Mobility Days raise awareness for Student Mobility
Awareness-raising - inspiration - information - development: these are the aims of the Mobility Days, which took place at three different universities this autumn. Students should get to know the possibilities of the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) and get a first taste of an experience abroad. The basis for this is a poster corner with important information about the mobility options, videos about the mobility experiences and a silent party with students as DJs for a festive finale.
One concept, many variations
The basic idea is the same: Movetia provides a few basic ideas and concepts, and works closely with the International Office (IRO) of the respective higher education institution to set up the event according to the needs and circumstances of the institution. It is important that the promotion of mobility is realised through creative activities. This creativity was evident at all three universities involved in the pilot phase of the concept.
Mobility Day at the University of Geneva
The first edition of the Mobility Day took place on 5 October 2023 at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) on the Uni Mail site, which offered a lively location for the promotion. The Mobility Day took place as part of UNIGE's International Week, with the cafeteria putting together an international menu, students presenting testimonial videos and various information events organised by subject. On Mobility Day itself, in addition to the International Relations Office stand, there were also information stands on the topics of Internationalisation@Home, financial support and the Erasmus Student Network. This co-operation enabled a wide range of information to be concentrated in one place.
Mobility Day at the USI
The second edition took place on 26 October 2023 at the Università de la Svizzera italiana (USI) on the Ovest Lugano campus as part of the week "Il mondo in USI". In the area of communication, innovative approaches were tested at USI: an institution-wide screensaver with reference to the mobility week, recipe books with international dishes, a wheel of fortune on mobility, as well as lollipops packaged in the design of the event, with a QR code to the event page. Another interesting aspect was the collaboration between the USI and various student associations, whose intercultural activities contributed to the success of the event among the students.
The Mobility Day at the ZHdK
The third and final Mobility Day of the pilot phase took place on 2 November 2023 at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in the Toni-Areal. Here, too, the focus was on collaboration with students. They designed creative testimonial videos, contributed objects from their mobility to an exhibition and helped to organise the Mobility Day. An important part of the day was the ZHdK's long-established "marketplace", where students who were already on exchange could exchange ideas with students who were planning a stay. This format created a relaxed atmosphere where all kinds of questions about mobility could be asked, and where also dancing at the silent party was possible.
A concept with a future
Based on this pilot phase and the feedback from the participating universities, the concept will now be further developed and refined. The aim is to provide the universities and universities of applied sciences involved in the SEMP with a toolbox for organising their own Mobility Day in the future. This toolbox will contain ideas for activities and communication measures, with indications about the effort and budget involved. It is intended to inspire new ideas at institutions that already have experience in organising such events and to help institutions with less experience to get started.
