SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institution
Sustainable Development Goal 16, "Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions," plays a crucial role in fostering a more just and equitable society worldwide. Universities and educational institutions are vital in promoting these goals, and the American University of the Middle East (AUM) in Kuwait is no exception. AUM has taken significant strides in aligning its mission and activities with SDG16, creating a safer and more inclusive environment for its diverse community.
AUM University is located in Kuwait, a country that has made substantial progress in promoting peace and justice, but still faces challenges like any other nation. The university recognizes its responsibility to contribute to achieving these goals, both within its campus community and beyond.
Fostering a Culture of Peace
AUM places a strong emphasis on promoting a culture of peace and tolerance. The university actively encourages open dialogue and respectful discussions, which are essential in resolving conflicts and promoting understanding among its diverse student body. AUM hosts events and seminars that focus on conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and diplomacy, fostering a peaceful and positive atmosphere within the campus.
Education for Justice
Education is a powerful tool for achieving justice. AUM offers a range of programs and courses that promote human rights, social justice, and the rule of law. By educating its students on these fundamental principles, AUM is contributing to the development of future leaders who will advocate for justice and fairness in society.
Strong and Accountable Institutions
To support SDG16's goal of building strong institutions, AUM places a strong emphasis on governance, transparency, and accountability. The university maintains clear policies and procedures that ensure the fair treatment of students, faculty, and staff. It also encourages student involvement in governance through student councils and organizations, helping students understand the importance of responsible and accountable institutions.
Providing a Safe Platform
Ensuring a safe platform for its community members is a top priority for AUM. The university has implemented various measures to achieve this:
Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
AUM actively promotes diversity and inclusion through awareness campaigns, cultural events, and inclusive policies. It creates an environment where individuals from different backgrounds feel safe and valued.
Conflict Resolution and Mediation
AUM provides resources for conflict resolution and mediation, ensuring that disputes can be resolved peacefully and fairly.
Mental Health Support
Recognizing that peace and justice also involve mental well-being, AUM offers counseling and mental health services to support students and staff facing personal challenges.
Reporting Mechanisms
AUM has established reporting mechanisms for any incidents of discrimination, harassment, or injustice. These mechanisms enable individuals to voice their concerns and seek resolution without fear of retaliation.
Partnerships
AUM collaborates with local and international organizations that work towards peace, justice, and strong institutions. These partnerships provide opportunities for students to engage in real-world projects and initiatives related to SDG16.
In conclusion, the American University of the Middle East (AUM) in Kuwait is actively contributing to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. Through its commitment to fostering a culture of peace, providing education for justice, promoting strong and accountable institutions, and offering a safe platform for its community members, AUM is not only educating future leaders but also actively participating in the pursuit of a more just, peaceful, and equitable society within its campus and beyond.
On the day preceding the National Assembly Elections in Kuwait, in September 2022, a campaign was launched by AUM to participate in the elections as a national duty. The message by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees focused on the importance of voting and participating in the elections, given that political development is the cornerstone and the basis on which economic development and all other forms of development are based, to achieve the success of the electoral process, and build on this success with other successes that accumulate to achieve the desired development of the nation.
#الانتخاب_واجب_وطني
During the week of the National Assembly Elections in Kuwait, in September 2022, a video campaign was launched by AUM to participate in the elections as a national duty.
AUM societies are composed of groups of students who are elected to serve the greater student body by providing leadership and development opportunities for all majors.
The AUM Business Society is composed of groups of students elected to serve the greater student body by providing leadership and development opportunities for all majors within the College of Business Administration. The Business Society aims to provide the student body with opportunities to participate in activities intended to enrich their knowledge of the business world, to build a supportive network of like-minded individuals both on and off campus, and to interact with experts in their field. The student group plans, coordinates and executes campus events that include bringing in guest speakers, putting together job panels and seminars, and arranging external site events.
Past events planned by the Business Society included inviting speakers who represent organizations that are devoted to instigating social change abroad and a three-day winter exhibition that showcased the work of many young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The AUM Engineering and Technology Society seeks to encourage the greater student body to engage with the engineering industry by facilitating student interaction with leaders in the engineering field both on and off campus, especially for students within the College of Engineering and Technology. The Society aims to provide students with opportunities to connect with the University’s esteemed faculty, develop students’ professional growth, and apply students’ academic knowledge in a real world setting. The student group organizes events including professional seminars, networking activities, and job and internship placement fairs.
Past events planned by the Engineering and Technology Society included a “Strategy for Success” workshop featuring advice from local industrial engineers, to a week dedicated to volunteering at local societies, such as the Kuwait Society of Young Engineers, Kuwait Women Engineers and Engineers without Borders.
The Academic Council is the academic authority of the University, headed by the President and has among its tasks to advise to the Board of Trustees on the creation, modification or suppression of academic units, as well as to review and adopt the teaching programs in accordance with legal regulations, define the academic policies of the institution and propose on the academic development of the University, especially with regard to academic programs, research, extension and university welfare of an academic nature.
Colleges have various committees established for the development of academic programs, teaching, research, quality assurance, academic integrity and professional development. Committees report to the dean.
In creating a stakeholder relationship policy, AUM's mission is also to create value for the various stakeholders.
And this process is done through four major guiding commitments: understand, communicate, trust and collaborate. These commitments form a policy that aims to go beyond mere compliance with the formal requirements of existing laws in Kuwait, thus contributing to an effective and genuine involvement of the various stakeholders associated with the university. In order to successfully carry out this relationship policy, some regulations related to Stakeholders were created, with the purpose of having certain requirements and having a better relationship with them.
Part of the policies and procedures are:
Dynamically and systematically identify the stakeholders that influence and are influenced directly and indirectly by the university and its activities, as well as the issues considered relevant by the stakeholders.
Prioritize in an equitable manner the stakeholders and the issues considered relevant by them.
Ensure that stakeholders have access to information, establishing two-way, direct and efficient communication channels, actively providing clear, understandable and rigorous information to the various interested parties.
Proactively and continuously consult and listen to stakeholders' concerns, interests and expectations, prepare survey plans and engagement strategies tailored to the characteristics of the different stakeholders.
Respond to relevant issues identified by stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe, taking into account the characteristics of the stakeholders involved.
AUM in conjunction with the stakeholders, have the purpose of studying relevant issues both locally and internationally, these study groups are divided into 4 parts.
1. Value Chain: Employees, Unions, Scientific Community, related to students and professors, jobs.
2. Market: Financial Institutions, Stock Exchange, Economy in Kuwait and other countries.
3. Democracy: Government, Public Bodies, Regulation, and International Institutions.
4. Social and Territorial Environment: NGOs, Local Communities, City Councils, Media and Opinion Leaders.
AUM has a great recognition in Kuwait and at international level for this reason several agreements have been made with stakeholders over the past years, to have a control and good relationship with these have been created bodies responsible for the relationship with them, in this way the university has been able to get involved in both the public and private sector and of course with the government.
Tawteen Career Center at AUM is committed to helping students and graduates explore different career options.
Tawteen Career Center aims to assist students to take ownership of their career direction and empowers them with the latest learning tools, skills, and networks needed to find employment opportunities that best fit their goals and manage their future careers. The Center also works on building good relations with the job market and helps fill the gap between academic curricula andactual market needs. This happens by understanding the job requirements at different companies and translating them into skills that graduates learn.
AUM students and alumni are invited to make use of the services offered through the center such as workshops, seminars, career fairs, and other various professional development activities.
Students Services
Tawteen Career Center is responsible for preparing and guiding students in the career exploration process through offering a wide range of career planning services to help them discover themselves, reach their goals and lead their future.
MENTORING SESSIONS
The mentors at the Center provide students with career guidance by identifying each student’s individual Values, Interests, Personality, and Skills (VIPS).
The program helps students get on the career track they want to pursue by offering them one to one Career interview sessions and advise them on CV writing, interview techniques, mock interviews, job search strategies, etc.
As students progress deeper into their career plan, mentors will help them explore their career interests, goals and values, as well as offer them methods to overcome obstacles in their future careers.
Training & Workshops
The role of the Training component is to explore, design, develop and ensure the delivery of high quality training workshops, programs and seminars, thereby providing students with the training aids needed to enhance their career prospects and succeed in their future careers. Below is a list of some of the workshops conducted in 2019 - 2020.
Team Building and Cohesion: This workshop enhances students' ability to work in a group and develop their communication and negotiation skills.
Self-Awareness: This workshop aims to equip students with the skills needed to take on challenges with assurance, manage change and complexity with conviction, and enhance their leadership skills.
Ethics and Trust: This workshop assists students in gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and teaches them how to identify their personal values and contribute to leadership.
Linkedin: The Career Center hosted LinkedIn's team to teach students and graduates how to rock their linkedin profile and advance their career.
Critical Thinking: This workshop helps students in identifying their skills and in applying logical and creative approaches to solving problems and making decisions.
CV Writing and Interviewing Skills: This workshop helps students in improving their interpersonal skills and in building their resume in a professional way, and teaches them how to standout during an interview.
Effective Communication Skills: This workshop aims to equip students to take on challenges with assurance, manage change and complexity with conviction, and enhance their leadership authority.
Stress Management: This workshop teaches students techniques related to managing stress in the context of university studies and academic life.
Time Management Skills: This workshop aims to help students manage their time effectively and schedule tasks according to their priorities, which in return will reflect positively on their daily academic and professional performance.
Internships
Internships are an essential component in the applied student learning process as it promotes their readiness for future career positions. It also provides students the opportunity to apply the skills they learned in their respective majors. The Career Center’s role is to secure opportunities and provide several options for our students to ensure they get appropriate high-end training that will prepare them for their future career.
During their academic internships, students are assigned an Academic Advisor at the university to follow up with their progress. Students are evaluated by the organization where the 90 hours of internship was completed at the end of the placement. Confidential evaluation/feedback forms for each individual student has to be completed by his/her supervisor at the company in which the internship was completed. Each student will be evaluated based on his/her performance throughout the period of the internship
Corporate Placement
The Placement section at Tawteen Career Center is responsible for liaising with external organizations and employers to obtain relevant career information such as job opportunities and recruitment policies and procedures. A Business Development team is in charge of widening the scope of career related opportunities for students and Alumni.
This subdivision of the Center also manages and coordinates the graduate and undergraduate placement activities in which students are shortlisted to job openings that are in line with their career aspirations.
In addition, the Business Development team monitors Kuwait’s employment and labor market trends to promote and place students in the job market and thus act as the key bridge between students and employers by organizing Field Trips & Information Sessions (Guest Lectures).
Field Trips
The Career Center organizes field trips to companies from different sectors and industries that are relevant to students’ majors. Through real-life connections and hands-on experience of the lessons they are studying, students are more likely to understand the subject better. Students will experience a more holistic, integrated picture of the information taught in the classroom.
Information Sessions (Guest Lectures)
Information sessions are conducted by professional guests who visit the campus to share their experience with the students. This will help the students widen their perspective of a certain field and gain insights about the corporate world.