“We Are Inspired, Motivated, and Are Looking Forward to More”

Students, staff, and management of the University of Bremen are creating one of the first European universities together with sever partner institutions. Jessica Winter is one of the students contributing to YUFE. In this interview, the 23-year-old talks to us about her active role.

Ms. Winter, why are you involved in YUFE?

I have always been interested in the cooperation with other universities. For example, as a part of the student committee for mathematics I attend the national student body conferences. Another important aspect for me is the student participation at our university. Since the beginning of my studies, I have participated in university politics and was voted onto the Academic Senate and the student council as a member with voting rights. Being able to combine both aspects and helping to carry YUFE forward with my experience and ideas is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me. That is why I want to accompany and mould this process.

What role do students play in the project?

We are full members and contribute important ideas in all study matters. All YUFE committees and working groups include student representatives with voting rights, even on the management level. Additionally, there will be a student parliament, in which there will be three students from each university.

All YUFE partner universities recently met at the University of Essex in Great Britain. What was your role there?

I was in Essex with the Bremen student Tara Stenker. The first Student Forum meeting with the representative students from Maastricht (Netherlands), Rome (Italy), Essex (England), Madrid (Spain), Rijeka (Croatia), and of course Bremen took place. We spoke about the new structure, our communication and networking culture, and especially about our student roles within the YUFE alliance. We have just started to build the structures for YUFE. It is very exciting. We found networking with other students great and despite the short amount of time, many friendships have already grown. We are inspired, motivated and are looking forward to more.

The next YUFE meeting will take place in Cyprus in the next few days. The Student Forum elections are on the agenda. What type of committee is it?

As we represent the interests of students within the YUFE community, it is much like a student council, in which the involved persons discuss student issues concerning European networking. At the same time, it is the body with which we can take the points that are important to students to the YUFE network and thus the partner universities. In Cyprus, we will elect the executives of the Student Forum in order for us to have a structure and to be able to differentiate between responsibilities. We will differentiate between the chair, the deputy chair, finances, correspondence, and external relations. In Essex, we started to talk about basic regulations and we wish to decide on the first draft in Cyprus. Alongside the Student Forum, there are other ways to participate, for example in so-called Task Forces and in the Project management Group.

Do you need further support from students in Bremen?

Definitely. That is very important for the work in the committees. We are creating a student group, in which students interested in Europe and YUFE can connect. It is intended that the group meet a couple of times each semester so that they can talk and work on Bremen topics that will be put forward to the Student Forum.

About YUFE – Young Universities for the Future of Europe

In the coming years, the University of Bremen will create a European university together with seven partner institutions. The EU Commission is funding the YUFE – Young Universities for the Future of Europe – network with 5 million euros over 3 years. The aim is that YUFE students will be able to easily transfer between the locations of the participating universities, study in more than one language, and move around in various European cultures. All university members will be able to experience this new quality of mobility. Constant communication will connect the locations and open new career paths for University of Bremen members. In this way, the alliance is supporting communication, learning and understanding of institutions, regions, and cultures across Europe. YUFE strengthens European identities and the European idea. Alongside the University of Bremen, the universities of Maastricht, Antwerp, Carlos III Madrid, Eastern Finland, Essex, Roma Tor Vergata, and Cyprus belong to the network.

More information on YUFE will be provided at the internal university event “Das Rektorat Informiert” at 3 p.m. on October 15, 2019, in the mensa (cafeteria).