Franco-German Student Exchange 2024 - Integration, Inclusion and sustainable Development

From 3 to 7 June 2024, the first stage of the cultural student exchange took place in Regensburg under the motto "Animation in student residences: integration, inclusion and sustainable development".

Five German students and five French students met in partnership with the Crous Clermont Auvergne. The students have started to work on animation projects in student residences, focussing on three themes:

• Inclusive sport;
• Sustainability;
• Multilingual and intercultural exchange.

 
These are important topics for a living space such as universities or residential complexes, where diversity and equal opportunities prevail. The offers are therefore also aimed specifically at students with special needs, who should be better integrated into the community by playing games together.

The joint work of the students proved one thing: despite the cultural and linguistic differences, it is possible to work together. After a first morning in which the various topics were introduced and ice-breaker games were played to get to know each other better, the participants were able to work intensively in groups of 3 or 4 on various games relating to the three topics.

The students, who came from different backgrounds - the French mainly studied in the field of performing arts, while the Germans came from different universities and faculties - used their different experiences and knowledge to propose creative, collaborative and interesting projects.

The "Inclusive Sports" group proposed to organise sports Olympics to raise awareness of disabilities. They then had the audience play and divided them into three groups: each group was to have one person who closed their eyes and the other participants were to guide them through an obstacle course using their voice. The first person to reach the end won their team.

The "Sustainability" group developed the "Sustainability Game", an outdoor course designed to raise awareness of climate-related and ecological behaviour. They had prepared a quiz about sustainable development that we were able to play afterwards. The quiz can easily be reproduced in the residential complexes in France and Germany.

The third group decided to plan a Franco-German exchange evening. The program includes mini games, something to eat and drink and, above all, having lots of fun and making new friends. Specifically, they introduced the linguistic exchange with German-French Chinese whispers, which was a lot of fun!

Although the week was characterized by intensive student work, everyone involved was able to enjoy their time together in Regensburg, thanks in part to a guided tour of the city, which took them from the Stone Bridge across the town hall square and past some of the STWNO student residences to St. Peter's Cathedral. The group was also able to go to the Campusfest, a large student festival on the campus of the University and OTH Regensburg.

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Franco-German Employe Exchange 2024 – Sustainability

The year 2024 marks the end of the two-year staff exchange cycle between the Studierendenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz (STWNO) and Crous Clermont Auvergne. From June 10 to 14, 2024, Crous Clermont Auvergne welcomed STWNO employees to network and exchange ideas on the topic of sustainability. The motto of the week was: "Sustainable development".

The Franco-German group of 22 participants spent a week visiting the various Crous sites in Clermont-Ferrand, Montluçon and Aubière. The aim of the week was to continue exchanging views on the various measures and processes introduced this time by the Crous in France to promote sustainable university life that is also in line with the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda (more Informationen can be found here). Here too, the exchange participants were given a direct insight into the sustainability projects being implemented at the universities.

The Crous is committed to integrating sustainability into its daily work. Here are some examples of responsible catering that were presented to us during the week:

• Selection of fresh dishes prepared on the same day with ingredients from organic farming and predominantly from regional producers - which is made possible in particular through cooperation with labels such as "Agriculture Biologique";
• A daily changing vegetarian menu in the canteen;
• Information campaigns for students about organic and vegetarian dishes available in canteens.
  
  

Other environmentally friendly measures carried out by Crous Clermont Auvergne included energy renovations in the Amboise and Cité 2 Cézeaux halls of residence. The buildings of the IUT d'Allier are also a good example. The buildings meet sustainable standards; the quality of life for students has been improved and compost for organic waste has been installed. Another project to redesign the Crous canteen in Montluçon is also in progress.

We also noticed that some outdoor areas of Crous housing estates are mowed late to encourage biodiversity.

Crous has also appointed its own sustainability officer, who will continue to promote sustainable development within the company.

To promote the social aspect of sustainability, the Crous have introduced a nationwide menu in the canteen that works according to a points system and costs €3.30 for all students or €1 for scholarship holders (similar to BAföG recipients).

Students can also apply for scholarships and obtain a room in a Crous hall of residence, the price of which is based only on the size of the room and not on the Location. Finally, students benefit from numerous and varied cultural events as well as several places where they can play sports or engage in artistic activities.

In addition to the professional exchange, we also visited the cities of Clermont-Ferrand and Montluçon and climbed to the summit of the Puy-de-Dôme - admittedly not on foot, but by cogwheel train! Thanks to our two translators (one of whom was also our tour guide in Clermont-Ferrand and Puy-de-Dôme), communication was very easy and efficient.

We would like to thank the staff of the Crous Clermont Auvergne for the warm welcome and the varied week. Merci beaucoup et à l'année prochaine!

Finally, we would like to thank the Franco-German Youth Office, whose financial support made the implementation of both exchange programs possible (more Information about the Franco-German Youth Office can be found here).