Hi everyone,
My name is Antonella, I am 56 years old and I am an Italian student of Global Studies and EU.
I am particularly interested in the challenges of climate change and its impact on populations. I have been looking for experiences that would lead me to my projects and how to face the new challenges of this rapidly evolving phenomenon. While surfing the net I came across CICD.
I’d like to share my personal experience in the Gaia team at CICD in Hull, which was a fundamental chapter in my personal and professional growth. Located in the heart of the United Kingdom, the college is a crossroads of cultures, ideas, and aspirations, where people from all over the world come together with a shared goal: to prepare for building a future based on solidarity, social justice, and sustainable development.
From the very first day, I breathed an atmosphere of openness and dialogue. The classes were dynamic, focused not only on acquiring theoretical knowledge, but also on critical thinking and sharing real-life experiences from both teachers and students in a wide variety of contexts. We explored topics such as international cooperation, geopolitics, project management, human rights, solidarity economy, and local development.
One of the most valuable aspects of the experience was meeting extraordinary people: passionate and competent teachers, and classmates with different backgrounds but similar dreams. These encounters enriched my vision of the world and led me to reconsider many of my assumptions, learning to see reality from different perspectives.
Life outside the classroom was also an essential part of my journey. Group activities, informal moments of discussion, intercultural workshops, and field experiences created a unique sense of community. Hull, with its blend of tradition and change, was the perfect setting for this human adventure.
Many arrive at CICD with the dream of changing the world — and I was one of them. But what I learned along the way is that real change begins within. It is inside ourselves that we find the strength to act, the clarity to choose, and the determination to never give up. Only by transforming ourselves can we truly contribute to transforming the world around us.
In conclusion, the College for International Co-operation and Development is giving me the tools to face the challenges of a globalized world, but above all, it helped me to better understand who I am and what kind of contribution I want to make. I is giving me not only a high-quality education, but also a network of authentic relationships and a deep motivation to commit myself to real change.
