15.10.2024 "An extended family" First EUPeace Staff Training Week held in Marburg and Giessen

International Office and IT staff from all nine EUPeace partner institutions and one associated partner came together for the first EUPeace Staff Week in Marburg and Giessen from October 7-11, 2024 to discuss the implementation of "Peace, Justice and Inclusive Societies" within the realm of the mobility goals set for the alliance. The Staff Week, jointly organized by Marburg University and Justus Liebig University Giessen, took place under the motto "Digitalization in Alliance Mobilities - Opportunities, Challenges, Solutions" and catalyzed dialogues between technical and mobility experts at all institutions. Despite the recurring rain in Central Hesse, the participants’ moods remained sunny throughout. 

Several ambitious objectives were at the center of the International Staff Training Week (STW). While the first two days built the instrumental common knowledge base between the participants, the third and fourth day honed in on the necessary digital infrastructure to reach the alliance’s enthusiastic mobility goals. In targeted input-sessions, a wide spectrum of work package conversations were sparked, which afterward were transferred to be further developed in focused small-group work sessions. Among the most relevant topics was the development and implementation of the EUPeace digital course repository containing courses offered by all partners as well as the near launch of the mobility-related information site embedded in the EUPeace website. All topics were carefully selected to move the alliance closer to its pronounced goal of seamless intra-alliance mobility for students and staff. The coming together of International Office and IT staff was therefore essential in ushering in the new phase of collaboration within WP4. 

The event opened on Monday with a warm welcome from Marburg University’s Vice President for University Culture and Quality Prof. Dr. Evelyn Korn. Korn emphasised how important it is for international players to grow together and how much patience this requires at the same time: "You are the backbone. We depend on you to be visible to the students." Korn also encouraged the participants to explore new paths and make use of emerging "windows of opportunity". During the reflection on Friday, it became apparent that the Staff Week participants seized the particular window of opportunity  of this Staff Week to do the important work of investing in professional relationships and building trust between the EUPeace partners to collectively pursue the work ahead. A success indeed!