We are happy to tell you that UNAVEX Moderator training is underway and nearly completed. The last meeting before the 1st Virtual Exchange week takes place on Thursday, January 13 at 2 p.m. EET. We are currently training 26 “confirmed” moderators for the first Virtual Exchange Week.
Moderators’ training program consists of 5 session in Zoom:
- Thursday 21.Nov: Training 1: UnaEuropa VE concept & practicalities (82 number of participants)
- Thursday 5. Dec: Training 2: UnaEuropa MOOCs and Q&A (62 number of participants)
- Thursday 23. Jan: Training 3: Soft skills for communication and supporting the discussion (>45 number of participants)
- Thursday 6. Feb Training 4: UnaVEx handbooks, materials and technical skills (46 number of participants)
- Thursday 13. Feb Training 5 :UnaVEx Group Exercise, orientation for the VE and Q&A
Over 3000 students from European and African universities have applied for the 1st UNAVEX Virtual Exchange Week. The 1st week of 5 sessions, to be hosted by trained moderators, will take place in February and March 2025.
The VE Week program outline:
- 24.February.2025 Introduction to UnaVEx & the MOOCS
- 7.March.2025 Sustainable development as a concept and in politics
- 14.March.2025 Ecological sustainability, Host
- 21.March.2025 Social and economic sustainability
- 28.March.2025 Cultural sustainability
We are accepting 450 students for the 1st virtual exchange course and they were sent information about acceptance to the virtual exchange last week. All course participants register themsleves on the DigiCampus platform maintained by the University of Helsinki.
The next UNAVEX Virtual Exchange course will be organized next autumn and the application for Moderator training and course will open after the summer ! We hope you find the program of the 1st VE week inspiring and sign up for the next VE week organized in the fall.
THE 1ST UNAVEX VE WEEK PROGRAM 24.2.2025 – 28.3.2025
24.February.2025 Introduction to UnaVEx & the MOOCS
12–15 (Bologna, Kinshasa, Leuven) 13–16 (Helsinki, Johannesburg) 14–17 (Nairobi)
Host: Lee-Ann Modley, University of Johannesburg (JU), South Africa (ZA)
12:00 Welcoming words, overview of the UnaVEX Virtual Exchange (Hanna Lappalainen, University of Helsinki)
- Short introduction of Unavex Partner Universities:
- University of Helsinki, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (UH-INAR), Hanna Lappalainen & Helsinki team
- Alma Mater Studiorum – Universita di Bologna (UNIBO), Italy (IT), Francesco Maria Spampinato and Bologna Team
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Belgium (BE), Anneleen Cosemans and KUL team,
- University of Johannesburg (JU), South Africa (ZA), Lee-Ann Modley & JUL team
- University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenya (KE) Solomon Derese & KE team
- Universite de Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Democratic Republic of the Congo (CD), Gode Bola & UNIKIN team
12:15 UnaVEx Global sustainability advocate (Solomon Derese, University of Nairobi)
12:30 Sustainability action task (Julia Karhumaa, University of Helsinki)
12:45 Reports and getting credits (Aleksi Vauhkonen, University of Helsinki)
13:00 How communicate and work on-line during the virtual exchange (Anneleen Cosemans, Laure van Hoecke, KU Leuven)
13:15 Zoom break-out rooms (Mikko Kulmala University of Helsinki)
13:30 Small group activity in Zoom break-out rooms (students & moderators)
E.g testing Miro tool together
15:00 End of the day
7.March.2025 Sustainable development as a concept and in politics
12–15 (Bologna, Kinshasa, Leuven) 13–16 (Helsinki, Johannesburg) 14–17 (Nairobi)
Host: Laura University of Helsinki, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research
12:00 Welcoming words, program of the day (Laura Riuttanen, University of Helsinki)
12:15 Guest speech: Tarja Halonen, the former president of Finland
13:00 Instructions for the group activity & Zoom break-room (Julia Karhumaa, Mikko Kulmala)
13.15 Small group activity (students & moderators)
15:00 End of the day
14.March.2025 Ecological sustainability
12–15 (Bologna, Kinshasa, Leuven) 13–16 (Helsinki, Johannesburg) 14–17 (Nairobi)
Host: Solomon Derese, University of Nairobi
12:00 Welcoming words, program of the day (Solomon Derese, University of Nairobi)
12:15 Guest speech: Daniel Olago, Professor, ICCA University of Nairobi
13:00 Instructions for the group activity & Zoom break-room (Julia Karhumaa, Mikko Kulmala)
13.15 Small group activity (students & moderators)
15:00 End of the day
2 h Small group activity
21.March.2025 Social and economic sustainability
12–15 (Bologna, Kinshasa, Leuven) 13–16 (Helsinki, Johannesburg) 14–17 (Nairobi)
Host: Anneleen Cosemans, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Belgium (BE)
12:00 Welcoming words, program of the day
12:15 Guest speech: Evans Njewa, Least Developed Countries’ lead climate negotiator on climate finance
13:00 Instructions for the group activity & Zoom break-room (Julia Karhumaa, Mikko Kulmala)
13.15 Small group activity (students & moderators)
15:00 End of the day
28.March.2025 Cultural sustainability
12–15 (Bologna, Kinshasa, Leuven) 13–16 (Helsinki, Johannesburg) 14–17 (Nairobi)
Host: Francesco Spampinato, Ana Beaven, University of Bologna
12:00 Welcoming words, program of the day
12:15 Guest speech: Ezio Manzini, author and design academic in social innovation and sustainability design
13:00 Instructions for the group activity & Zoom break-room (Julia Karhumaa, Mikko Kulmala)
13.15 Small group activity (students & moderators)
14:00 Final get-together in the shared session
- Sharing the sustainability action
- Filling in the feedback questionnaire
14:45 Closing words (All partners)