Followed by a successful learning exchange in Spain in mid-March, the Oxford Character Project (OCP) team collaborated with the Anáhuac University in Mexico to deliver a workshop on character and leadership on 29th and 30th March 2023. Dr Barnanas Aspray and Dr Corey Crossan from OCP travelled to Mexico to share the pedagogy, curriculum, and lessons learned from the Global Leadership Initiative programme in Oxford with educators in Mexico.
The learning exchange between the two universities started with a series of presentations and discussions, followed by a co-creation process to adapt the resources to the local context. After two days of preparation and collaboration, 30 undergraduate students who were already part of 8 existing leadership development programmes at Anahuac University gathered to participate in the workshop. In addition to OCP teaching team, Prof Verónica Fernández Espinosa from UFV Madrid also engaged with the students an external consultant to enrich the programme and employ the learnings from the previous workshop in Madrid, Spain.
Using the jointly developed curriculum, students participated in a range of small group discussions, exercises, and reflection activities. They discussed the nature of good leadership and how to lead with purpose and empathy. After the workshop, students shared feedback and expressed their commitment to cultivating the virtues. One of them shared, "Character can define what kind of leader you are and want to be. Leading goes far beyond being in front of a group, it is about being the role model that takes them to the top while leaving no one behind." The Anahuac University team also shared their enthusiasm to continue using the resources and expressed interest to bring their students to Oxford for a visit in May 2023.