On 10 June 2024, the first Cross-Cultural Competence Training was held for students selected for an international mobility period of at least six months within the NEOLAiA Alliance. The initiative involved outgoing students from the University of Salerno, putting them in direct contact with peers from the other partner universities in a setting designed for exchange and joint preparation for their study-abroad experience.
It was a unique opportunity to engage with peers from across Europe and acquire practical tools to fully benefit from an academic experience in multicultural contexts.
Delivered entirely in English and conducted synchronously, the training was designed and co-created by the CAST (Cross-cultural Awareness Support Team) together with a team of experts in Cross-Cultural Competence, who collaborated on both content and structure of the overall programme. This pre-departure training aimed to equip students with the competences needed to approach mobility in a multicultural context in a thoughtful and self-aware way.
The session was led by a multicultural team of trainers from partner universities: Bice Della Piana (University of Salerno), Alexandra Bočková (University of Ostrava), Diego Rascón Moreno (University of Jaén) and Rasa Pocevičienė (Šiauliai University).
Among the main topics addressed, particular attention was devoted to understanding the concept of culture, developing cultural awareness and exploring Cultural Intelligence (CQ), that is, the ability to interact and adapt effectively in different cultural settings.
The session concluded with a moment of self-reflection using the 3C-Bubble, a tool developed by the 3C-LAB research group and unanimously adopted by NEOLAiA universities to monitor students’ intercultural awareness before and after their mobility. It offers a concrete way to track personal growth throughout the entire period abroad.
This first Cross-Cultural Competence Training was not only a learning opportunity but also a moment of connection for NEOLAiA students preparing for a transformative experience.
Through its active participation in this inaugural international training, the University of Salerno reaffirms its commitment to promoting mobility as a means of personal and professional growth and to building an increasingly inclusive, open and self-aware European university community—values that are central to the vision of the NEOLAiA Alliance.
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