From yoga to French lessons, from inclusion workshops to design courses, from joint office work meetings to treasure hunts around the city, Transform4Europe Week in France was a truly empowering experience.
‘As a second-year student in the Communication Sciences degree, I decided to invest in a course that could provide me with experience and knowledge outside my comfort zone, and I ended up joining the challenge proposed by Designing Organisations to Address Societal Challenges in Territories,’ explains Miguel Medeiros, a student at the Braga Campus of the Portuguese Catholic University.
Throughout the week organised by the Jean Monet University, Miguel and his colleagues - Manuel Silva, from the Porto School of Arts; Helene Hansel, from the Faculty of Human Sciences; Maria Francisca Rosas, from the Católica Medical School; and Matilde Correia, from the School of Biotechnology - took part in various academic and cultural activities. From classes on various forms of design to an awareness-raising session on the sport of Kin-Ball.
‘In addition to the positive cultural exchange between the participants, I would definitely highlight a start to the week designed to make our ability to analyse problems more flexible, without forgetting the extracurricular activities that allowed us to get to know the region,’ says Miguel.
Away from the university campus, the T4EU week took participants on a real journey around the city, challenging them to explore it through a Treasure Hunt, an excursion to the Pilat regional park and visits to the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie, the Design Biennale and the L'Ambition du Beau exhibition.
A truly transformative and unique week, which Miguel would summarise as ‘Empowering’, challenging the students academically and connecting them to French culture through the ‘French for Breakfast’ sessions - an intensive French language course with local breakfast products.
The week ended on a very positive note, with T4EU students taking to the stage during the Fest'U cultural and artistic festival.
At the same time, staff members from the eleven partner universities worked together on mobility, communication, inclusion and academic projects. Staff members also took part in various activities, such as collaborative workshops in a ‘World Café’ format, an inclusive event together with students and the Student Council, as well as a guided tour of the city to explore Saint-Étienne.
Alongside the working groups and classes, Student Council members also met, with Beatriz Bernandes representing the Portuguese Catholic University.
Transform4Europe's mission is to create a network of European universities that fosters the entrepreneurial spirit of a new generation of young Europeans, trained to face digital, social and environmental transformations.
