If any, or all, of the above applies to you, we hope you’ll join us for this showcase of co-curricular activity in UCD, organised by the UCD Co-Curricular Community of Practice, so you can encourage current and prospective students to build their skills and enhance their sense of belonging.
Date22 May 2025
Time11:00am - 1:00pm
LocationUCD Village Auditorium
OrganisersCo-Curricular Community of Practice
Register HereThe importance of students developing strong transversal skills that will help them stand out from the crowd and give them an advantage as graduates is reflected in the UCD Strategy to 2030, Breaking Boundaries. Co-curricular activities play a large part in the development of these skills contributing significantly to students’ personal growth, leadership development, social connections, and wellness. There is a wide range of co-curricular activity available to students at UCD, a small sample of which includes: the Peer Mentor and Student Ambassador programmes where students can contribute to a sense of belonging and community on campus; the role of Class Representative, developing students’ ambition and fostering a sense of responsibility; Student Volunteering activity where students can give back to the community; the Global Guide programme where students can advance intercultural experience and understanding on campus; and, the Student Partnership Programme and Access outreach activities where staff can partner actively with students to understand and respond to their priorities.
We hope by attending this event staff will come away more informed on the breadth of co-curricular opportunities available to students and more enlightened on the benefits they bring!
The UCD Co-Curricular Community of Practice was formed in January 2024 for the purpose of developing knowledge and enhancing best practice of co-curricular activity in UCD, and growing collaboration across the University in the co-curricular space. The CoP meets three times per year minimum and membership consists primarily of ‘activity leaders’ who run co-curricular activities in UCD as well as the Co-Curricular team from UCD Careers Network.
UCD Advantage is the University’s official award, appearing on students’ Diploma Supplement at graduation, to recognise the skills, knowledge and experience that UCD students gain through participation in co-curricular activities. Recipients of the UCD Advantage Award are presented with a digital certificate and are invited to an annual celebration event.
Nora Trench Bowles is Head of Lifelong Learning and Skills at the Irish Universities Association, the voice of the Irish universities. Nora drives policy initiatives across flexible and lifelong learning and the skills agenda. She engages with key stakeholders and policy-makers, working towards greater recognition of and support for the significant contribution that the Irish universities make to skills development and lifelong learning. She represents the IUA widely at national and European level, including Implementation Groups of the Expert Group of Future Skills Needs (EGFSN).
A graduate of University College Dublin, Uppsala University, Sweden and the University of Strasbourg, France, Nora previously worked in European institutions in Strasbourg and Brussels.
A person who stammers, Nora is Vice-Chair of the Irish Stammering Association, a national charity working to raise understanding of stammering and provide supports to the stammering community.