CHARM-EU Annual Conference: When Culture Brings Us Together

[Article] - Published on November 26, 2024 at the European University CHARM-EU

On November 5, the annual Charm-EU conference was held at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary. This was an opportunity for the nine partners of the alliance of European universities, including UM, to take an in-depth look at the many facets of interculturality and highlight its crucial role in strengthening transnational collaboration in higher education.

CHARM-EU is not just the acronym for an innovative project. It is certainlychallenge-driven, accessible to as many peopleas possible,research-based, and particularlymobile within the European Union (EU). But above all, it is a collaboration between different European universities, cultures, and languages. Eleven languages, to be precise. That's as many ways of seeing the world as there are challenges to overcome.

" Our difficulties have most often been caused by differences between our cultures," said the rector of Eötvös Loránd University at the opening of the 2024 Charm-EU annual conference. Hence the importance of "Bridging culture , embracingdiversity," the inspiring motto of the 2024 Charm-EU Days.

Guardians of knowledge

A desire to share was the common thread running through the speeches given by the nine official representatives of the alliance's partner universities, who spoke in their native languages, repeatedly emphasizing the urgent need for Europe to remain united. Starting with François Pierrot, Vice President for International Relations at UM: "Thanks to everyone's expertise and enthusiasm, the University of Montpellier has been able to benefit from all of your know-how. More importantly, European university alliances are now real tools for cohesion in Europe in an increasingly divided world."

As universities, " we are the guardians of knowledge," said Jan Butí, president of the Charm-EU student council, before affirming the need to " build together a future where all voices are heard and valued." Throughout the day, the concept of interculturality was addressed in all its diversity, with a focus on intercultural learning in European university alliances.

The spirit of collaboration

Among the round tables that participants at the annual Charm-EU conference were able to attend, one presented the Global South's perspective on higher education. This was done by Umesh Bawa, a clinical psychologist at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. "We absolutely must reverse our perspective and look not from North to South, but from South to North," he said. " A better understanding of the global South's frameworks is crucial if we want to make a difference."

The round tables were followed by numerous workshops on challenge-based learning, exchange students, the links between AI and multilingualism, the alliance's shared virtual offices, and more. There was also a workshop led by Céline Fabre (Institut Agro Montpellier) on developing intercultural skills through "story circles," a concept developed by American researcher Darla Deardorff.

Building trust

In his closing remarks, Jan Haarhuis, director of Charm-EU at Utrecht University (Netherlands), who will soon be retiring after having been one of the pioneers of the European project, put forward compelling arguments in favor of interculturality: "The bonds of trust and reliability that connect all partners are at the very heart of our collaboration. Consolidating this trust is a crucial challenge that we must overcome, requiring constant attention and care. It is essential for the future of our alliance to connect cultures and celebrate diversity. I have no doubt that this applies to all European university alliances."

On the same day, at the launch of the first edition of the Charm-EU Cultural Festival, Meritxell Chaves, Secretary General of the alliance, praised the " spirit of collaboration " shared by all the partner universities. She confessed: " Working together makes us so much stronger!" These words were immediately echoed by the choir of Eötvös Loránda University, which brilliantly performed the European anthem in each of the 11 languages of Charm-EU.

Keywords: Charm-us, International