The start of the new course “Sustainable Language Education and Media: Bridging the Gap Between EU-Ukraine”, developed with the support of the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union, was marked by a press-conference held on April 4, 2022. Local and university media representatives had an opportunity to learn more about the new Jean Monnet Module at the Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University and share this information with potential audiences, thus helping wider dissemination of the project.
“In Ukraine, recent years have been marked by tremendous political and social changes. Being at the crossroads between East and West, Ukraine has finally chosen its way back to common European cultural and historical space and now protects EU values fiercely against russian invaders. Much of modern Ukrainian cultural and educational discourse must be dedicated to various aspects of the European Union, European Integration, and European identity” – stated the Coordinator of the project, Head of the Applied Linguistics Department, prof. Iryna Biskub.
The course on “Sustainable Language Education and Media: Bridging the Gap Between EU-Ukraine” will introduce undergraduate students and Ph.D. students to key European values and standards of sustainability in education; demonstrate them the connection between Language Studies, Globalization, and new European Identity; improve their skills of critical thinking; develop their digital skills and as a result, turn them into active citizens, supporters of core democratic values. The course that will combine Language Studies with important aspects of modern EU life (Culture, Ethics, E-Democracy, Sustainability) will make them feel more European and support the spread of the EU values and standards in Ukraine, bridging the gap between EU and our country, showing examples to other growing democracies in the world and, of course, helping the integration of Ukraine into the EU.
During the press-conference all media participants were invited to join the project`s summer school for media and civil representatives, and local policy-makers. It will focus on the development of social and intercultural competencies, critical thinking, and media literacy among the above-mentioned groups. Though many Ukrainian educational institutions have introduced lifelong learning programs recently, the ethics of it must still be developed and popularized, and we believe that our SLEMBG summer school will accelerate this process in the region and in Ukraine.