In total, 16 students from nine nations came together for Summer School. Their task was to present sustainable proposals on how Viborg Museum could make the area around the Cathedral more attractive for both locals and tourists.
Positive with many different cultures
For Vanessa, the decisive factor in choosing the Summer School in Viborg was its focus on sustainability. It’s something she already works with in her studies and something she’s very interested in during her free time:
“I wanted to go on a short exchange stay, and I wanted to work with sustainability. Those were my criteria, and here in Viborg I could fulfill them, so it was a perfect fit for me. At the same time, I have been lucky that we are students from nine different nations, and we work really well together,” Vanessa says, and continues:
“It has been a very positive experience that we come with such different cultural backgrounds. Even though we have different ways of working on things, and there have also been language challenges, it has been very educational to listen to each other’s input and make the collaboration work.”
“It has been a very positive experience that we come with such different cultural backgrounds. Even though we have different ways of working on things, and there have also been language challenges, it has been very educational to listen to each other’s input and make the collaboration work.”
Vanessa Jehle, Summer School student in Viborg
Closer contact with teachers than I am used to
One of the things that surprised Vanessa was the interaction between students and teachers at the Summer School:
“Here, you don’t just get the answer from a teacher if you ask a professional question. Instead, they help guide you in the right direction so you can find the answer yourself – it’s a different way of learning than I’m used to,” points out Vanessa Jehle.
“When we’ve been on company visits, there was almost a friendly atmosphere between us students and the teachers. They ask about who we are, where we come from, and what we study. I really like the way they engage with us,”
Vanessa Jehle, Summer School student in Viborg
And it’s not only in the classroom that Vanessa experiences differences compared to her usual academic environment:
“When we’ve been on company visits, there was almost a friendly atmosphere between us students and the teachers. They ask about who we are, where we come from, and what we study. I really like the way they engage with us,” emphasizes Vanessa Jehle.
Emotional content and relevant sustainability
As inspiration for helping Viborg Museum work with sustainability, the Summer School students visited Museum FLUGT, Tirpitz, and the open-air museum Den Gamle By in Aarhus. All three work with storytelling and history communication, which is also one of the areas Viborg Museum wants to focus on:
“Visiting FLUGT was a very emotional experience – the story they tell made an impression. And it was also exciting to hear about their work with sustainability and the considerations they made during the process,” explains Vanessa Jehle.
Working with sustainability is like a puzzle
On Friday, August 15, Vanessa and the other students completed their stay in Viborg with a formal exam:
“I’ve learned that working with sustainability is a bit like solving a puzzle. There are so many different elements that need to work together for things to succeed. And it requires making a plan before you dive in. That’s what we tried to do in our project,” says Vanessa Jehle with a big smile.
After the exam, the students went through an evaluation, and the Summer School concluded with the awarding of diplomas, speeches, and a cozy farewell dinner.
The summer school was conducted as an Erasmus+ Short-Term Blended Program with financial support from the Erasmus+ Program.
