On April 11, 2024, the University of Tartu organized a workshop for academic staff titled “Engaging Community: Workshop for Organizing Citizen Engagement Actions.” The primary objective of the workshop was to unveil the policy brief “Higher Education in Humanitarian Crises: Resilience, Social Inclusion, Innovation,” which was developed from 23 social actions organized under the Baltics4UA project consortium. Furthermore, the event sought to facilitate the practical application of the policy brief’s recommendations.
The workshop commenced with an introduction to the Baltics4UA project, that briefed the participants on the project’s essence, partners, and objectives. This was succeeded by the presentation of the policy brief and the subsequent group work. The group activities were structured around a template designed for organizing citizen engagement initiatives, informed by the policy brief’s guidelines. This template was crafted by the UT team to maximize the workshop’s utility and enable participants to implement the policy brief’s suggestions effectively. During the group work, attendees were divided into teams to devise their citizen engagement projects.
Following the group work, a session of presentations and discussions was held, enabling participants to share the outcomes of their projects. This exchange proved beneficial for those intending to roll out citizen engagement actions about Ukraine, as it provided a platform for seeking advice and applying the policy brief’s recommendations. The participants were actively engaged, offering mutual suggestions on refining their projects.
