This summer, two undergraduate students from Parami University joined the "Civic Engagement: Student as Citizen" course at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. They experienced great on-campus international classroom learning together with students from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Germany, Brazil, Hungary, the US, and Palestine who are passionate about community development projects.
Two students from Parami University, Pone Nyet Aung and Ei Phyu Sin Win (Cathryn), were selected to participate in the course not only to learn more about the critical role of student citizens in civic engagement but also to discuss social problems facing their communities.
The "Civic Engagement: Student as Citizen" course allowed students to explore the role of civic engagement and taking action within the community the students want to serve. The course introduces students to addressing social issues by contextualizing our leadership experiences within a transnational framework. The course explores the historical, philosophical, and practical elements of civic engagement. It examines what it means to be an engaged citizen in the early 21st century. We focus on political participation, civil society, associational life, social justice, and personal responsibility.
Pone Nyet Aung, a Class of 2026 student, is one of the students from Parami University who joined the course at CEU. The courses intrigued her as she has been actively and fully engaged in community work, such as multiculturalism and information literacy projects, as well as Parami's student-led project, EvolveMinds, with her classmates. She is eager to learn how to sustain these efforts and make a greater impact on my community.
"A key highlight was hearing from the founder of an organization helping refugees and migrants in Hungary to improve their social mobility and well-being. It was inspiring and showed us how small community projects can grow into impactful non-profit organizations," shared Pone Nyet.
Cathryn, a Class of 2027 student, joined the "Civic Engagement: Student as Citizen" to explore her potential in engaging civic engagement and acquire knowledge that is useful for her project that aims to bridge the education gap in our country by organizing a series of workshops that can help students from underprivileged communities get access to quality higher education. "I learned how to be detailed in explaining our project to receive grants from donors, how to be organized within the project team to make sure of the effectiveness of the workshops, and to expand our connections and networks for our projects and communities."
The students stressed the importance of youth participation in civic engagement to become active community participants, fostering responsibility and ownership. And shared their words of inspiration to like-minded young people who are positively impacting their communities.
"Civic engagement means participating or leading activities that are meant to make positive impacts in the community, and it's important for young people as we need to be aware of these communities that we are going to be in for a long time." —Cathryn
"As future leaders, we are on a continuous learning journey and should not take anything for granted. Learning how to serve and give back to our communities is important. My experience with students worldwide shows that different communities have unique problems, and those within the community understand their issues better than outsiders. Therefore, as community members, we must strive for our community's well-being. To fellow youths leading or participating in community projects, it's never too late to start making a difference. If you have an idea that can benefit your community, just start and don't hesitate to ask for help. Reaching out to others, including peers and experts, can help you overcome challenges. Balancing university life with community engagement can be tough, but remember you are capable and amazing. Keep pushing forward and making a positive impact."—Pone Nyet Aung
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