Talented young people from non-academic backgrounds face specific challenges, as shown by their underrepresentation in universities and by a higher dropout rate across Europe (cf. Social and Economic conditions of Student Life in Europe, Eurostudent VI 2016-2018). To address this issue, “POWERst – emPOWERing first generation STudents” aims at fostering Social Inclusion by building a more Inclusive Higher Education System in Europe while at the same time Supporting University Staff. The purpose of the project is to help students to successfully complete a higher education study program and potentially pursue a scientific career by supporting and empowering them and potential applicants. Therefore the University of Stuttgart (DE) will work hand in hand with two partner universities: Sciences Po Bordeaux (FR), an institute of political studies, and Amsterdam VU University Medical Center (NL). All three universities are known for their distinctive approach to academic practice. YES Forum complements the project partnership with its long standing experience regarding diversity and inclusion. POWERst will involve students from conceptualization, design to implementation. As students’ integration and university staff’s involvement are closely intertwined, this project will allow an exchange of good practices among partner universities. Consequently, the involved staff will very much take on two roles in the project. On one hand, they are experts of the universities’ structures and procedures and will share their knowledge and expertise. On the other hand, the participating staff will become learners who will get new insights into the realities of first-generation students and their needs. This innovative approach will inspire the work on 4 Intellectual Outputs (IOs) to improve their own university concepts, and advance existing services to reach ALL students. IO1, a survey to identify students that belong to underrepresented groups and find out about their needs to develop proper tools and programs of support. IO2, will be an online-tool comprised of learning and training material on how to create a more inclusive campus and learning environment, for teaching and administrative staff. IO3, will be video tutorials. Students will help students, and by offering video tutorials, giving personal advice, they are visible and get the chance to represent the institution. IO4, will be a policy brief on Social Inclusion in Higher Education collating key messages from the university level to the European Union level, drafted with first-generation/underrepresented students. In the framework of the project 2 ‘International Summer Schools’, C1 and C2, will allow 30 students from the 3 different universities to benefit from interactive and participative methods thanks to input from non-academic partners YES Forum and the associated partner ArbeiterKind.de. The trainings will put the focus on the empowerment of the students through topics such as educational history, exploring their potential and future studying or career opportunities. Additionally, the project will organize training activities for administrative and teaching staff in order to increase awareness and competence in dealing with student diversity (C3 and C4). These trainings will also build a bridge to the developed IOs. Also it is envisaged that the participants of the diverse training activities will act as multipliers and ambassadors, e.g. staff in their working environment and students amongst their peers. All project activities will strengthen the partner universities’ capacities by providing new innovative tools and will enable them to: - Become more accessible, attractive and inclusive towards first-generation students - Increase university diversity, as well as a decrease in drop-outs - Develop a deeper understanding of the needs and expectations of underrepresented and first-generation students - Exchange good practices in the field of inclusion - Improve university staff’s skills and methods - Reinforce interaction between university staff, policy makers and students As mentioned above, to achieve the maximum impact, POWERst will focus on two target groups: - First-generation students from non-academic households, a group still underrepresented in universities, who face specific challenges to complete their studies successfully; - Teaching and administrative staff from the partner universities, to make sure that students complete their study program in the most inclusive, supportive and positive learning environment possible. The two target groups will be involved in every step of the project. Indeed, POWERst is not only designed to be a project for first-generation students, but also to become their project by participating in the decisions made about and for them.
We intended to build institutional capacities to welcome, accompany and keep first generation students in our partner universities. All project activities strengthened the partner universities’ infrastructure by providing relevant material and innovative tools. The main objectives were: - Raise awareness for the wide range of social backgrounds of students, - Become more accessible, attractive and inclusive for first-generation students, - Increase diversity among students, - Reduce premature drop-out, - Develop a deeper understanding of the needs of underrepresented and first-generation students, - Exchange good practices in the field of inclusion, - Improve university staff’s skills and methods in counseling and guiding, - Reinforce interaction between university staff, policy makers and students. At an individual level, students were to be empowered through tailored support to fully achieve their potential. They should actively participate in the LTTAs. Students were to be prepared to take on a role as ambassadors among peer students and disseminate the project results. University staff was to be trained and encouraged to work with first generation students and their specific needs.
Talented university students from non-academic families face specific challenges in education: Across Europe, they are underrepresented in universities and show a higher dropout rate before completing their studies (cf. Social and Economic conditions of Student Life in Europe, Eurostudent VI 2016-2018). Our project “POWERst – emPOWERing first generation STudents” aimed at fostering social inclusion by building a more diversity-oriented higher education system in Europe while supporting university staff in accompanying first generation students. The main purpose of the project was to help first generation students to successfully complete a higher education study program and potentially pursue an academic career by supporting, encouraging and empowering them as well as potential future students. Preparing university staff (in teaching and administration) in terms of sensitising them to the target group and training them to deal with their needs was a second central objective. Hence, university staff were the project’s second target group, working together to create better conditions of study for current and prospective students who are the first in their family in higher education.