Common Purpose and Game Changer Programme

Common Purpose and Game Changer Programmes

Common Purpose: Global Citizenship Programme

Between 2020 and 2024, the Matariki Network of Universities partnered with Common Purpose to offer an online Global Citizenship programme for students from member institutions. The programme created a shared learning experience that brought together students from across the world to explore leadership, values and global responsibility.

Designed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the course equipped students with practical leadership skills for the 21st century. Participants focused on an SDG they were personally passionate about and were supported to turn that interest into concrete, achievable action. Alongside this, the programme emphasised collaboration across cultures, working effectively within and across hierarchies, challenging assumptions, and acting with integrity on complex global issues.

Across its deliveries, hundreds of students from Matariki member institutions took part. Those who completed the three‑week programme reported increased confidence in their leadership abilities, their capacity to work across diverse networks, and a stronger understanding of the interconnected nature of global challenges. Graduates received a Global Citizenship micro‑credential and joined the wider Common Purpose alumni community, connecting them to an international network of leaders and changemakers.

Game Changer: piloting a new collaborative model

In 2026, the Network built on this work by piloting a new student programme, Game Changer, delivered through Durham University’s Venture Lab. Game Changer is a collaborative online (COIL) programme that engages students in impact‑driven entrepreneurship, using design‑thinking methods to develop solutions to real‑world challenges linked to the SDGs.

Students from Matariki member institutions worked alongside peers from Durham and partner universities, developing skills in teamwork, research, critical thinking, and pitching ideas across borders and disciplines. The pilot marks an important step in exploring new, collaborative ways for Matariki universities to offer shared, practice‑focused learning experiences that prepare students to create positive global impact.

Together, the Common Purpose and Game Changer programmes demonstrate how the Matariki Network continues to experiment, learn, and innovate in providing meaningful, globally connected opportunities for students beyond the classroom.