Bicycle Project in Dunkirk, NY.

Emerging Tourism around Women's Empowerment and Social Innovation in Mara Tanzania

5/29/20

Seeking students to transform UB's study abroad itinerary into an invitation for other campuses and communities to visit, collaborate with, and invest in women's empowerment and social innovation in Mara, Tanzania.

Empowering Communities Around the World to Care for Their Clean Water Needs

5/27/20

Work with Hope Revival Children's Organization (HRCO) and Friendly Water for the World to expand access to low-cost, clean water technologies and information about health and sanitation.

Enhance Menstrual Health Knowledge and Skills in Tanzanian Secondary Schools

5/27/20

Enhance the knowledge and skills related to menstrual health management in secondary schools in the Lushoto District of Tanga, Tanzania.

Map2EndFGM

5/27/20

Students will work with members of Crowd2Map Tanzania and Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania to improve the map of rural Tanzania so that girls can be better protected from FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

Promoting Elderly Friendliness through Empowered Stakeholders in Oyo State, Nigeria

5/27/20

Help ensure that elderly community members are healthy and safe in Oyo State, Nigeria, through partnering with PriHEMAC organization.

Reusable Sanitary Pad Project

5/27/20

Support the development of a reusable sanitary pad project started by UB student, Danielle Nerber (2018).

Supporting Community Empowerment through Website (re)Design

5/29/20

Work with Tanzanian partners to design new website celebrating community development projects and opportunities for collaboration

The Shipping Dilemma: How to Transport Goods to and from Rural Tanzania

5/29/20

Working to solve the challenge of transporting goods across international boarders efficiently and cost effectively to increase the economic capacity in rural Tanzania.

Using Technology to Address Food Excess in Nigeria and Around the World

5/29/20

Help leverage the power of technology to support Chilblenders Green, a woman-led social enterprise in Nigeria, that is eliminating food wastage and promoting health and well-being

Women's Empowerment through Batik, Textiles, and Tailoring

5/27/20

Students will engage with ongoing and evolving projects in Mara, Tanzania that empower local women through the making and distribution of textiles, reusable sanitary pads, and other handiwork