Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution’s (HEI) Student Affairs and Career Unit and Welfare Manager Smiltė Juraitė invited alumni and employees and their children to celebrate the coming year’s most beautiful holidays together. The guests of the evening were awaited by a warm meeting with former study friends, conversations with colleagues in an informal environment and a sense of community that accompanied the evening.

Those who attended the Christmas workshop could make fir wreaths. Kauno kolegija HEI’s lecturer Aušrinė Černiauskienė acquainted guests of the evening with the subtlety of making fir wreaths. The little guests of the event met Santa Claus, saw the premises of Kauno kolegija HEI, decorated cookies, made Christmas cards and got involved in other activities.

“We notice an increasing activity of alumni. Over the years, more and more of them get involved in various Kauno kolegija HEI activities. Graduates of Kauno Kolegija HEI are our future social partners and colleagues and the best critics who help us improve. Forming relations with alumni opens the door to the successful development of a social partnership network, helps us to improve as a higher education institution, and contributes to the spread of good news, therefore their inclusion in the life of the Kauno kolegija HEI is really important,” shares the head of the Student Affairs and Career Unit Dr Mindaugas Samuolaitis.

Since this Christmas workshop is intended not only for alumni, but also for Kauno kolegija HEI employees, Dr M. Samuolaitis points out that this is a great opportunity for everyone to meet, chat, make connections and, as the holidays approach, feel real fellowship and a sense of community.

Welfare manager Smiltė Juraitė distinguishes the fostering of community with the help of this and similar events.

“Similar events have been and continue to bring the community together, which is our goal, which reflects one of the Kauno kolegija HEI values – a sense of community. This time, we invited employees and alumni not only to get to know each other better and to chat informally, but also to bring their family members to enjoy our community, great spaces that can be used not only in the study process but also in leisure activities,” says S. Juraitė.

She points out that one of the goals of the Kauno kolegija HEI is to allow employees to combine work and family obligations, so the participation of children and other family members in the life of the organisation is very natural and encouraged.

Special programme for the little ones

This year, the Christmas workshop attracted exceptional interest – almost 100 children, whose ages ranged from 2 to 15 years old, participated in the event.

“The youngest participants of the event were impressed by the appearance of Santa Claus and entertaining musical activities with him, the older ones were happy to join the Christmas wreath workshop or test their attentiveness in the driving simulator. The children took part in a tour of the Kauno kolegija HEI and were impressed by the size of the library, the entertainment of the children’s playroom, but most of all by the hot chocolate and freeze-dried fruits in the food laboratory,” shares S. Juraitė, who is responsible for the activities of the youngest participants of the event.

Children of alumni and employees also decorated cookies and made Christmas cards. The welfare manager reveals that by encouraging children to try as many activities as possible and get involved in the fun of the event, they were able to collect activity stickers, and after collecting the required number of stickers, they could exchange them for sweet prizes.

“We are glad that our social partners came to the celebration – representatives of the Department of Community Officers of the Public Order Board of the Kaunas County Chief Police Commissariat, who stuck reflectors of the chosen shape on the outerwear of everyone who wanted them. When leaving, everyone was able to capture themselves dressed up in fun paraphernalia,” says S. Juraitė.

20 first-years of the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education study programme and 2 first-years of the Photography study programme volunteered at the celebration. Employees of different divisions and departments of Kauno kolegija HEI and members of the Student Association helped to organise the celebration and all the activities.