Transatlantic leaders
17 December 2018
Students from across Cardiff University have had their say on the future of UK-US relations at an interactive discussion led by BritishAmerican Business in partnership with the US Embassy.
The event, part of the Future Transatlantic Leaders Programme, gave students from across the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences a brief history of UK-US relations, before asking them how they would like the relationship to develop in the 21st Century.
Over the 90-minutes, students were given the platform to make their voices heard on the issues that are most important to them and how they think the UK-US relationship can be more relevant and accessible to them.
“The level of engagement was really impressive; not only did the students present thought out, knowledgeable answers, that factored in global affairs as well, but they were eager to find out more too.”
“This helped produce a substantive conversation on the future of UK-US relations. The range of answers we got was exactly what we were hoping for.”
Students also heard about opportunities available to UK citizens to study and work in the US, giving participants a way to expand their network and professional experiences.
Kathryn Dainty, a second year undergraduate studying BSc Business Management (International Management), said: “I decided to go to the Transatlantic Leaders Programme event because I wanted to understand why US-UK relations are so important in a global business context...”
“It was interesting to hear what other people in my peer group thought and how that varied from the outlook I’ve developed studying International Management at the Business School.”
Alex Hicks, Placement Manager at Cardiff Business School, said: “Our students really valued such an engaging and high-profile event in the university...”
“It was nice to see them share their thoughts on these important international matters.”
Everyone who took part in the event will be formally recognised by the US Embassy as participants in the Future Transatlantic Leaders Programme and will have the opportunity to apply to share their ideas at a reception in London in the New Year attended by members from Government and the business community.
Lauren Cataldo, Policy and Public Affairs Assistant for BritishAmerican Business, added: “Across all universities the students have wanted to see a focus on the environment and climate change, improving trade between the two nations, and global security...”
“The students in our session at Cardiff were the first who highlighted mental health as one of the most prominent issues for them.”
“They would like to see the UK and US bring more awareness to the issue of mental ill health and provide more accessible care for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.”
Student feedback from the event, which has been delivered at seven UK universities, will be included in a publication to be distributed to UK and US Government in the coming months.
Theodore Bachrach added: “We’re currently working on a publication that will showcase the responses of all the participants across all the universities which will be given directly to policymakers across the UK and US.
“Additionally, there will be a policy engagement in January where a selected group of students will be able to share their ideas directly with members from government and business from the two nations.”
Discover more about the Future Transatlantic Leaders programme.
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