Global Friendships are a Radical Act in this Current Moment: Inside Bard’s Civic Engagement Fellowship
When I spoke with Erin Cannan, Bard’s Vice President for Civic Engagement, she made one thing immediately clear: the Get Engaged Conference and the Civic Engagement Fellowship aren’t about creating ‘perfect’ student leaders. They’re about helping students strengthen the leadership they’re already practicing.
The Get Engaged Conference brings together student civic leaders from around the world. What makes it unusual, Erin explained, is that students arrive with projects rooted in their own communities, often deeply local work, but develop that work in a global environment. Students learn alongside peers operating in very different contexts, including places where civic action is encouraged and places where it is highly restricted. That contrast helps students gain perspective, build confidence, and develop what Erin described as their “civic muscle.”
The Civic Engagement Fellowship was created to extend the support students receive through the conference. Since every participant is leading a civic engagement project, the fellowship gives students more time to explore their own sense of agency while also learning how to amplify the impact of their work. Its larger purpose is to build an international community of practice where students hone skills, share lived experience, and learn from one another.
Bard students selected as representatives are chosen based on their experience as civic actors. Erin described past projects ranging from mentorship and language programs to environmental initiatives and community response work.
This year’s accepted Bard students are Kasiem Washington '27, Raahim Waqas '27, and Jaella Mohammed '28.
The fellowship includes monthly online sessions, many peer-led, as well as workshops focused on cultural fluency, active listening, public speaking, and long-term project development. Students also prepare major deliverables in advance, including a ten-minute TED-like talk, a poster for a public-facing session, and a project action plan.
Erin pointed to an external study Bard conducted that identified major leadership shifts students often make after participating, including moving from instinct-based leadership to more systematic leadership, from “I” leadership to “we” leadership, and from reacting to immediate needs to addressing root causes.
When reflecting on their experience, a former attendee said, “How much exposure and knowledge I gained, the friendships and connections that I made. The hope and inspiration that I believe will guide me in creating more future projects and strengthening my own. Also, the hope for the future of the world I have gained by meeting so many leaders making beautiful differences”.
This year marks a major milestone for the program: the conference will be hosted in Bangladesh at Bard’s partner campus, Brac University, only the second time it has been held in the Global South.
For Erin, the lasting impact of the experience comes down to something simple but powerful: connection. “Global friendships are a radical act in this current moment,” she said. The conference asks students to imagine what becomes possible when they stop working alone and instead build relationships strong enough to carry civic work forward.
Post Date: 02-19-2026