A partnership has been formalised between the Fiji National University (FNU) and Think Pacific Foundation (Fiji) to provide students with an opportunity to broaden their learning from the lecture rooms, through remote and mobility placement opportunities.
The Think Pacific Foundation supports Fiji’s National Development Plan through national partnerships with the Fijian government, charities and social enterprises and collaborates on national programs to improve health, education, sports development, local enterprise, life-skills and basic infrastructure in Fiji.
Fiji National University and Think Pacific staff during the virtual MoU signing.
Through its projects and programs, the Foundation aims to celebrate Fijian culture, customs and traditional life and foster global connections and shared ideas, whilst increasing capacity building and funding for grassroots initiatives.
FNU Vice-Chancellor Professor Toby Wilkinson said the wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Think Pacific will enhance the development of students at FNU, help them connect with people, understand their daily lives and strengthen the University’s goal of providing students with a holistic learning environment.
Prof Wilkinson said there is so much that resonates between the two organisations and the MoU signing was the beginning of an enriching and rewarding journey.
“We both have missions that are closely aligned to Fiji’s National Development Plan and we both reference that important document in the way that we plan our activities,” said VC Wilkinson.
“Both the organisations are focused on empowering young people, not just to fulfil their potential but to make a difference in the lives of others.”
Think Pacific Foundation Co-Founder and Chairman, Harry Hunter said he was hugely excited to formalise this broad partnership and was looking forward to continuing to work with the University.
“Our projects and programs traditionally engage international university students and volunteers on placements across various sectors, and we believe this collaboration with FNU will further enhance our vision for cultural exchange which fosters learning, understanding, equality and respect.”
“The foundation facilitates individuals to drive prosperity by supporting young people to develop their personal and professional skills, and to become the agents of change in their communities, and to have this opportunity to collaborate with, and learn from, FNU students and academics is a real privilege,” said Mr Hunter.
Think Pacific, under this new partnership, will provide fully funded Internship Placements for FNU undergraduates and graduates across their mobility and remote programmes, which would allow the students to collaborate with the international university students within the same fields, partners or projects.
Another exciting cooperation area is the opportunity for students to volunteer on their one-month project funded placements, participating with the international university student volunteers with topics such as public health, mental health, sports development, business, leadership and basic infrastructure.
Through this collaboration, Think Pacific will also implement a Carpentry Training programme at FNU’s College of Engineering, Science and Technology (CEST).
Other areas of collaboration include virtual action projects, remote internship for FNU staff and student engagement, outbound mobility programmes, Flexi courses/summer schools and research programmes to engage international university partners for expressions of interest in research placements and opportunities at FNU.