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Glasgow50

In 2040, Glasgow will celebrate 50 years since it was the European Capital of Culture, an event that accelerated its economic, social, and cultural transformation – how will you shape your city's future?

Register interest
Key information

Who's it for?

Young professionals and students aged 18-25 years

Duration

3 days
(2 days online, 1 day in-person)

Cost

Free

Format

Online & In-person

Dates

TBC

What legacy will you and your peers leave on your community? Prepare to find out, and then live out that very answer in our Glasgow50 programme.

As part of our Legacy campaign, Glasgow50 will equip you with networks and cultural intelligence so you can become a leader who brings positive, game-changing impact. Together with other young leaders, you'll be asked to address the important challenge: What will the legacy of our generation be?

As you tackle this question, you'll discover not only your own potential, but what that potential can do for your community. Get ready to connect, be informed, and inspire future generations.

Our approach

How it works

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Join forces with like-minded peers from your city / region / continent and work together to address a pressing challenge that's impacting your community.

Connect with industry and city leaders to explore the challenge through their eyes. They will give you their perspectives on how they are working to create real change.

Work together in small teams to come up with a creative way to help tackle the challenge. You will have the opportunity to test and refine your idea across the programme.

Pitch your game-changing idea to a panel of industry experts and gain valuable feedback along the way. You will learn how to improve your leadership skills and set achievable goals for your future success.

Sponsors

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Programme outcomes

What's in it for me?

Develop your skills

Build and practice leadership skills such as problem solving, communication and working in diverse teams.

Find your voice

Voicing your ideas and opinions is an art. For some it comes naturally, while others really need to work at it. Either way it is a skill that is really important to practice.

Grow your networks

Connect with established leaders and organizations who are working together to tackle complex problems.

Connect with peers

Work with young professionals and peers from your city. Build your connections and have lots of fun along the way!

Showcase your learning

Earn great industry relevant experience that will benefit your CV and LinkedIn profile.

Practical tools and tactics

Real take aways that you can continue to practice and apply in your everyday back at work or studying.

The experience

An experience like no other...

Glasgow50 is an unforgettable experience! It unlocks exclusive access to industry and community leaders - their challenges and their innovative thinking. You will have three days of working as teams with peers to raise your voice and explore the future of Glasgow.
 
Most importantly, you will learn so much more about yourself; what drives you, what your strengths are and how you can use your voice to leave a legacy. 

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Robert Partridge
Executive Director of Student and Academic Services, University of Glasgow
"We live in extraordinary times. There has never been a greater need for leadership, creativity, determination, and hope, and for understanding and respect for one another. We support the development of Glasgow50 - an inspirational online programme, which catalyzes bold thinking and encourages young people to hope and strive for a brighter future. It will bring together the private, public and third sectors. It will bring together experienced leaders and the leaders of tomorrow. And it will cultivate ideas which will heal divides and improve lives."
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Linda Cowan
Managing Director, Kaplan International Pathways
"Supporting the Common Purpose Legacy Programme in Glasgow is a natural extension of our work with the University of Glasgow preparing students from around the world at Glasgow International College for university study. This programme will make an important contribution to developing tomorrow’s global leaders and provides a valuable opportunity to hear what they have to say about the future."
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Alex Tait
Partner, RSM UK
"I am delighted that we have partnered with Common Purpose in Glasgow. Every year we take on over 20 young people into RSM in Glasgow to train in our accountancy profession. We absolutely support the need for all children and young people be able reach their ambition and maximize their unique potential. Scotland has a fabulous track record of producing talent and our young people are the ones that will shape our city into the future, and we are delighted to support this great and visionary programme."
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Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland
Divisional Commander for Greater Glasgow, Police Scotland
"Glasgow’s young people should be empowered to achieve all they can with the full support of those agencies which are authentic in their endeavours to help them. Contributing to a generation that matters is a great legacy for Greater Glasgow Policing Division. We do hope our sponsorship makes a meaningful and positive difference to the young lives of tomorrow."

Next steps

Are you ready?

Step forward and use your voice to shape the future of Glasgow.

Process

Register your interest for the next cohort of Glasgow50

Register interest
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Robert Partridge
Executive Director of Student and Academic Services, University of Glasgow
"We live in extraordinary times. There has never been a greater need for leadership, creativity, determination, and hope, and for understanding and respect for one another. We support the development of Glasgow50 - an inspirational online programme, which catalyzes bold thinking and encourages young people to hope and strive for a brighter future. It will bring together the private, public and third sectors. It will bring together experienced leaders and the leaders of tomorrow. And it will cultivate ideas which will heal divides and improve lives."
Quote-placeholder
Linda Cowan
Managing Director, Kaplan International Pathways
"Supporting the Common Purpose Legacy Programme in Glasgow is a natural extension of our work with the University of Glasgow preparing students from around the world at Glasgow International College for university study. This programme will make an important contribution to developing tomorrow’s global leaders and provides a valuable opportunity to hear what they have to say about the future."
Quote-placeholder
Alex Tait
Partner, RSM UK
"I am delighted that we have partnered with Common Purpose in Glasgow. Every year we take on over 20 young people into RSM in Glasgow to train in our accountancy profession. We absolutely support the need for all children and young people be able reach their ambition and maximize their unique potential. Scotland has a fabulous track record of producing talent and our young people are the ones that will shape our city into the future, and we are delighted to support this great and visionary programme."
Quote-placeholder
Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland
Divisional Commander for Greater Glasgow, Police Scotland
"Glasgow’s young people should be empowered to achieve all they can with the full support of those agencies which are authentic in their endeavours to help them. Contributing to a generation that matters is a great legacy for Greater Glasgow Policing Division. We do hope our sponsorship makes a meaningful and positive difference to the young lives of tomorrow."

Frequently asked questions

Yes, if you have any further questions or would just like to discuss the programme in more detail, please reach out to a member of our team in your specific location who would be delighted to help.

Get in touch

We are a global not-for-profit leadership development organization on a mission to develop people who can cross cultural, social, and institutional boundaries. We work passionately with people to help push the boundaries of what is possible, all so that they can become those who can help us to work better together, be the connectors of our unique lived experiences and lead, with a difference.

Yes! The Common Purpose Charitable Trust was established as a charity in 1989. It is registered with the Charity Commission under the Registered Charity number 1023384.

The benefits of Common Purpose leadership programmes include gaining increased:  

  • Agility in adapting to changing circumstances and environments.  

  • Empathy to what other people feel, think and need. Seeing things from their point of view.

  • Influence in leading change with limited decision-making power.  

  • Openness to new ideas, possibilities and perspectives, including views they might deeply disagree with.    

  • Purposefulness in leading with intentionality, determination, commitment and resilience.

  • Self-awareness to their behaviours and outlook, and how they interpret and respond to situations.

When it comes to learning, there is no substitute for the power of real experience and fresh perspective. Our approach uses a robust behaviour and mindset change philosophy rooted in real life leadership challenges and experiences. To turn those experiences into real learning we follow five tried and tested steps that lead to habitual change in how people think, feel and act.    

  1. Experience: Being presented with new experiences. Engaging with leaders across multiple boundaries and being immersed in new environments.   

  1. Reflection: Learning activities to gain a deeper and more personalized understanding of the learning.    

  1. Translate: Exploring how to relate new ideas and thought processes back into the learner’s role or context.

  1. Practice: Developing a set of leadership practices that can be used to turn new behaviours into habits.

  1. Assess: Embedding numerous assessments to help learners track their progress pre, during and even beyond the programme.

Experiential learning is a core component of our programmes.   

Our programmes create a carefully constructed microclimate to explore real-life leadership challenges in a safe environment, often leading to the types of purpose-driven conversations needed to achieve transformative change.  

We also focus on the importance of active learning, by getting people out of their comfort zones and into the world, seeing things, meeting people, taking part, and taking advantage of processes that stimulate multiple neural connections in the brain and promote memory.