The Una Europa Student Congress is an annual gathering of students from the Una Europa partner universities to discuss topics and themes relevant to student communities. This year, the Una Europa Student Congress took place from 17 - 20 September at the Freie Universität Berlin, where students had the opportunity to participate in workshops and micro-challenges addressing central questions about student life at European universities, focusing on topics such as being human in a digital world, the societal impact of universities, and future trends in higher education.
Katie O’Sullivan, a Fourth Year Law with Politics student at the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, participated in the Una Europa Student Congress alongside five other UCD students. Read more about what Katie had to say about her experience below.
The lead-up
I found out about the opportunity to apply for the Una Europa Student Congress from the Una Europa @ UCD email newsletter. (Sign up for the newsletter here.)
I previously found out about another opportunity this way also, the 2024 European Student Assembly (ESA). I applied for ESA, got a place and with it a chance to do a three-month academy which culminated in Strasbourg. I therefore knew how valuable the opportunities Una Europa put forward were and was waiting for more chances to get involved. As I am a final year student, I was wary about what I could fit into my schedule, but when the opportunity to go to the Student Congress in Berlin for a few days came up, it was a perfect fit.
The purpose of the Student Congress was to have university students come together and learn more about what the future of third level education would look like. Through my various paid and voluntary roles at UCD I have worked with alumni, students and prospective students and have gained their insights into what they want from a future university. I therefore felt I could bring something to the table. I have also learned that one of the best ways of learning is by speaking to students who have had different experiences but are working towards the same goals, so the Student Congress had everything I could have wanted from a programme.
UCD were exceptionally good when it came to preparing us for the trip. The Una Europa team at UCD Global booked the flights and accommodation, and sent us an allowance in advance of the trip that we could spend on food, transport and other essentials once we were there. We therefore felt very confident before going. The Una Europa team also held a meeting before we left so that we could get to know each other and be reminded of the plan for the trip. The group of us got along instantly.
The itinerary
On Day 1, we had an opening get-together in the evening, which was great because we flew into Berlin in the morning and had the chance to get food, do some sightseeing and freshen up before meeting everyone else for the first time.
FUB is a huge campus (even bigger than UCD) so we ran into a few other wandering souls before we found the venue. The first thing we saw was a display of donuts spelling out the words ‘Una Europa’. A very good first impression! The second thing we saw was a photo booth. Excellent second impression.
We chatted with the other participants over dinner. I met an FUB student who studied in Ireland and who apparently knew some facts about my hometown Carlow that I didn’t even know. We listened to a series of speeches from Una Europa and FUB representatives, and we spent the night talking to as many people as possible.
On Day 2, we had a launch forum. There were a series of talks, some on serious topics like how to make sure our universities are sustainable and others on not so serious topics like how to use the campus canteen (which is huge, by the way).
We did a series of icebreakers and split up into groups to come up with a description for our goals of the Congress and what we wanted to take from it. After lunch, we had free time so I checked out a nearby museum and joined the end of a campus tour.
Then we had our workshops. I chose the workshop ‘Innovative Learning - Understanding and Designing Micro-Credentials’. We were taught about micro-credentials and how they’re a way to make education more diverse and accessible. We also went over the difficulties of making micro-credentials available in multiple countries as every country has their own rules on what a micro-credential is. We ended by splitting up in groups and creating our own micro-credential. My group came up with one which helps students make the transition from their degree to the labour market.
On Day 3, we had the Una Europa Fair. As I was part of the European Student Assembly last April, I was asked to run the ESA stand at the event. I got to meet two others who were also at ESA.
Then we had a panel discussion where guest speakers talked about the future of universities, then lunch, and finally we got to attend our micro-challenges. Like the workshops on day two, we got to choose our micro-challenges. I chose one called ‘Failure Celebration’. This workshop was more personal. We chatted about how failure can harm someone’s sense of self-worth and made collages with magazines.
On Day 4, we had our closing forum, where we reflected on the Congress, gave our feedback and had a closing lunch.
Free time
I got plenty of time to explore Berlin. I had never been to Germany before and always wanted to go so I was very excited to explore the city. Before the Congress the UCD students all got lunch and visited a botanical garden.
During the trip we managed to dine in a sushi restaurant and an Italian restaurant overlooking the river. After the closing lunch I went on a bus tour where we got to see sites such as the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.
On the second last night I went to the East Side Gallery, which was a highlight of the trip for me. Seeing murals made by organizations like Amnesty International on the Berlin Wall felt really special to see.
Takeaways
I highly recommend applying for next year’s Una Europa Student Congress. There was great diversity of students from different countries and degrees. There were undergraduate, master’s and PhD students all banding together and learning from each other.
I’m currently looking at master’s degrees, so it was beneficial to be able to go up to students and ask for their honest feedback on their universities. It was also great learning about the differences in universities and what it’s like living in different countries. I learned about the Una Europa Joint Bachelor of Arts in European Studies (BAES), the Una Europa internship and a lot about FUB.
I think that Una Europa as a whole is a great alliance and that the link with other universities really allows UCD students to work on the projects they care about. It’s for the benefit of students academically and professionally, and it’s a lot of fun!
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