Last month I had the great privilege of representing Leeds Trinity University in Kerala, India.  The trip was part of our aims to keep building relationships with other Catholic Universities across the globe and explore opportunities for our programme delivery, research and student exchange opportunities. Travelling to Kerala broadened my understanding of student and Higher Education (HE) sector needs in India.

For part of the trip, I was joined by Katie Lupton, Lead for Academic International Partnerships and Lisa Williams, Director of Global Engagement from Leeds Trinity.  Both were in India to promote our nursing provision whilst on their way to Sri Lanka.

What stood out to me at first glance was the warmth of the people I met. We were all welcomed with open arms everywhere we went. In some cases, we were greeted by having the Keralan saree wrapped around us. The Kerala Kasavu Saree has become renowned for Kerala’s culture and diverse traditions. The gold borders represent prosperity while the white cotton fabric represents the simplicity of the culture and ways of living that are respected and treasured.

The second memorable aspect was the vibrancy of the campuses of the Catholic Universities that I visited. The Sacred Heart College is home to a campus that includes a concert area, a stage and one of the most interesting collections of spiders in the world. 

For the Executive Principal, Fr José, education for the ‘whole person’ is part and parcel of why the campus of the Catholic University should be vibrant and should offer many opportunities for students to develop intellectually, spiritually and socially. An area of good practice worth sharing in the UK when this development also includes a rock concert on campus at lunchtime!

At the Bharata Mata Institute of Management, students raised some very important questions about access to education and the new regulations concerning visa requirements for overseas students and their families.

At a second campus of the Sacred Heart, students of Psychology and English raised questions about how the Catholic University prioritises care for students and their mental health. For them, the biggest issue facing their generation is mental health and managing personal challenges as they progress through in education. They were impressed with the level of care they received at their home University as part of its mission and values, but they were also surprised when I told them that these challenges are also shared by their peers in the UK. 

It is this kind of cross-cultural and global dialogue that helps us to feel part of a universal learning community. On this global stage, we can share ideas across cultures and traditions, debate and discuss good practice concerning student welfare, as well as sharing ideas about how the Catholic Universities have a commitment to serve and provide hope in a fractured world. 

Pope Francis recently said that "Education is always an act of hope that, from the present, looks into the future." It is this hope that Leeds Trinity will take with it as we pursue the partnerships we have made this year in Kerala. The second aspect that we will also seek to live out is the peaceful way in which the people of Kerala live out their faith. The peaceful way this mutual respect plays out is definitely something which the global faith communities can learn from and seek to understand more.

This trip is a significant step forward as Leeds Trinity seeks to live its strategic and ambitious Catholic and universal mission for global education that is derived from the belief that there is potential in everyone to access and to create a hope-filled future. Educatio ad Spem, as our motto says.  In other words, here’s to ‘Education for Hope’ – for everyone.

Dr Ann Marie Mealey is Director of Catholic Mission at Leeds Trinity University.