From May 19 to 23, students from Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) representing the Faculty of Arts and Education and the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technologies, accompanied by Dr Živilė Juknevičienė, lecturer-practitioner from the Department of Food and Agribusiness Technologies, participated in an intensive Personal Green Skills Week in Germany. This programme is part of the international project Personal Green Skills in Higher Education.

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) on personal green skills was organised by the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS). Participants from Kauno kolegija included Aleksandras Stonkus and Paulius Mozūraitis (Agri-Business Technologies study programme), as well as Emilija Šniaukaitė, Paulina Vaidelytė, and Paulina Gumauskaitė (Pedagogy study programme).

Over the course of five days of creative workshops, students worked intensively in teams, shared experiences, and presented sustainability projects carried out in five EU countries: Germany, Austria, Spain, Finland, and Lithuania.

‘After returning to Kaunas and reflecting on the students’ creativity, the projects they developed, and the problems they tackled, I can proudly say we are raising a remarkable generation. Their ability to collaborate, adapt to different environments and teams, and apply knowledge creatively shows they are well-prepared for the real world,’ shares Dr Ž. Juknevičienė.

During the visit, participants not only deepened their knowledge but also had the chance to experience traditional German cuisine, take part in an educational excursion to the SoLaWi Schweinfurt social farm, and explore the city of Würzburg. In the evening sessions, students attended a lecture by Prof. Peter Breunig from Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, who spoke on the topic Land Use for a Sustainable Global Agricultural and Food System. On Thursday evening, participants watched the documentary Plastic Fantastic followed by a discussion with a representative from the Faculty of Plastics Engineering and Surveying.

During the international week, Dr Ž. Juknevičienė also gave a presentation titled Think Green – Be Green: The Journey of Food from Farm to Table and led a creative workshop ‘How to Sell Taste?’, encouraging participants to reflect on their daily eating habits and the importance of sustainability. Her long-standing community work is focused on preserving food raw materials and shortening food supply chains.

We would like to remind that the project “Personal Green Skills in Higher Education” (No. 2023-1-LT01-KA220-HED-000160132) is a two-year Erasmus+ project coordinated by Kauno kolegija, bringing together five international partners—four of which, including Kauno kolegija, are members of the European Universities Alliance UNINOVIS. The main objective of the project is to foster students’ green skills and encourage personal behavioral changes aimed at achieving the goals of sustainable development. In order to reach this goal, it is essential to provide higher education lecturers with innovative tools that enable them to play an active role in transferring green skills to students. Therefore, the project seeks to strengthen the digital and green capacities of the higher education sector, promote innovative teaching and learning methods, and empower learners with personal skills to protect and sustain the natural environment.