The experience cafe «Cooperation in social actions initiated by academia as a response to crisis situations» was successfully held within the framework of the project «Supporting Ukraine through the involvement of citizens in the universities of the Baltic countries» (Baltics4UA) in the Scientific and Technical Library, Lviv Polytechnic National University.
The event was aimed at discussing and sharing experiences regarding cooperation in social actions initiated by academic circles, especially in the context of crisis response. The participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with examples of successful initiatives and discuss opportunities for their expansion and improvement.
A total of 27 participants (academics, students and non-academic staff of Lviv Polytechnic) took part in the event. The meeting took place in the format of interactive activities, where all participants worked in small teams under the guidance of their leaders.
The team leaders were:
- Oleksandr Berezko, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Social Communications and Information Activities, Lviv Polytechnic National University, ex-president of EuroDoc;
- Iryna Sniadanko, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Psychology, Lviv Polytechnic;
- Ivan Khoma, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of History, Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage, Lviv Polytechnic.
Each team discussed the main problems and positive practices of the specified topic, and generated ideas for solving problems or achieving positive changes.
Taking into account the emphasis of the event – the cooperation of the management of higher educational institutions and the academic community during the response to crisis situations, the team participants proposed the following:
- To create specialized commissions for crisis management, which will include representatives of the academic community and administration for effective management of crisis situations.
- To develop and improve the action plan for responding to various types of crisis situations.
- To conduct trainings and seminars on crisis management to improve crisis management skills.
- To create a system of operational information exchange between the participants of the joint process of response to crisis situations.
- To use the expert potential of the academic community to analyze crisis situations and develop recommendations for their resolution.
- To create information and analytical centers that will monitor the situation and analyze data for prompt response to crisis events.
- To organize joint interdisciplinary projects between different institutes, universities and disciplines to solve specific problems related to crisis situations.
- To create a system of psychological and practical support for those who need help during crisis situations.
- To develop mechanisms of interaction with the public to inform and involve them in responding to crisis situations.
- To create a network of partners for rapid response to crisis situations and exchange of resources.
These proposals will become the basis for further improvement of crisis management mechanisms in universities and will contribute to increasing the level of preparedness for dangers and challenges.
The participants of the event noted the high level of interactivity and fruitful exchange of ideas.
Follow the news of the Baltics4UA project and join the further activities of the team!
