Cultural and scientific transmission at the EU-CONEXUS Festival in France
During the last week of March was held the EU-CONEXUS Festival in France, organized by La Rochelle Université. A festival dedicated to arts, culture, sports and scientific culture. With Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability as its main theme, the Festival was an opportunity for members of our Alliance’s university community to offer their artistic interpretation of its themes and challenges.
Hundreds of people, including 71 students and staff from all the partners universities, were able to enjoy this unique experience, with multiple proposals and agendas. From being student council representatives, learning about entrepreneurship and sustainability, celebrating multiculturality, meeting new colleagues, to create a EU-CONEXUS song.
Festival of Arts and Culture
For this 2023 edition, the EU-CONEXUS Festival joins the “Festival les étudiants à l’affiche” (Festival of local students). Every year, since 2000, this two-week event offers students of the La Rochelle Université the opportunity to express themselves, perform and show their art in different ways and in different places. Thus, raising awareness of EU-CONEXUS with the participation of the entire organising university.
A wide variety of activities on the agenda, from coastal moulding workshops, art exhibitions, dance performances from other countries, debates on scientific projects, sports activities such as canoeing, go-karting, multi-adventure in the city parks; music concerts of different genres and student bands, performances and even the creation of an EU-CONEXUS song within a music workshop.
‘The EU-CONEXUS experience has undoubtedly been very enriching, both on an artistic and cultural level as well as on a personal level. Being a friendly and original way to bring young people closer to sustainable objectives, as well as creating an unforgettable bond between all the participants, I and I think all my colleagues are immensely grateful for having lived this week.’ Rocío Molero, artistic proyect on sustainability from UCV.
Eighteen students travelled as artists, presenting projects for cultural enrichment: visual arts exhibition (photography, painting, installations, videos), aerial acrobatics, dance, concerts, , hybrid performances such as poetry, fashion design, among others.
Student Board and Minor Programme
Student Board (EU-CONEXUS Student Council) met to bring new proposals to the Alliance, as well as to give their perspective on how to achieve a student-centred European university.
We give a voice to our students through the EUCONEXUS Student Board, who have gathered at the La Rochelle Université (France) during the Culture Festival.
They have shared practices with the French student associations, EFFICIENCE, get a higher involvement by participating in each work package, proposed a mentorship for the Student Board members. They voted for the continuity of Dragos Diaconu, student from Romania Romania, as president, and they have reinforced the idea of broadening the range of topics for minor courses.
‘Being elected 2 consecutive years allows me to continue the work that we (me and the SB memebers) started. Imagine that in my first mandate I’ve found a boat that was wondering on the sea and was struggling to reach the shore. In 1 year, along with the team, we’ve managed to make the boat steady and give it a direction. In this mandate my goal is to get as close as possible to the shore, to go through any storms and to allow my predecessors to continue this journey that we’ve adventure on. Love you all guys and we are the best european FAMILY’ Dragos Diaconu, new president of Eu Conexus+ Student Board.
Finally, Minor Programme students have travelled to take the course on Entrepreneurship. 25 students from the alliance had worked on a practical case, with a challenge proposed by Cooperative Carbone and Tourism Commission about sustainable tourism that is part of a market project.
They also enjoyed the cultural and sporting activities and bonded with the students.
