From Yoga to French classes, inclusion workshops to design courses, joint offices work meetings to city treasure hunts, Transform4Europe week in France was a truly empowering experience.

“As a second-year student of the Communication Sciences degree, I decided to invest in a course that could give me experience and knowledge outside my comfort zone, and I ended up joining the challenge proposed by Designing Organizations to Address Societal Challenges in Territories course” Miguel Medeiros, studying at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Braga Campus, explains.

Throughout the week hosted by Jean Monet University, Miguel and his fellow colleagues from Católica, Manuel Silva, From the School of Arts, Porto, Helene Hansel, of the Faculty of Human Sciences, Maria Francisca Rosas, of Católica Medical School and Matilde Correia, of the Faculty of Biotechnology , joined diverse academic and cultural activities ranging from classes on various forms of design to a Kin-Ball parasports awareness session.

“In addition to the positive cultural exchange between the participants, I would definitely highlight the start of the week designed to make our ability to analyze problems more flexible, without forgetting the extracurricular activities that allow us to get to know the region,” shares Miguel.

Not restricted to the university grounds, the T4EU week took participants on a true journey through  the whole city, challenging them to explore it with a Treasure Hunt, an excursion to the Pilat regional park, and visits to the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, the Biennale du Design, and the exhibition L’ambition du beau.

A truly transformative and unique week, that Miguel would sum up as “Empowering”, challenging students at an academic level but also connecting them with the French culture, via the “French for Breakfast” sessions, a French language crash course with local breakfast items.

The week ended on a very positive note, with the T4EU students taking to the stage to show off their musicality, during the Fest’U cultural and artistic festival.

Simultaneously, staff members from the eleven universities worked together on mobility, communication, inclusion and academic projects. Staff also joined various activities such as collaborative workshops in a “World Café” format, and the Inclusive Event alongside students and the Student Council, guided city tour to explore Saint-Étienne.

Alongside the working groups and classes, the student council members also gathered for their meeting, with Beatriz Bernandes representing Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

Transform4Europe aims to create a network of European universities fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of a new generation of young Europeans, trained to tackle digital, societal, and environmental transformations.

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