Throw back on the Ingenium Diversity Week - Ingenium

Diversity week - INGENIUM website

Ingenium Diversity Week: Inclusion, Creativity, And A Shared European Commitment

A Week of Shared Energy and Collective Impact

From intercultural breakfasts to games, from day trips to language cafés, the INGENIUM Diversity Week is a good reminder that inclusion thrives when it is lived and shared. Over 50 activities took place, bringing the alliance together around common values and collective energy.

Inclusion and Accessibility: Raising Awareness Together

Several partners focused on disability awareness and the inclusion of underrepresented groups.

At the University of Rouen Normandy (URN), an immersive escape game on disability enabled participants to explore sensory, cognitive, and language-related challenges in a collaborative setting.
At the University of Oviedo (UNIOVI), the “Breaking Barriers” roundtable featured students with disabilities sharing personal experiences and ideas for a more inclusive university.
At Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), a stand-up comedian with a disability was invited to challenge stereotypes through humour.

Music and games, a tool to promote inclusiveness

Creativity played a central role in raising awareness. One highlight was the inclusion of the Eurovision Song Contest, a long-standing European tradition that unites countries through music while celebrating linguistic, artistic, and cultural diversity. Beyond competition, Eurovision fosters intercultural understanding in a safe and joyful setting — perfectly echoing INGENIUM’s core values: connect, share, learn.

At The University of Skövde (HIS), two semifinal watch parties were organised, while in Rouen, the Language Centre hosted a lively Eurovision karaoke.
At the Medical University of Sofia (MUS), students participated in a language-themed treasure hunt and quiz.
HIS promoted a sense of community through a board game night aimed at fostering student interaction.

Film and Dialogue

Cinema was another powerful medium to spark reflection and conversation.

In Rouen, two deeply moving films were screened in partnership with a local cinema: Skhva – L’Autre, a short movie directed by URN students, which tells the story of a young Georgian female student facing deportation with her family, and Château Rouge, a documentary by Hélène Milano exploring teenage years and life/study choices in a Parisian mixed neighbourhood.
In Oviedo, LGBTQI+ stories in the Asturia Region were highlighted through a curated screening within the “Pulga Cycle”.
At HKA, the Student Union hosted a Movie Night, while TUIASI ran a Multicultural Film Night.

These screenings were often followed by debates or discussions, turning passive viewing into moments of shared awareness and collective learning.

Generations, Gender and Global Careers

INGENIUM Diversity Week also tackled inclusion through the lenses of gender equity, intergenerational dialogue, and career development:

In Oviedo, intergenerational dialogues between senior and younger students fostered mutual learning.
Online, URN and Munster Technological University (MTU) co-hosted a session titled “Promoting Female Students in STEM”, featuring interviews of a MTU professor and a young Johnson & Johnson (J&J) professional, as well as testimonials from J&J award-winning students at URN.
MTU’s sessions on gender identity and expression contributed to a deeper reflection on equity and representation in higher education. The university also organised a wellness event that included the distribution of self-care goodie bags.

Our Associate Partner Johnson & Johnson gave INGENIUM access to their online Leadership Workshop: “Leadership, Learning and Navigating your Path – Insights from Industry and Academia: A Conversation on Leadership and Growth”.

South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) proposed a workshop on DEI on campus.

It was great to chat with fellow students about how we can better foster diversity, equity, and inclusion not only in Xamk but in our everyday lives. I particularly liked that we came up with actionable plans and ideas for promoting better interaction between international students and local students on campus. Overall, it was a very great workshop! Hopefully, we can have similar workshops in the future.

- Angela Mutai

Learning to Communicate Across Cultures

An online workshop on intercultural communication, led by the INGENIUM Multilingualism and Multiculturalism working group, brought together university staff from several countries. It provided a preview of the new INGENIUM-wide course on intercultural communication, launching next academic year, and invited participants to explore their own biases through a hands-on activity. UNIOVI also provided an online seminar on how to teach one’s language as a second language.

This spirit of intercultural openness was also present on campus:

At URN, staff and students took part in dedicated intercultural activities led by the Language Centre.
HIS ran a Multilingual Café, creating space for dialogue in multiple languages, and presented their initiatives to welcome international students.

All INGENIUM universities can be proud of their events, both online and onsite, as they showed their shared commitment to the core values of INGENIUM. Let’s now build on this to prepare for a successful second edition!

Delphine RogerINGENIUM for Non-discriminatory and Socially Engaged Higher Education Task Group leader