The Cultural Welcome Project is all about helping students navigate the often confusing nature of British slang, culture, and English as it's actually spoken in Essex and on our campuses. We aim to fill the gaps that weren't covered by basic English tuition - swear words, slang, toilet talk, and ordering a pint, to name just a few.
The project started life as a one-off for Student Volunteering Week 2022; we surveyed hundreds of students about the things that commonly confound them about English language and culture. We took this data, and produced The Cheat Book!
The Cheat Book is a free resource, available as a physical booklet and online, that is designed to help international students navigate the potential cultural and linguistic learning curve that so many experience when starting a new chapter.
Sign up to be one of our regular project volunteers, and help us update, improve, and expand this resource. We will run surveys on the squares throughout the year, and host other events that will help us achieve our aim of making life that little bit easier for international students. We are also looking at translating The Cheat Book into other languages, so if you can support us in this aim then please get in touch with us: vteam@essex.ac.uk
You can volunteer right now, from the comfort of your sofa, by completing our online survey.