Maria Cabanillas Alvarez, from the MA Gender & Development cohort of 2024-25, reflects in this blog post on the questions she asked when she first arrived at IDS: How can I make the most of this experience? Where can I find community and purpose beyond? How can I feel part of a culture and society so different from my own? Maria found the answers lay beyond the classroom.
If you’re reading this at the start of your journey with IDS, I want to share some of the experiences I had participating in extracurricular activities that expanded my networks, made me feel part of something bigger, and reinforced my commitment to social change, in case they serve as a compass for you.
A supportive community: the Catholic Society
One of the first decisions I made when I arrived was to join the Society of Catholic Students at Sussex, which was, above all, a space for human encounters. Through discussion forums, historical walks, training sessions, and panels with guests reflecting on social justice, it became a place where I could breathe calmly and engage in deep debate.
In addition to the intellectual and spiritual aspects, I found something essential in this space, in the context of such an intense master’s programme at IDS: a network of belonging and a supportive community. I met people with who I could talk to about the world and also about how we felt. People who, in moments of overload or loneliness, become an anchor and a great support. Do not underestimate the power of this type of community, as it is also a form of resistance and care. Thank you Fr. Rod, Jo, Seb and Claire for making the Catholic community a safe place to express ourselves and listen to each other freely.
Being a spokesperson for inclusion and organising events
One of the most enriching aspects of my time at IDS has been the opportunity to organise events with a social and cultural focus. In collaboration with various faculties, I co-organised two events that I am particularly proud of:
‘Voices of rural women: between resistance and cultural appropriation’, where we created a space for women from rural communities to share their experiences of extractive cultural practices, recognising their knowledge, agency, and strategies for cultural revaluation.
Disability Month, which included workshops, talks, and an intersectional panel where we explored how systems of exclusion affect people with disabilities in the Global South in multiple ways. This event taught me, among other things, the power of creating safe spaces where knowledge is built horizontally.
Thank you, Evelyn, Giannina, and Carmen, for being part of these events.
I have also facilitated workshops at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Sussex itself, addressing issues of gender, belonging, and structural change, from participatory approaches and how to manage our emotions through art. These experiences not only allowed me to share but also to learn: each facilitation space is also a mirror of our own practices and biases.
Learning from socially responsible networking
One of the pieces of advice I give most often is: get off campus! And not just to explore Brighton or have a coffee by the sea (which I highly recommend), but to explore networks that are outside the academic world but deeply connected to the issues we are passionate about.
One such experience for me was participating in BNI (Business Network International), a global business networking organisation. At its meetings, I was able to learn about companies committed to sustainability, local charities, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. I learned to look at the business world from a different perspective, to recognise opportunities for collaboration and to value the importance of speaking each other’s “language” to build bridges between sectors.
Although BNI may sound very business-oriented, it opened a window for me to see how private efforts are coordinated to generate impact. It was also a good reminder that transformation does not always come from where we expect it to.
Tips for starting to build your own network
If you are just beginning your journey at IDS, here are some lessons I would like to share with you:
- Not everything happens in class. IDS has incredible richness in its classrooms, but your experience is complete when you get involved in extracurricular activities. It’s not about doing ‘more,’ but about doing what makes sense to you.
- Seek out caring communities. Whether it’s a student society, a spiritual group, or a thematic collective, find that space where you can speak from your heart, not just from your academic role. You come to nourish your mind, but also your soul and heart.
- Organise or join events. Participating in the creation of events allows you to learn about other realities, put coordination skills into practice, and amplify voices that are often left out of academic debate.
- Dare to leave campus. Connect with local networks, visit NGOs, and attend meetings outside of IDS. The real world of development is also out there, waiting for our ideas and questions.
- Take care of your energy. You don’t need to be everywhere. The key is intention, not quantity. Choose your battles wisely and surround yourself with people who nurture, encourage, and advise you.
I’ll close with an invitation…
Studying at IDS is a privileged opportunity, but also a great responsibility. What you learn here not only transforms the way you see the world, it can also transform the world if you know where and with whom to share those ideas. This year has taught me that knowledge comes to life when it is embodied in community, when it finds alliances, and when it allows us to grow beyond the classroom.
My wish for you is that you find your own network map, your own voice, soul, heart, and your own causes. See you in the hallways, at a talk, at the next student meeting, or perhaps at that event that is yet to be imagined—and that you can create.
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