Asset-Based Community Development | August 2 - 31, 2022

Students are offered the unique opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) "Asset-based Community Development" and learn from experts from different countries. The exciting programme includes lectures and collaborative online teamwork with an intensive week in Finland from 8 to 13 August 2022.

The BIP is jointly offered by Diak in Helsinki (Finland), University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany), Evangelische Fachhochschule Ludwigsburg (Germany), University College Cork (Ireland) and VID Specialised University (Norway).

In the last summer semester, the students of the bachelor study program “Social Work” had the choice between even two “Blended Intensive Programs” (short: BIP), that were offered within the framework of module “5.1. Practice-based Project”. Impressions of the last BIP can be found under BIP Digital Competence on our homepage. By August, the time had come and thus eight FHWS students from the bachelors and master’s programme “Social Work” travelled together with the lecturers Vera Taube and Stefanie Witter to Järvenpää in Finland for another BIP, this time about “Asset-based Community Development”. On site they met the other participating students from the Evangelische Hochschule Ludwigsburg, the Wrexham Glyndwr University in Wales, the University College Cork in Ireland as well as students from DIAK, the host institution of this BIP. In total, 40 students were joining the programme. Although the Intensive Week in Järvenpää took place from August 8^th to 13^th, the students of FHWS were on the road even some days before which will be explained later on.

What is a BIP?

The “Blended Intensive Programme” is a teaching format in which university courses are organised by lecturers from several universities. For this BIP, students from universities in Germany, Ireland, Wales, and Finland studied together in the digital space, but also intensively during a week of attendance at the partner university in Finland. The BIP is financed by Erasmus funds by the European Union.

Erasmus Green Travel added some more travel days

For the attendees of FHWS the travel already started on August 6^th 2022, because they travelled by ferry as they to Finland not by plane. First, they all went to Travemünde by bus and from there on they travelled 30 hours on the ferry to Helsinki from where they continued by bus and train to Järvenpää. Thanks to the Erasmus Green Travel Top-Up the group received further funding which reduced the additional costs for the students to zero. Not only from a financial perspective, but also for the programme itself the travel by ferry was worthwhile as this allowed the students to already get to know each other during these two days and to engage with the topic of the upcoming week. By the time they arrived in Järvenpää, the students of FHWS already were a well harmonising team.

The city of Järvenpää is located around 30 minutes north of Helsinki. The group was accommodated on campus which, thanks to its location by the lakeside, brought with it a wonderfully pristine study experience. Apart from lectures in the seminar buildings, the surrounding outdoor facilities were used regularly for group work in the open air, the evenings were spent in the sauna in the accommodation building or by the lake. In general, the participants were able to enjoy many sunsets on the beautiful premises.

What was the BIP about?

The BIP in August was about “Asset-based community development”, meaning it dealt with the sustainable setup, development and care of communities. The Intensive Week included mainly group work as well as short inputs from the lecturers. Content-wise, the week started with some biography work during which one’s own biography was reflected upon, and the students intensively thought about their previous individual life experiences and changes as well as their own community belonging. In numerous group activities, the participants' own experiences were linked with theory and practical reflections on community development and the possibilities of cooperation with different communities. Case studies were used to test methods and discuss different approaches. Especially through the input of the students, who differed in terms of age, nationality as well as life and practical experience, different approaches could be discussed, new methods were learned, and new impulses have been gained. “The BIP was completely different from other classes. The group dynamic was very positive, everyone was interested and happy about the exchange. The lecturers also showed a lot of interest in the students’ contributions. The exchange on eye-level and working together on a task was a very special experience for me”, says participant Johanna.

Intense, shared times

This BIP as well was very intense for the students. “If I had to choose three words to describe it, I would say: intense, interactive and interesting”, says Johanna. The entire programme of the intensive week in Finland was organised and implemented by Diak. The activities were closely scheduled, which meant a full programme from arrival time on Monday until the departure on Saturday. The activities not only included knowledge transfer and group work, but also an excursion to Helsinki and to a local organisation. This way, the participants were able to gain a lot of insights into practical community work on site. In the evenings the students spent time together for example by swimming in Lake Tuusulanjärvi, which is next to the Campus in Järvenpää, or doing sauna evenings. On Saturday, August 13^th, 2022, the group travelled back and spent another night on the ferry to Germany before returning to Würzburg on August 15^th, 2022. Whereas the arrival was a good opportunity to get to know each other, the return journey was used to reflect on the intensive week and to process the experiences. This way, the arrival and return journey became an integral part of the intense experience of the BIP.

Positive conclusion and clear recommendation

Participant Johanna was enthusiastic about Finland, the campus, and the experience of the BIP in general, which she highly recommends: “While the Intensive Week was also tiring due to the tight programme, the intense and exciting experiences were very enriching. It was special to study on a different campus with a group of students from my university, to get to know so many people and to experience this time together. I would do it again anytime!”

During the upcoming semesters, more kind of these BIPs will be offered at FHWS. This is a great opportunity for all those hesitating whether to spend a semester abroad or who would like to gain some international study experience without spending an entire semester in a different country. Thanks to the Erasmus funds supporting the short-term mobility, lectures and travel can be combined without large costs arising for the students.