Finding Community with Friends International

This Network good news story was originally posted on the Friends International website in November 2024.

Finding Community In Exeter

We have been encouraged by this recent news story from Friends International Exeter – Centre Team Leader Helen, who shares a wonderful example below of a student who found community with them.

Recently I was at a Café run by the university, and met a Chinese student who was there for the first time. She mentioned that she’d been quite lonely and was looking for more occasions to interact with people, so I let her know about the Globe Café run by Friends International in Exeter.

As I was talking about it, another student overheard and said that she’d been following us on Instagram but hadn’t come to our events yet as she didn’t want to arrive by herself. These two students then started exchanging details so they could plan to attend together, at which point a third student overheard what we were talking about and started telling them about the great time he’d had at Globe: “I’ve never been to anything like it! You guys are so good at sharing from your perspective, and then listening really respectfully to us. It’s really unique! The activities are also really fun! More people should go!”

Personal testimony, social media and an invite from staff – we’re always working to make sure that as many students as possible know about our events and can benefit from them. Publicity can take place using a variety of methods, and that day, multiple methods were used in the course of one conversation!

Find out more about Friends International Events for International Students.

Friends International are a Christian charity seeking to grow friendship and faith with international students in the UK & Ireland.