Peer learning and student ownership in an international environment

A student-created website on human rights and peacebuilding

Abstract

In light of COVID-19, activities under the remit of the Legal Advice Centre at Royal Holloway needed to adapt. Technology and the normalisation of online collaboration presented an opportunity for international cooperation between students at universities around the globe. To capitalise on the changing dynamics, Royal Holloway established a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies in Somaliland with the aim of pursuing student-led projects, as well as other research related collaboration. In this article we recount the formulation of a student-led, inclusive, international project that saw students in the UK and Somaliland work together on a website (www.knowaboutpeace.com) that freely disseminates information on human rights and peacebuilding for stakeholders in Somaliland and the Horn of Africa, with additional relevance for UK actors working in Somaliland. The project utilised approaches of peer learning, student ownership, enquiry-based learning, international collaboration, and social responsibility to build an activity and environment that promoted deeper learning, critical thinking, and social change.