DESCRIPTION AND METHODOLOGIES
The UNITEDBZ project was born in 2016 on the initiative of professors and employees of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, in collaboration with institutions and voluntary associations in South Tyrol that deal with the processes of reception of migrants. It gives asylum seekers and refugees the opportunity to attend the courses offered by unibz for four semesters, sitting its exams as extracurricular students, i.e., students who are not regularly enrolled in the university. Candidates who have attended school for at least 12 years and are in contact with an association active in the area can participate in the project. The selected students can attend courses free of charge and the credits they obtain can be recognized if they enroll in one of the university's degree programmes in the future.
Activities
The courses offered are:
- curricular courses offered by the Faculties of unibz
- language courses run by the unibz Language Centre
- ad hoc courses held by UniBz voluntary teachers, designed to fit the needs of participants (e.g., introduction to the use of computers, mathematics).
UNITEDBZ is an inclusive project whose main objective is to encourage the initial integration of participants into the community of unibz. unitedbz also aims to identify participants who are particularly motivated and interested in enrolling in a degree programme and receiving a degree. In order to study in the three official languages of unibz (Italian, German, English), these students are guided in the improvement of their language skills, and then accompanied in the application process and in the request for accommodation and scholarship. 50 people are currently taking part in the UNITEDBZ programme.
RESULTS AND IMPACT
The main results are:
- Enrolment of UNITEDBZ students as regular students of UniBz
- Application of UNITEDBZ students for the enrolment in other universities (with possibile recognition of the exams passed during the unitedbz program)
For more info, please listen to the following radio interview (in German):
http://www.raibz.rai.it/de/index.php?media=Pra1576564800