he event, organized as part of the NEOLAiA European University Alliance, offered local and international students the opportunity to come together and enjoy tasty coffee and refreshments while engaging in a friendly and lively English conversation in an authentic intercultural atmosphere.

The topic of this NEOLAiA Coffee was mobility opportunities within the alliance, as requested by participants from previous sessions. Attendees have learned about various NEOLAiA programmes and initiatives, including the Focus Academy, the Language Assistant Exchange Programme (LAEP), Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP), the Virtual Café, and NEOLAiA Traineeships. Students also learned about the experience of Claudius Constantin Anghel, a Romanian student who recently completed a NEOLAiA traineeship at the Czech company NIL Textile. You can read about his experience in more detail here.

For the first time, NEOLAiA Coffee also welcomed guest speakers! Two of the University of Ostrava students, Eva Švančarová from the Faculty of Science and Tereza Marejková from the Faculty of Education, presented their experience from a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) that they attended at our partnered university in Bielefeld, Germany. They shared memories and details from their stay, from their host families to the cultural programme prepared by the host institution and answered mobility-related questions from other students.

Through events like this, the University of Ostrava and the NEOLAiA Student Advisory Group continue to strengthen connections among students, faculties, disciplines, and even other European universities.

If you missed this opportunity, fear not! Student representatives from the NEOLAiA Student Advisory Group, Linda Šubertová and Natália Kabáčová, are already preparing new events for you. Upcoming events include NEOLAiA Art & Discussion and and a special Christmas NEOLAiA gathering that are designed to further deepen the connection and inspire everyone who joins us.