SECOND INVEST WINTER SCHOOL COMES TO AN END.
INVEST Winter School 2022.
On November 21-28, 2022, the Winter School entitled POST CODE - POtential of Sustainable Tourism in COmmunity DEvelopment took place in Slovakia under the auspices of INVEST European University Alliance and the European Union Initiative. It was a joint winter school, which was intended for BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. students from all disciplines. The course was implemented in a hybrid form with an online preliminary phase (1th November – 20th November) and an on-site phase (21st November – 28th November) organized by the Slovak University of Agriculture (SUA) in cooperation with all partner universities represented by Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Karelia UAS), University of Agribusiness and Rural Development (UARD), University of Thessaly (UTH) and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (VHL). The interest of the students based on the completed application form was great. In the end, 24 students were selected and completed this course.
The winter school was accompanied in the first half of the course by several methodological activities that supported the development of students' critical, creative, and independent thinking as well as the development of their soft skills or self-regulated learning. Complementary methods by which the way of proceeding and preparation of the concept of sustainable tourism were set were mind mapping, problem-solving, critical analysis, and multi-stakeholder analysis. The analyzed activities for developing critical thinking and soft skills were defined to help students grasp strategies for developing critical thinking and soft skills, as well as prepare their transfer to real life, which will be based on interdisciplinary links and lead to a common goal: education of a thinking person, naturally curious, flexibility, considering different arguments and alternatives.
More analytically…
During the preliminary phase, video lectures were subsequently accessible to students, and were provided by expert lecturers from several countries. The main goal was to introduce students to the issue of sustainable tourism from several directions that have an impact on it. They could gradually make notes from the professional content, which they could later use during the on-site phase to finalize their concept of sustainable tourism.
For this stage, students were divided into initial teams. Each team needed to find, analyze and prepare a presentation about one example of sustainable tourism from their country (the country of the university or their home country in case these two differed). The reason was to start working together as a group and to familiarize themselves with the issue that was the main topic of the winter school while preparing the presentation and gathering essential information. These presentations were a part of the social event on the first evening of the second on-site stage to strengthen the intercultural exchange and bond.
During the full-fledged on site 8 days, the students had the opportunity to get to know not only the space in which they had to focus and then develop two of the four set tasks, but also the main center of the region and the regional city of Nitra, where SUA is located. During the course, multidisciplinary multinational groups worked on the creation of a concept of sustainable tourism in specific conditions which was tackled from three angles related to sustainability – environmental, economic, and socio-cultural.
For the first four days, they were accommodated in the Mojmírovce mansion to get to know it and its surroundings. There the students visited the agricultural cooperative in Mojmírovce, which except for primary plant and animal productions is also focused on the cultivation and harvesting of grapes and subsequently the production of various types of wine. After a series of well-staged and well-introduced engaging and interactive lectures on topics such as Sustainable Rural Tourism and Agri-tourism, Environmental Impact Assessment of Rural Development on the Example of Tourism Facilities, Community Engagement, and Stakeholders Consultations, Impact of Local NGO on the Landscape, Trade as an Effective Tool for the Economic Development of the Region and Tourism, Framing Sustainable Tourism in Social Innovations and Social Entrepreneurship Context or Bioeconomy in Everyday Life, students proposed and presented their innovative solutions. The work on a real case allowed them to work with primary data and in cooperation with local stakeholders also gave them the possibility to experience Slovak mentality and culture. During their stay in Mojmírovce, in addition to the professional lectures and methodical activities, they had the opportunity to communicate with the director of Mojmírovce mansion, as well as visit the regional museum, the agricultural cooperative, and the community center. These activities brought the students closer to the point of view of the main stakeholders, who have a significant influence on the people, the community, and the region.
In the remaining days, they moved to Nitra, where the second phase of the Winter School began. Two final lectures were given one aimed at customers/tourists with disabilities and the other on Landscape Planning were presented, after which the students were given access to the facilities of the university to work on their assignments in groups. During that time, coaches from SUA and Karelia helped the students with their guidance. The second part of the in-person winter school was supplemented and supported by several extraordinary tours, visits, and experiences all targeted to help the students prepare their final presentations. They visited the Agrobiotech research center, where they were welcomed and familiarized with the functions and facilities of the center by the director of Abrobiotech. There they had the opportunity to participate in the production of non-alcoholic beer, which they tasted at the award ceremony. Followed by a trip to Podkylava, where they met the owner of an agricultural-tourist operation, who showed them his perspective on how even a small company can be sustainable and how it is possible to combine ecological agriculture, accommodation for tourists, and production using the resources that the local area offers. They also tasted fruit juices with several natural plant additives, which are currently part of the ongoing research. They also experienced a demonstration of the developed edible packaging, during which they also received a professional explanation.
On Monday, 28th of November, the awarding ceremony of INVEST Winter school took place at the SuPerUni CoWORK center of SUA The students presented their final assignments on the topic of “Innovative solutions for sustainable tourism “. Their presentations were assessed by an expert jury composed of representatives from several partner universities. Students' group outputs were very innovative and creatively presented, focused mostly on environmental, economic, or socio-cultural aspects of sustainable tourism located in Mojmírovce.
The overall preparation, setup, implementation, and achievement of the required level of outputs, knowledge, and skills as well as the fulfillment of the course objectives was at a very good level. We would like to thank the students for being part of a wonderful winter school, which we believe none of us will easily forget. We spent a nice, but also full-fledged, educational and working week together, full of new acquaintances, knowledge, experiences, new ideas, and friendships. We are sure that what students take away with them will help them in the future, both in their personal and career life.
Curated by Andriana Gerondis.
Images from the Winter School
November 2022