With the beginning of the academic year, the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) celebrates one of the most anticipated events for students: the Welcome Week. This event takes place in the main square of the campus called the Agora, a space that inherits the same concept as when it was conceived in ancient Greece: to serve as a central hub for community building.
The Welcome Week promotes the active involvement of students during their time at the University through a fair with around thirty stands of associations and services, as well as a varied programme of talks, exhibitions, shows and sports competitions. It also encourages the acquisition of values related to cooperation, critical thinking, equality and sustainability, while fostering cohesion among members of the university community.
Check out the great vibes at the Welcome week at UJI 2024
- Video from the Welcome Week at UJI 2024 (youtube.com)
- Photos from the Welcome Week at UJI 2024 (uji.es)
Enriching the university experience
The European Digital UniverCity (EDUC) could not miss this event, and it was present with a stand where students could learn about how being part of this European alliance broadens their horizons and offers a wide range of training and mobility opportunities that enrich their university experience. EDUC represents values of inclusivity and diversity and promotes an international vision of education that adds value for all members of the community. This is exactly the message that was conveyed during the week.
The Welcome Week is one of the events organised throughout the year to strengthen the sense of belonging, but being part of the EDUC community is much more than that: it is a way to cross borders. This is why the focus was also placed in international events such as the Staff Training Week, held over the summer, which brought together 50 professionals from 27 international universities.
Strengthened networks
Participants from countries such as Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Belgium, Turkey, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, Kosovo, Latvia, France, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Greece, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago engaged in activities that fostered collaboration and cultural exchange throughout the week. Presentations were given by the guest universities, and sessions were held on European projects, international double degree programmes, Collaborative Online International Learning Programmes (COIL), and Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP) at the UJI. There were also research-related activities, along with more leisure-oriented events to help participants get to know the region and the Spanish culture.
The event promoted the exchange of best practices and strengthened networks among EDUC universities, while opening up new avenues for collaboration among the participating institutions. The meeting succeeded in building connections between countries beyond academic and professional contexts, because community building is, above all, about embracing unity in diversity and sharing experiences with human quality, empathy and social commitment.