9th Erasmus+ International Staff Week

Last week, the Division for International Cooperation welcomed colleagues from partner universities at the 9th Erasmus+ International Staff Week.  This week-long event was attended by 18 representatives, mainly from the ranks of Erasmus+ programme coordinators or other employees of international offices. This varied group was represented by colleagues from both European and non-European countries such as Poland, Germany, Cyprus, Ukraine, Zambia, Dominican Republic, Georgia or Canada.

The pillars of this Staff Week were four workshops. The first of the series of lectures was focused on Students with Special Needs and was presented by a colleague from the Support Center for Students with Special Needs. The participants had the opportunity not only to learn about the services that the center offers to both Czech and international students but also to listen to the experiences of two Czech students who, despite their health handicaps, decided to travel abroad for a study stay with the support of the center. One of the key activities of the entire Staff Week was a lecture on the topic of the Promotion of Student Mobilities on Social Media led by Mgr. Erika L´ahká, a Project Manager at ČEZ and a former Marketing Manager at the International Office at Czech Technical University in Prague. The lecture aimed at finding the most effective ways and means of communication with Generation Z through social media. Traditionally, the program included a workshop focused on current topics in the Erasmus+ program with the main focus on International Credit Mobility. The workshop part of the program concluded with an interactive workshop on Supporting the International Community under the guidance of Welcome Office UP. With expanding internationalization and the associated growth of the international community at UP, the demand for centers or departments focused on the integration of this community into student and everyday life at UP and in Olomouc is also increasing. This function is largely performed by, for example, the already mentioned Welcome Office, the International Offices of individual faculties, ESN UP Olomouc, and other university facilities. During the workshop, our participants were given the opportunity to create their own "ideal" Welcome Office in groups and share their ideas and experiences in this playful way.

Just as important as the mentioned workshops are the activities that provide our colleagues with the opportunity to get to know not only Palacký University in Olomouc but also Olomouc, the Czech Republic, its culture, and heritage. Therefore, the presentations about Palacký University in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, Czech language lessons or a guided tour of the city and BALUO Application Centre could not be omitted from the programme. The participants could then apply their knowledge and team spirit during the Scavengerhunt game and deepen their newly acquired friendships during a trip to nearby Kroměříž.

We would like to thank everyone who made the 9th Erasmus+ International Staff Week possible and we firmly believe that this week was as inspiring for all participants as it was for us. Thanks to this marvelous experience, we were once again able to see how amazing our international partners are.

You can see what this year's Erasmus+ International Staff Week looked like in our photo gallery.​​​​​​