Global Issues Courses 2025/26: That's a wrap!

Our Global Issues Courses have now come to a close for this academic year...and what a year it's been.

This spring, we ran courses in Cork and Galway, bringing together students, graduates and community members to explore some of the most pressing topics of our time: sustainability, economics, decolonialism, the Sustainable Development Goals and more. These courses weren't just about content, they were also about connection. Participants came together in brave, open spaces to have honest conversations about the hard issues shaping our world.

How did participants find it?

We'll let them speak for themselves:

"It completely exceeded my expectations. All of the sessions were so valuable — I loved the community and belonging that was fostered at each of the sessions."

"Every week brought in a theme that tied to the last and connected to the next and all others in the course. Fair play to the entire STAND team!"

"It was really great to change from the traditional 'classroom' orientation and follow non-linear methods to learning and information dissemination."

"The moment when my belief in community action and activism was reinstated."

A fitting finale in Cork

The course closed with a special in-person session in Cork, bringing together participants from both Cork and Galway. The group toured the city's Creativity and Change murals, heard the stories behind them, and spent time at Test Site, a fascinating community-led space in the heart of the city. They finished by stencilling their own 'what if' question onto a hoarding, turning imagination into action right in the city centre. It was playful, political and very, very STAND.

Thank you to every participant, facilitator and community partner who made this year's Global Issues Courses so special.

Stay tuned for news on our 2026/27 courses — we can't wait to do it all again.