FestiWell 2023 - Upskill, Connect and Celebrate!

Students and staff members from all EUniWell universities are warmly invited to attend the event which will take place in-person at Linnaeus University’s campus in Växjö, Sweden. The registration period will run from 1-17 March 2023. A limited number of travel and accommodation bursaries are available for students and staff coming from EUniWell partner universities, so we encourage you to sign up as early as possible.

FestiWell 2023 is being organised with the aim of bringing together students, researchers, educators and staff members from all EUniWell institutions to “Upskill, Connect and Celebrate” at the in-person event at Linnaeus University. Inspired by the European Union’s announcement of 2023 as the European Year of Skills, FestiWell 2023 will focus on offering a variety of workshops and activities that explore the importance of developing technical, academic, communicative, entrepreneurial and creative skills, among other. The themes are entrepreneurship, digitalisation, employability, and soft skills. There will also be well-being activities and social activities surrounding the event.

• Registration EUniWell students
• Registration EUniWell staff including PhD students

Preliminary programme

3 April, all times in CEST

Registration

• Time: 09:30–10:00

How to increase your employability with self-awareness

• Event time: 10:00–12:00 
• Theme: Employability
• Facilitators: Fanny Elheim & Sofie Edström, Career Councellors, Linnaeus University 
• Further information: A workshop with focus on your competences, self-awareness and how that connects with the labor market and your job or potential job. Registration required.
• Target group: Students

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Education: Challenges and Opportunities

• Event time: 10:00-12:00 
• Theme: Digitalisation
• Facilitator: Marcelo Milrad, Professor, Johanna Velander, Doctoral Student, Ahmed Mohammed, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Rafael Zerega, Doctoral Student, Alisa Lincke, Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Media Technology
• Further information: Interactive event combining hands-on workshop presentations, discussions and reflections. Participants need to bring their own computer to the workshop. Participants must bring their own laptop. Registration required.
• Target group: Students, teachers, researchers, and administrators.

Creative writing workshop focusing on spoken work poetry and performance

• Event time: 10:00-11:00 
• Theme: Soft Skill
• Facilitator: Tanya Gautam, EUniWell Student Board
• Further information: Tanya Gautam is a spoken-word poet and a doctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities institute at the University of Cologne. In this guided creative writing workshop, she invites you to explore together writing and performing in the spoken-word tradition. No prior experience is expected of participants and writers at all levels are most welcome to attend. Simply put, this workshop is about warming up our creative writing muscles and attending to the thoughts and ideas that come to us during this workshop. Registration required.
• Target group: Staff

Nutrition Workshop with OAS Café

• Event time: 10:00-11:00 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: OAS Café
• Further information: Interactive Baking Workshop. More information to come. Registration required.
• Target group: All

Forest bath workshop

• Event time: 10:00-10:30 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Jenny Lovebo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health and Caring Sciences and Anna Helgesson, Professional Forest Bathing Guide
• Further information: Workshop on forest bathing and the benefits of forest bathing, theoretical background of forest bathing. Registration required.
• Target group: All (participants who can walk in non-adapted nature)

Guided sound healing meditation

• Event time: 11:00-12:00 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Anna Helgesson, registered specialist nurse
• Further information: Guided meditation supported by the Gong, an instrument for sound healing. Deep relaxation and stress reduction. Hopefully outside, if weather allows for it. Registration required.
• Target group: All

Develop your network with the FestiWell speed networking

• Event time: 11:00-12:00 
• Theme: Soft Skill
• Facilitator: Elodie Bernard, EUniWell Communications Officer, Nantes Université
• Further information: A speed networking event is an accelerated way to meet new people, develop your network, and build a community. Join to meet peers, students and teachers from across Europe! Registration required.
• Target group: All

Lunch

• Event time: 12:00-13:00 

Programme FestiWell Stage

• Event time: 12:00-12:30 
• Further information: 
  12:00-12:10: Opening of FestiWell 2023 "Upskill, Connect and Celebrate!" by Peter Aronsson, Vice Chancellor, Linnaeus University
  12.10-12:30: Concert with Emma Ebintra, Coordinator Equal Rights, Linnaeus University
  13:00-13:45: Panel discussion: Organisation culture in an international context; Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden and IKEA give their perspective on organisation culture in an international context. 

Well-being leadership classes for researchers

• Event time: 13:00-15:00 
• Theme: Entrepreneurship
• Facilitator: tbc
• Further information: Concept for well-being leadership classes and fellowships to train and enable future EUniWell research leaders and ambassadors. Develop leadership skills to effectively guide others in their development. One hour lecture and one hour workshop. Format: Hybrid. This is a hybrid event. To participate via Zoom contact Niccolo' Del Buono, no later than Friday March 24^th, 12:00 CET. Zoom-link will be sent to participants prior to the event. Registration required. 
• Target group: MA, PhD candidates, early career and senior researchers, professors, management

Performance Lecture: Extremism on-line

• Event time: 13:00-15:00 
• Theme: Digitalisation
• Facilitator: Emma Ricknell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Political Science, Linnaeus University
• Further information: Discussions about Sweden on an extremist online forum are full of hate. Participants in these discussions however also express a lot of hopelessness. In this performance lecture, both lecturer and actor provide insight into the sentiments of these discussions, and comment on aspects of life online. The performance lecture is a fusion between lecture and performance. The performance itself is recorded and will be introduced by the lecturer and there will be time for reflection and questions afterwards. Registration required.
• Target group: All

Science of happiness - explore your happiness potential

• Event time: 13:00-14:30 
• Theme: Soft Skill
• Facilitator: Annika Axelsson, Gestalt Therapist, Student Welfare Office, Linnaeus University
• Further information: New research in the area of positive psychology, looking into the HOW of happiness. Happiness as a skill, something we can learn, something we can do. We will draw from: The Science of Happiness, "Science based principles and practices for a happier, more meaningful life", US Berkely's Greater Good Science Center; Existential and humanistic theories regarding what it is to be a human being; Buddhist philosophy and psychology, Mindfulness. More information about the workshop. Registration required. 
• Target group: All

Forest Bathing

• Event time: 13:00-14:45 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Anna Helgesson, Professional Forest Bathing Guide
• Further information: Guided mindful walk based on Shinrin-Yoku. Together we practice how we can enjoy nature while minimising our footprints as much as possible in connection to our visit. Participants will have the opportunity to bathe their senses, to reconnect to themselves, to find relaxation and tranquility in nature. In a playful, yet calm way, we explore nature's healing powers. In togetherness we enjoy and let ourselves be surprised by the magic of nature. Registration required.
• Target group: All (participants who can walk in non-adapted nature)

Pre- post- covid-19 labour market changes in EUniWell countries 

• Event time: 14:00-15:00 
• Theme: Employability
• Facilitator: Giorgia Giovannetti, Vice-Rector and Professor of Economics, University of Florence.
• Further information: The University of Florence invested in a comprehensive dataset containing very recent data on European labour market trends.
• Target group: All 

Nutrition Workshop with OAS Café

• Event time: 15:00-16:00 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: OAS Café
• Further information: Interactive Baking Workshop. More information to come.Registration required.
• Target group: All 

The Knowledge Cube: The Future is Green

• Event time: 15:30-16:30
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Malin Lindahl, Senior Lecturer, Department of Music and Art and Kerstin Brodén, General Editor, Linnaeus University Library 
• Further information: This is an exhibition space where we visualise scientific research using artistic methods. The challenges in the area of ​​climate and environment are great and how we deal with them is decisive for our future here on earth. In this exhibition, we talk about the research within Linnaeus University´s knowledge environment Green Sustainable Development, which works to meet these great challenges. As usual in our exhibitions in the Knowledge Cube, we want to bring different perspectives. This time we have invited Malin Lindahl, visual educator, to highlight the forest's central importance for a sustainable future from an artistic point of view. Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Time to Celebrate! FestiWell mingle with entertainment and more

• Event time: 19:00-21:00
• Further information: Celebrate FestiWell and the coming together of all EUniWell universities with great food and music. After a day filled with lots of inspiring workshops this is an opportunity to network with internationals and locals. The locals will invite you downtown to explore Växjö after the celebration on campus.

4 April, all times in CEST

Registration

• Time: 09:00–09:30

How to increase your employability with self-awareness

• Event time: 09:30-11:30 
• Theme: Employability
• Facilitator: Fanny Elheim & Sofie Edström, Career councellors, Linnaeus University
• Further information: A workshop with focus on your competences, self-awareness and how that connects with the labor market and your job or potential job. Registration required.
• Target group: Students

Pre Social Innovation Camp

• Event time: 09:30-11:00 
• Theme: Entrepreneurship
• Facilitator: Drivhuset
• Further information: Pre Social Innovation Camp is about finding challenges that you want to address in the Social Innovation Camp. All participants are gathered in a common workshop. The workshop is based on the Innovation Guide from Sweden's municipalities and regions and facilitated by Drivhusets' employees. The participants are activated in an entrepreneurial process. In the end of the session the participants will take part in Drivhuset´s business development methodology LOOPA in order to be as prepared as possible for Social Innovation Camp with Coompanion in the afternoon. Registration required.
• Target group: All

Lecture: Competence in an AI-driven world: challenges and opportunities

• Event time: 09:30-10:30 
• Theme: Digitalisation
• Facilitator: Fredrik Ahlgren, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Johan Leitet, Lecturer, Computer Science and Media Technology, Linnaeus University
• Further information: Welcome to a unique lecture and workshop on "Competence in an AI-driven world". We invite you to discover expert insights from Fredrik Ahlgren and Johan Leitet, who will discuss the challenges and opportunities of AI in the labour market. You will gain insights into how AI affects skill profiles and education, and understand the importance of preparing for the future. This lecture and the workshop at 10:30-12:00 is an opportunity to gain knowledge, network with other interested parties and leave with a greater understanding of the topic at hand. Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Nutrition Workshop with OAS Café

• Event time: 09:30-10:30 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: OAS Café
• Further information: Interactive Baking Workshop. More information to come.Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Forest bath workshop

• Event time: 10:00-10:30 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Jenny Lovebo, Senior lecturer, Department of Health and Caring Sciences and Anna Helgesson, Professional Forest Bathing Guide
• Further information: Workshop on forest bathing and the benefits of forest bathing, theoretical background of forest bathing. Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Workshop: Competence in an AI-driven world: challenges and opportunities 

• Event time: 10:30-12:00 
• Theme: Digitalisation
• Facilitator: Fredrik Ahlgren, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Johan Leitet, Lecturer, Computer Science and Media Technology, Linnaeus University
• Further information: Welcome to a unique lecture and workshop on "Competence in an AI-driven world". We invite you to discover expert insights from Fredrik Ahlgren and Johan Leitet, who will discuss the challenges and opportunities of AI in the labour market. You will gain insights into how AI affects skill profiles and education, and understand the importance of preparing for the future. The lecture (taking place 09:30-10:30) and this workshop are an opportunity to gain knowledge, network with other interested parties and leave with a greater understanding of the topic at hand. Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Guided sound healing meditation

• Event time: 10:45-11:45 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Anna Helgesson, registered specialist nurse
• Further information: Guided meditation supported by the Gong, an instrument for sound healing. Deep relaxation and stress reduction. Hopefully outside, weather permitting. Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Creative writing workshop focusing on spoken word and performance

• Event time: 11:00-12:00 
• Theme: Soft Skill
• Facilitator: Tanya Gautam, EUniWell Student Board
• Further information: Tanya Gautam is a spoken-word poet and a doctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities institute at
  the University of Cologne. In this guided creative writing workshop, she invites you to explore together writing and performing in the spoken-word tradition. No prior experience is expected of participants and writers at all levels are most welcome to attend. Simply put, this workshop is about warming up our creative writing muscles and attending to the thoughts and ideas that come to us during this workshop. Registration required.
• Target group: Students

Programme FestiWell Stage

• Event time: 11:20-12:30 
• Further information: 
  11.20–11.50: A panel discussion with Drivhuset and workshop participants. moderated by Helena Belfrage, External Relations. The participants will present the result of the morning workshop Pre Social Innovation Camp where participants have identified challenges to be addressed during the workshop Social Innovation Camp in the afternoon. Drivhuset supports idea generators, freelancers, entrepreneurs, zealots and fans of change on the development journey.
  11:50–12:00: FestiWell 2023, the very first time we meet in person to celebrate our alliance; Peter Aronsson, Rector Linnaeus University, summarizes and concludes.
  12:00-12:30  Art and science -  interpreted dissertations: The danced thesis entitled "Entrepreneurship in school - changed ideals" directed by Anna Eklund, Department Head Dance, Regionteatern Blekinge Kronoberg and Liv Trulsson, Dance Artist. A talk about art and science moderated by Lina Boman Lagerbäck, Coordinator Culture, the University Library.  

Lunch

• Event time: 12:00-13:00 
• Further information: Art and science -  interpreted dissertations (preliminary): The danced thesis entitled "Entrepreneurship in school - changed ideals" directed by Anna Eklund and Liv Trulsson

Social Innovation Camp

• Event time: 13:00-16:00 
• Theme: Entrepreneurship
• Facilitator: Isabell Ternemo and Wille Lopez, Coompanion
• Further information: Social Innovation Camp is about finding innovative solutions to societal challenges. This concept combines entrepreneurship and creation of societal benefits. All participants are gathered in a common workshop. The workshop is based on the Design Thinking method, stemming from the client and user as co-creators of the solution. A dynamic is formed as participants are activated in a common entrepreneurial process. When points of contact are created between actors, the conditions to develop workable ideas get generated. Registration required.
• Target group: All 

Ubuntu: Critical self workshop - sensitivity/anti-discrimination training

• Event time: 13:00-15:30 
• Theme: Employability
• Facilitator: Dr. Rahab Njeri, University of Cologne
• Further information: This workshop offers a space of exchange where we can criticallyreflect on the question of racism and discrimination in our universities. Racism has many faces and manifestations and it affects the lives of those affected but also those who benefit for it. That's why we should all be concerned about racism. In order to recognize racism and change one's own behavior or influence power structures, we must be able to reflect on their own position.
• Target group: Administrative staff (but open to all)

Dance your way towards employability!

• Event time: 13:00-14:00 
• Theme: Employability
• Facilitator: Erika Lundby, PhD in social work, Linnaeus University
• Further information: An exciting path to reach the ability to trust yourself and your own capacity in future working life. Employability is not only about having the best specific skills, education, and knowledge. In the job market, it is also important to have a positive self-esteem and self-confidence. So, how do you perceive yourself? If you are like most of us, you probably sometimes experience feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. However, there is an easy and fun way to help yourself to feel better – dance! Research shows that dance can improve well-being in several ways: Improve social skills, creativity and increase trust in others; increase self-esteem and contribute to a more positive body image; promote physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. In addition, research shows that dance may lead do decreased depression, decreased anxiety, and decreased stress. So, let’s begin to dance yourself towards employability! In this session you will gain knowledge about how you can use dance as a tool to gain a positive self-esteem and self-confidence. And you can also try an easy dance session! Registration required.
• Target group: All (no need for previous dance experience)

Mindfulness Workshop

• Event time: 13:00-14:30 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Annika Axelsson, Gestalt Therapist, Student Welfare Office, Linnaeus University
• Further information: Mindfulness is all about awareness. About both body and mind. About how your body, your senses work and how you think and feel. You learn both techniques and attitudes that help you to be more aware and more present in your life. So you can go less on autopilot. Be more here and now and less stressed and more focused. And hopefully more understanding towards yourself. Registration required.
• Target group: ​​​​​​​All

(Un)Plugged programming activity

• Event time: 13:00-14:30 
• Theme: Digitalisation
• Facilitator: TeMa Linné- Centrum för skolsamverkan
• Further information: A fun and engaging programming activity designed for those who have little to no experience with coding. Participants will create their own game from scratch (with Scratch) and hands-on experimentation. Registration required.
• Target group: ​​​​​​​All

Ironwoman Soundrun

• Event time: 14:30-15:00 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Lina Boman Lagerström, Coordinator, Linnaeus University Library 
• Further information: In Jan Carleklev’s soundrun, you will experience how Patrick Bergman’s research data is transformed into its own sonic world. It is an artwork in which all your senses are engaged, and where movement is in focus. You are welcome to walk or run through this artwork. During the soundrun it will become tangible that most things around us have a rhythm – and that our hearing has a unique ability to perceive microscopic changes, while still keeping track of the overall sonic landscape. Data is not sound but sound can make us experience data in a different way. This is called sonification. For this work, Jan Carleklev has created a unique algorithm where the research data creates the sound material by controlling both analogue and digital sound generators. You need your phone and headphones, download an app via a QR-code and start at Universitetsplatsen, Växjö campus. Registration required.
• Target group: ​​​​​​​All

Forest Bathing

• Event time: 14:30-16:00 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: Jenny Lovebo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health and Caring Sciences and Anna Helgesson, Professional Forest Bathing Guide
• Further information: Guided mindful walk based on Shinrin-Yoku. Together we practice how we can enjoy nature while minimising our footprints as much as possible in connection to our visit. Participants will have the opportunity to bathe their senses, to reconnect to themselves, to find relaxation and tranquility in nature. In a playful, yet calm way, we explore nature's healing powers. In togetherness we enjoy and let ourselves be surprised by the magic of nature. Registration required.
• Target group: ​​​​​​​All (participants who can walk in non-adapted nature)

Creative Story Telling

• Event time: 15:00-16:00 
• Theme: Soft Skills
• Facilitator: Lixa Hordiienko, Linnaeus University student
• Further information: Interactive exercise on collective creative storytelling on well-being topic. Registration required.
• Target group: All

Nutrition Workshop with OAS Café

• Event time: 15:00-16:00 
• Theme: Well-being Activity
• Facilitator: OAS Café
• Further information: Interactive Baking Workshop. More information to come.Registration required.
• Target group: ​​​​​​​All

Registration

• Registration EUniWell students
• Registration EUniWell staff including PhD students

The registration is open 1 March–17 March. 

Visit the conference page of the host institution, Linnaeus University:

Find further information on travel, accommodations and more at https://lnu.se/en/festiwell2023

Contact

If you have any questions about the event, please send an e-mail to festiwell2023[at]lnu.se.