The Forum focused on analysing the activities of university alliances across Europe and networking to share good practices. There were workshops on two main topics:
1. Exploring the role of student ambassadors and identifying key priorities of the initiative and local level engagement
2. Discussing how to promote activities and engage with the local community
The first workshop focused on brainstorming the role of students in building bridges between all parties in the alliance, emphasising that students and universities form an alliance together. The second workshop provided guidance on identifying stakeholders for both the local university and the alliances, suggesting strategies for networking locally and effectively communicating goals to engage universities, NGOs and private stakeholders.
Throughout the Forum, participants took part in a poster contest highlighting the best practices of their respective alliances, with voting to determine the top selections. On the last day, there was a panel discussion with the three winners who received the most votes: EUGREEN, EPICUR and EUNICE. During the discussion, the representative of EPICUR, Radoslaw Stanislawiak, spoke about research-based education, sustainability and unifying regions. He also presented EPICUR’s wide range of course offerings with transversal skills and various mobility programmes in physical, virtual and blended formats.
The Forum ended with a closing session focusing on effective communication on European higher education partnerships. This session provided insights from many representatives who discussed their experiences, challenges and possible solutions to make European university alliances visible to all.
In conclusion, the Forum provided valuable perspectives on the role of student ambassadors, generated ideas on how to improve communication strategies, and created a network of alliance ambassadors that they intend to maintain in order to share best practices for the future of European universities.
Photos: © Radoslaw Stanislawiak