The IPs (Intensive Programs) are cultural and educational experiences in which students and teachers from different European universities gather together to work on a specific project. During the first week of March 2017, University CEU Cardenal Herrera was the main venue for the IP EUTA, an IP Program in which students from all over the continent worked together to develop a communication campaign for a specific client.
On this very special occasion for us we would like to thank the participation of students from Finland, Belgium, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany and of course the Spanish hosts coming from our very own Faculties of Humanities and Communication and that of Law, Business and Marketing: we hope you have all enjoyed your experience here at CEU Valencia!
This year’s program focused on a comprehensive communication campaign for Fundación Turismo Valencia, our city’s Tourist Board which promotes Valencia as a destination for Europeans. Throughout the week all the participants attended various lectures, leisure activities and get-togethers to foster integration and group work.
This experience not only nurtures students in the professional field but also at a more cultural and personal level, as it allows them to understand the differences between cultures, namely to listen to them, but above all to live with them; a kind of “training” that will help them, right from the university, to get better prepared for a globalized and multicultural world.
For the Faculty of Humanities and Communication at University CEU Cardenal Herrera, it is vitally important to be part of the Intensive Programs that have been part of its academic agenda since 2003 as they bring a tremendous benefit to the students who take part in them.
For us as host institution it was a big challenge to organize the event, which lasted for a whole week, and we did our best to offer different activities to our international guests: from lectures and information sessions to provide the necessary creative guidelines, to more fun and laid-back activities in the city. Therefore, the schedule made by the teachers involved was thought to the millimeter and, from what some of the students said, they seem to have taken the best of experiences from Valencia!
“I am very happy to be part of this great experience”, student from UK
“What an interesting city and how comfortable I feel to be here”, student from Finland
Among the various activities included in the event, we would like to highlight:
- Icebreakers, an activity with the aim of breaking the ice between the participants. Each group was asked to bring a typical meal of their country of origin to the event. In a creative and enjoyable way, the participants had the opportunity to know a little more about each culture and to achieve interaction between them. A great experience!
- Guided visit to the centre of Valencia: Through this visit we made the participants discover how amazing our city is. An important opportunity to create a window into the world.
- Visit to the IVAM – Museum of Modern Art and Jazz concert: This activity had as objective to know the relationship between music and the message that gives us, having as conduit in this occasion: jazz.
- Attending the mascletà: Attending an activity that is part of UNESCO’s heritage is an opportunity that we could not miss. The participants were part of one of the many acts related to the Fallas festival that identifies us all as Valencians.
- Final presentation, in which each team presented their campaign projects to the Fundación Turismo Valencia
As you can see, a program full of cultural activities with a professional approach that was received in a very positive way by the participants. Our Faculty of Humanities and Communication will continue to provide students with activities that allow them to develop international skills and competences so that they can put them into practice in the business institutions where they pursue their professional career.
