Our students as future makers for the university and the region.
On June 10, 2024, the event "An early shift for my Görlitz - shaping Saxony as a land of science" took place at Kühlhaus Görlitz. In four creative workshops, representatives of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences worked with young people to develop innovative ideas for a 3-country CampusQuartier 2030+ in the European City of Görlitz.
With this event, the Saxon Agency for Structural Development (SAS), together with the "SPIN2030" campaign of the Ministry of Science and the science network Hi!Lusatia!, initiated a participation format for people aged 13 to 27. They were invited to address questions about their future in Görlitz and actively participate in the region's transformation process. Over 100 young people came to the Frühschicht to take part in eight workshops led by experts from the fields of science, education, culture and communication. Together, they developed ideas on the topics of infrastructure, living, studying, working and leisure for Görlitz and Lusatia.
Under the direction of Professor Dr. Sophia Keil, Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs, the HSZG presented its theme tables on the guiding principle "Our 3-country CampusQuartier 2030+: Studying better together - international, practical, sustainable in the digital age". In an open ideas and creative workshop, the 22 participating pupils and students had the opportunity to contribute to the design of four main topics. Questions and theses on mobility, sustainability, creative learning spaces and internationality formed the starting point. Young people from the region and topic mentors from Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences discussed and exchanged ideas in order to develop their own ideas for a sustainable CampusQuartier in Görlitz.
In three work phases - from an analysis of the current situation and problems to a collection of ideas and the development of concrete solutions - the participants worked together to develop recommendations for action for the respective focus area. The background: a lot is currently happening in the Görlitz East district, the location of the Görlitz Campus! The town hall is to be renovated into a cultural center and the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) is planning a campus on the Kahlbaum site. The Rectorate wants to use these opportunities to drive campus development forward. All topic tables were linked to each other in terms of content.
Here, the participants discussed how the mobility of students and employees could be improved from the Görlitz campus to the Neisse city, e.g. the route to the train station or into the city. The result was the idea for a bike-sharing scheme called "GörliBIKE - your companion for the city and campus".
"I am proud of our mobility workshop participants who developed the sustainable GörliBIKE concept. GörliBIKE is more than just a bike sharing system - it is a step towards a more sustainable, healthier and more attractive Görlitz. By improving mobility, protecting the climate and promoting health, we are not only making Görlitz a better place to live, but also an even more attractive place to study. We look forward to implementing this project together with the city of Görlitz."
Sebastian Benad, M.A., Faculty of Management and Cultural Studies, workshop leader
A pavilion with a garden as a lively meeting place on campus, where students and lecturers can come together to work in a green setting. A lively campus café on the banks of the Neisse and pedestrian bridges from the main campus in Görlitz across the Neisse to Poland and back to the new Expleo House - these are the core ideas of the participants in the "Sustainability" workshop and their answers to the question of what a sustainable, green and social campus in Görlitz could look like.
"The topic table on sustainability in campus life produced great ideas under the heading 'Green meeting campus Neiße - connecting naturally'. The 'big neighbors' Stadthalle, the opposite bank of the Neisse in Zgorzelec and the Kahlbaum site for the German Center for Astrophysics were also considered. All of them are to be connected in order to literally build new bridges and pave the way for encounters and greater awareness. I am enthusiastic and hope that we will be able to further develop the ideas and implement at least some of them."
Prof. Dr. rer. Pol. Falk Maiwald, Dean of the Faculty of Management and Cultural Studies, workshop leader
The university management has succeeded in securing a new building for the Görlitz university campus. The Faculty of Management and Cultural Studies will move into the former Expleo building. In line with the ideas developed in the Campus4You field of action, these premises are also to be designed innovatively.
The workshop participants discussed together how teaching and learning spaces can be designed flexibly and creatively and at the same time how and which digital technologies can be integrated to enrich everyday learning and improve the quality of teaching. The result was the desire to design open room concepts in the new Expleo building that not only promote learning, but above all encourage interaction. There should also be a dedicated language lab and a café on campus that is open to everyone.
Workshop leader: Christian Tiller, Academic Director ZukLOS and Daniel Winkler, University Didactics Officer
In this workshop, the question of how a "European feeling" can be further strengthened at the university and also in the city of Görlitz so that this can be felt and experienced by our students and university members was explored. On the one hand, the students see a solution in strengthening the HSZG's external presence, e.g. through increased and above all multilingual activity in social media and at international trade fairs. On the other hand, the opportunities for stays abroad as part of studying at the HSZG should be expanded and simplified, e.g. through short study trips, a tandem exchange or an international student café.
Workshop leaders: Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil and Dr. phil. Ewa Wieszczeczyńska, Coordinator of the Academic Coordination Center of the Nysa Euroregion (ACC)
The results of the eight workshops were presented to a top-class jury, which included Minister President Michael Kretschmer, Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow, District Administrator Stephan Meyer, HSZG Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil and the Mayor of Görlitz Octavian Ursu. The jurors were enthusiastic and impressed by the ideas and wishes developed in the workshops. They emphasized that they took away many sustainable impulses for structural change in Saxony. The topic mentors from the workshops will also pass on valuable suggestions to their specific networks.
The event not only offered the younger generation the opportunity to exchange and develop ideas for their Görlitz, but also to make new contacts, learn more about the transformation of the entire Lusatia region and play an active role in shaping it.
The HSZG is delighted with the lively participation and the creative ideas that the young participants contributed. The event once again demonstrated the potential of the younger generation and how valuable their contributions are for the community. The HSZG will take up these impulses and incorporate them into the further development of the university and its locations.
The Vice-Rector, Professor Keil, would like to thank the topic mentors, Dean Professor Falk Maiwald, Dr. Ewa Wieszczeczyńska, Sebastian Benad, Christian Tiller, Julia Rülicke and Daniel Winkler and especially all participating pupils and students for their contributions and commitment.
