President Evo Morales, the second indigenous president of Bolivia since the first in 1829, in his 2006 inauguration stated that this new system will incorporate the Andean revolution, Simon’s Bolivar nationalism and Che Guevara’s socialism.[1] This came about after a negative response to the former neo-liberal economic policies of the previous government. In 2003, an...
I knew I wanted to go to university from an early age. I remember leaving primary school knowing that to get where I wanted to be, I needed to work hard, get my GCSEs and then my A-Levels. I did not know what I wanted to study; my long-term plan always changed. One day I...
My name is Dmitrijs and I am a third year International Relations student of University of Westminster, and a part of DEN since 2017. I was introduced to the Democratic Education Network by my seminar leader and one of the most influential and recognised people across the University of Westminster – Farhang Morady. As one...
In an interconnected and globalized world, the voices of the local communities struggle to make themselves heard on the international stage. But many issues that arise within international relations have consequences for ordinary lives and are therefore closely connected. Climate change, warfare and migration are all examples of this. They are often discussed in abstract...
Every year, DEN students edit and publish a hard copy magazine, which can also be accessed online. In this magazine, students reflect on their experiences as part of Westminster and DEN. We are encouraged to tackle important and difficult topics and we have different sections where we can write about the challenges and learnings of our...
The founder of Hopetowns, STUDENTS4Refugees and a team member share their thoughts on the collaboration between STUDENTS4REFUGEES and Hopetowns. Read on to know more about this unique collaboration connecting students and the local communities, where they use their experiences to empower each other. Marta As a Ph.D. researcher and visiting lecturer at the University of...
On the 22 of February, the Democratic Education Network (DEN) organised a full day event of passionate poetry, music, and good vibes. Students, lecturers and members of the public got together to appreciate and celebrate diversity at Westminster. The event was kicked off with an exhibition of photographs taken by students expressing important issues, events...
As part of Democratic Education Network (DEN) this academic year we visited City and Islington College in London (CIC). This project is part of DEN’s community-based work involving students from both the University of Westminster and the Further Education College. We hope to develop a meaningful collaboration between our students and staff by aiming to...
Democratic Education Network (DEN) presented a spectacle event organised and delivered by the students on Friday the 22nd of February. Amongst many events that are taking place between 25-29th of February in the University of Westminster, this was the first one where the students from the University of Westminster, partner schools in London and alumni...
Democratic Education Network in Hopetowns As part of Democratic Education Network (DEN), students and staff visited Hopetowns on Sunday, 17th of February. Hopetowns is one of the community-based projects, led by DEN on the initiative of an undergraduate student, Zeenat Khan and a PhD student Marta Welander at the University of Westminster. The London-based project...
Global Crossroads: Rethinking Dominant Order(s) in our Contested World The world is at a crossroads. Over the last few years, we have witnessed numerous political events which have shattered the comfortable understandings we have about global order. These have ranged from the rise in right-wing populism, evident in the rise of Trump, to social movements...
Vietnam is a country deeply rooted in a rich culture, history and an increasingly stimulating stance on the current world stage. Whilst visiting Vietnam in December 2018 it infatuated me to gain a first – hand experience of an amazing country with an unfortunate pattern of social, environmental and economic impacts. Accompanied by Dr. Farhang...