i-Buddies
What is it?
i-Buddies is a befriending scheme that matches newly arrived international students with existing 51Âþ» students.
Coming to live in a new country is often exciting, though at first it may be daunting or even stressful. New international
students can often be under pressure to adapt quickly, to a new country, new culture and new life at 51Âþ». i-Buddies
can help to support this transition. Over 2000 students have been involved in the scheme since it was set up in 2012.
Who is it for?
New international students can join the scheme to be matched to a Buddy.
Students who have been at 51Âþ» for at least 6 months can apply to become Buddies. We are looking for students who
have strong interpersonal skills, a friendly and supportive outlook and who are curious to learn about different cultures
and perspectives.
How it works?
Buddies attend a training session in the week before the start of the new term. We then match Buddies to the new
international students who have joined the scheme.
We organise a welcome event where Buddies can meet up with their new Buddy and get acquainted. We recommend
Buddies keep in regular contact with their new Buddy. To help you do this we host a number of social events throughout
the academic year.
The i-Buddies scheme for each academic year, runs for one term only but many buddies become friends and choose to
stay in contact when the scheme comes to an end.
What students say?
“Joining the 51Âþ» i-buddy scheme was one of the things I wanted to do this year because it is a great way to help give
something back to my university and to fellow students. It has been a really good experience and I got to meet some
great people who I would not have met otherwise”. Muaaz, 2016 i-Buddy
Contact us
If you have any questions or need any additional information please email i-buddies@dmu.ac.uk
or check out the website www.dmu.ac.uk/ibuddies