23 international students and 18 students from the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FEP) shared their experiences of international mobility at the monthly meeting of the FEP-UCP Intercultural Circle: International Meetings, which took place on 21 February, International Mother Language Day.
The monthly initiative aims to ease the transition and integration of international students and researchers new to the Faculty and to celebrate cultural diversity.
The meetings are intended to be a space for open dialogue and support, where international students and researchers can share their experiences, discuss the challenges of adapting to a new context and find support. In essence, the aim is to give these students and researchers a sense of belonging to the FEP-UCP community and to promote their adaptation and well-being.
Sharing and discussing mobility
The 23 international students who attended the first meeting came from Italy, Romania, France, Spain, Ecuador, and Brazil.
During the meeting, the international students were able to introduce themselves and talk to FEP students who had already participated in international mobility programmes about their experiences and challenges in other countries.
Taking advantage of the theme of International Mother Language Day, the students shared expressions in their mother tongue, sang songs from their countries of origin and planned the activities that will take place throughout the semester.
Patrícia Oliveira-Silva, member of the FEP Board for Internationalisation, explains the importance of the initiative: "By crossing borders, or by inviting others to cross the borders that separate us, we open the doors to completely new and often unknown worlds. And it is with great enthusiasm that we wish to accompany all international students and researchers on this journey of discovery of our academic community, the richness of our culture and all that makes us proud of our Faculty".
International students who are new to the FEP, as well as Portuguese students who have already participated in mobility programmes, will receive a monthly invitation to these meetings through the FEP Students' Association (AE FEP UCP) and the Directorate of the Faculty of Psychology.
For Marta Nogueira, President of the AE FEP UCP, "the spirit of inclusion of all FEP students was demonstrated by their presence at this meeting. These meetings are undoubtedly extremely important events that reflect the importance of diversity and dialogue between different cultures".
The FEP-UCP Intercultural Circle: International Meetings is an initiative developed by the FEP Board in partnership with the AE FEP UCP and the Research Centre for Human Development - CEDH.