Winter School at TU Dortmund (Germany)
At the invitation of Professor Dr. Thomas Schröder, within the framework of the work of the International Centre for Culture and Development of WUNU, from 5 to 9 January 2026, students majoring in B11 ‘Philology’ Adelia Kukharchuk, Khrystyna Kazmirchuk, Andrii Stravskyi, Sviatoslav Bilinskyi, and Viktor Slabodukh, together with Olga Tsaryk, professor at the Department of Foreign Languages and ICT, took part in the Winter School at TU Dortmund on the topic ‘Deutsch-Ukrainische Perspektiven auf Demokratiebildung, Nachhaltigkeit und Digitalisierung’ (German-Ukrainian Perspectives on Democracy Education, Sustainability, and Digitalisation).
Participants attended lectures and workshops by Professor Maike Schmidt-Glaim, where issues of democracy, social hierarchy, globalisation, and human interaction with nature and the environment were discussed. The young people also attended lectures by Professor Thomas Schröder on developing the necessary skills for professional activity.
The students and Olga Tsaryk presented the Ukrainian higher education system and discussed their experiences of studying during wartime.
Adelia Kukharchuk, a student in the BCP-22 group, noted: ‘The winter school forced me to take a new look at familiar concepts. The discussions were deep and at the same time very open, which helped me to critically rethink democracy and social structures.’
Khrystyna Kazmirchuk, a student in the BCP-41 group, shared her impressions of the training: ‘I was particularly struck by the atmosphere of honest dialogue and interest. It was important to be able to talk openly about our experience of studying in wartime and to be heard.’
The winter school in Dortmund was an intensive and meaningful experience that combined academic discussions, practical work and intercultural dialogue. Participants had the opportunity to critically reflect on contemporary social challenges, share their own experiences and see how education and international interaction can serve as a space for a deeper understanding of the world and their place in it.
