International Jayhawk Festival will celebrate KU’s global community April 19

LAWRENCE — Connect with the diverse global community at the University of Kansas and discover an abundance of international opportunities at the sixth annual International Jayhawk Festival, which will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. April 19 at the Burge Union.

Learn what it means to be a global Jayhawk through activities, games and crafts representing cultures from around the world. Free international snacks and T-shirts will be distributed. Students, staff, faculty and community members are invited to attend the free event.

The International Jayhawk Festival celebrates KU’s diverse student body, the importance of global citizenship, the value of international education and the need for global awareness.

KU has many reasons to celebrate its global community: More than 1,600 international students from over 100 countries attend KU, the most of any school in Kansas. In 2020, KU ranked 22nd in the country for study abroad participation among public doctoral-granting institutions, with almost 29% of the total undergraduate student population participating in a study abroad program before graduation.

Tabled by more than 25 different organizations, the International Jayhawk Festival will host intercultural communication activities, trivia games and craft demonstrations, such as henna art. Students can meet with advisers from study abroad programs, discuss academic programs with area studies representatives and language departments, connect with foreign language clubs, explore international career opportunities and learn about international student organizations.

The festival will feature dance performances from the Indonesian Student Association and Unity Hip Hop, music from India, Ukraine and Russia, and poetry read in Urdu and translated into English.

The Pederson Grants for Global Engagement, funded by KU alumna Christine Pederson, funded $100 to $150 grants to support the involvement of five student clubs and organizations interested in representing their countries and cultures at the festival. With the funds, the groups can purchase items that will help in sharing, celebrating and educating festivalgoers about their group’s language and cultural traditions.

The International Jayhawk Festival receives support through these contributing university sponsors: African & African American Studies; Applied English Center; Center for East Asian Studies; Center for Global & International Studies; Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies; Center for Russian, Eastern European & Eurasian Studies; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging; Global Business Studies; Indigenous Studies; International Affairs; International Student Association; International Support Services; Kansas African Studies Center; KU Libraries; Middle East Studies; Open Language Resource Center; Pederson Grant for Global Engagement; Spencer Museum of Art, Student Union Activities; Study Abroad & Global Engagement; and University Career Center. Community support comes from The Merc Co+op, Checkers Food and Raising Cane’s.