On 30 March 2023, an interactive event "Organising and Conducting Euroschools: Sharing Experience" was held within the framework of the European Studies for Technical Specialities at Lviv Polytechnic National University (EUSTS) project with the support of the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme. It was organised jointly by the European Studies for Technical Universities Educational and Research Centre at Lviv Polytechnic National University and the Faculty of International Relations at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
During the theoretical panel discussion, the experience of holding Euroschools was shared by
- Professor Yaryna Turchyn, EUTS Project Manager (topic: "Peculiarities of conducting Euroschools within the framework of the project "European Studies for Technical Specialities at Lviv Polytechnic National University (EUSTS)")
- Coordinator of the EU Study Days project of the Delegation of the European Union to the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Head of the Department of European and Regional Studies, Doctor of History, Professor Nataliia Antoniuk ("The EU Delegation UE Stady Days project - ten years of work in Ukraine (2013-2023)");
- Chair of the Council of Young Scientists of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lviv Polytechnic, coordinator of the Youth Diplomacy Hub online school, PhD in Political Science, Assistant Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the IHSS Nataliia Lukach ("Youth Diplomacy Hub Online School: Dissemination of Knowledge about EU Diplomacy and Opportunities for Youth");
- Nataliia Haivanovych, Project Manager of Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Dissemination of European Experience (Logistics_SCM), Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing and Logistics at Lviv Polytechnic National University, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor ("Experience of organising Summer Schools in the Logistics Week format within the framework of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module project "Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Dissemination of European Experience").
The participants of the event discussed the importance of conducting Euroschools and their extension to different focus groups in order to form objective knowledge about the EU and Ukraine's European integration. In this context, Professor Yaryna Turchyn focused on defining the content and functionality of Euroschools, highlighted the main focus groups for such events, detailed the organisational features and results of Euroschools within the EUSTS project (Winter Euroschool. European best practices: energy, digital and environmental dimensions; Academy of European Studies "Decentralisation and Community Development: EU Programmes for Ukraine"), as well as the challenges and benefits of their implementation.
Professor Nataliia Antoniuk focused on the features and components of the EU Study Days project, which is supported by the EU Delegation to Ukraine and has been running since 2013. In particular, the project provides an opportunity for high school students, undergraduate and graduate students to learn more about the European Union and EU-Ukraine relations from key European and Ukrainian experts in this field, and promotes the development of a network of Ukrainian youth for communication, exchange of experience, cooperation and implementation of joint initiatives. The alumni network includes over 1800 people, including students of Lviv Polytechnic National University. The project's activities and programmes (for schoolchildren and students) were demonstrated, EU Study Days mini-projects on ecology, media literacy, combating fakes and manipulations, anti-discrimination policy in the EU and Ukraine, and the problems of temporarily displaced persons were implemented, and the requirements for participants and information channels for those wishing to join such events were announced.
Natalia Lukach shared her experience of organising the Youth Diplomacy Hub online school, which has been attended by more than 300 students and schoolchildren over the past three years. One of the topics of the event, said Natalia Lukach, is the dissemination of knowledge about Ukraine's European integration process, which is traditionally of interest to schoolchildren.
Nataliia Gaiwanovych, Logistics_SCM project manager, also briefly shared the experience of its implementation and elaborated on the Logistics Week Summer Schools, which were attended by school leavers from high schools and gymnasiums in Lviv. Lviv. The events took place in 2021-2022 in an offline format using many interactive teaching methods. One of the most controversial issues discussed by the event participants was the possible mechanisms for engaging a wide audience of participants in such events.
The practical panel on interactive methods of teaching European studies was led by EUSTS trainers Olha Ivasechko and Oleh Tsebenko, which was of particular interest to students of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, who demonstrated a high level of knowledge and motivation to study European studies.
The event was organised under the leadership of the EUSTS project coordinator, Professor Yaryna Turchyn.
EUSTS project participants also contributed to the preparation of the event: Associate Professor Nataliia Vovk (Department of Social Communications and Information Activity) and Associate Professor Oleksandr Markovets (Department of Social Communications and Information Activity); Senior Lecturer Iryna Sukhorolska (Department of Political Science and International Relations); Assistant Professor Khrystyna Zabavska (Department of Political Science and International Relations) and Associate Professor Lidiia Kasha (Department of Electromechatronics and Computerised Electromechanical Systems). In total, the event was attended by about 50 people - teachers and students interested in the European Union and modern teaching methods.
More information about EUSTS can be found on the project website within the Lviv Polytechnic Portal
