STORIES
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
Making Students’ Voices Heard at RUN-EU
10 May 2024
The RUN-EU Student Council ensures our students receive the best possible international education experience. It reviews and advises on RUN-EU’s strategy, performance and impact at an institutional level. It is composed of 18 members two students from each member of the Alliance.
Each member higher education institution has its own regional Student Council, composed of 15 students (10 national and five international students from outside Europe).
The RUN-EU Student Council and members from our universities gathered in April at the Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) for the Student Council Summit in Hämeenlinna, Finland.
Tatiana Veteskova, a Construction Engineering student and vice-chair of HAMK’s RUN-EU Student Council, shared her summit experience throughout the week.
‘We proved how much potential active students carry, and are able to use if given a chance’.
Tatiana Veteskova, HAMK’s student in Construction Engineering
Monday
We had the chance to kick off the Student Council Summit in the shape of the Youth Exchange School Programme (YES) week: The Subtle Art of Communication!
We gained knowledge on how to communicate, what are the different communication styles and how to adjust the working system based on these styles. This helped us to improve as councils within RUN-EU, but also as people, in our everyday life.
Also, we had the chance to experience snowy Finland!
Tuesday
Since we all come from different backgrounds, it can be challenging at times to understand each other.
We had the opportunity to understand nonverbal communication through workshops led by HAMK’s RUN-EU Student Council.
We also had a chance to hear the professional approach to communication by HAMK’s research communications coordinator Inka Stormi, and student psychologist Maija Partanen.
Wednesday & Thursday
After a successful chair meeting followed by a Student Councils meeting on Wednesday, the debating competition started!
The topics were intense and the arguments of both sides even more so.
We just proved how much potential active students carry, and are able to use if given a chance.
We got constructive feedback which will undoubtedly help us to perform more efficiently in the future. Very practical and useful experience for all of us!
Friday
Friday was dedicated to the final debates, reflection and a small birthday celebration of Student Council members from HAMK and Polytechnic University of Leiria!
It was a pleasure having RUN-EU Student Councils’ members at HAMK, being able to network and make stronger bounds between our Student Councils. This way we can keep the students’ voices loud.
This Summit was very productive and the group’s friendly energy just added to the overall impression.
Conclusions from the Summit
This year’s RUN-EU Student Council Summit was notably enriched by the participation of our two new RUN-EU members: the Howest University of Applied Sciences from Belgium, and the University of Burgos from Spain, marking their first involvement in our annual gathering.
The Summit provided a vibrant forum where we, students from RUN-EU higher education institutions, exchanged ideas and explored new approaches to enhance the educational landscape within our European University.
These discussions spanned from innovative learning opportunities to enhanced collaboration techniques, focusing on the practical aspects of Student Council activities and the broader educational mission of the RUN-EU.
As we conclude the summit, we are invigorated by the robust exchange of ideas and the shared enthusiasm that characterised our meetings.
Looking forward, we are excited about the potential these discussions hold for shaping future initiatives and fostering a dynamic educational environment across our European University. Here’s to a continued exchange of ideas and to seeing these discussions come to life in our respective councils and universities.
