Student exchange Hlukhiv - Görlitz

From May 17 to May 27, 2016, two students and a faculty member from the University of Hlukhiv in eastern Ukraine visited our university.

Our project group “Students For Exchange,” consisting of three students majoring in Special Needs Education/Inclusion Studies, organized and accompanied their stay in Germany as part of a study project. Our project was funded by the DAAD’s Eastern Partnership Program.

In addition to participating in various classes / courses, they visited practical facilities in Görlitz and the surrounding area. For example, we observed at the day care center run by Initiative Görlitz e.V., the Schkola in Ostritz, and a residential group run by Caritas in Görlitz. One afternoon, as part of an exchange forum, the Ukrainian students gave a presentation on their country’s social care systems and subsequently engaged in a discussion with students about the topic.

In addition to a trip with interested participants to the Landeskrone and a guided tour of the town hall tower in Görlitz, we also visited Dresden for two days. Sightseeing, an evening program in the Neustadt district, and a wheelchair training session at InDD e.V. complemented the observations at “Plan B” of the Psychosocial Support Association of Saxony and the GESOP residential facility for people with mental illnesses.

Throughout the entire visit, two Ukrainian students from our university volunteered to provide interpretation services. Thanks to their dedication and the willingness of Görlitz students to host the Ukrainian students in their own homes, we were able to create a truly memorable exchange for everyone. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved! We are currently preparing for the student “return visit” to Hlukhiv, which will take place at the end of September 2016.

“Students for Exchange” Project Group:

Kathleen Henze, Alexandra Janßen, Mandy Schlage

Email: students-for-exchange@hszg.de