UCB students attend Young Leaders Academy

UCB Business students Nethan Punj and Joe Margetts spent a week in Bulgaria attending the Young Leaders Academy. 

The International University College in Dobrich, Bulgaria hosted a large-scale training and networking event for students from the La MANCHE consortium. The Young Leaders Academy was attended by 62 students from 28 institutions across Europe. 

The purpose of the Young Leaders Academy is to build students’ leadership skills and to empower them to engage proactively in the university governance processes. Throughout the week the students had lectures from professors representing universities from around the world, including Armenia, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia France, and Ukraine. The skills the students learn will help give them the ability to make positive changes to their country’s higher education system. 

UCB academic, Vicky Wynne, delivered a series of workshops herself at the Academy on the role of mentoring in leadership and management. “This event is a great opportunity for staff to share their research and good practice,” she said. “Not only that, students from all over Europe get a real benefit from working together and learning about leadership and how culture and politics impact different countries.” 

The students participated in economic and cultural activities, which gave them an insight into why education systems in other countries often operate differently, and they attended workshops focusing on leadership and change management. They spoke to students from all over Europe and even managed to take in some sights around the city. 

“I enjoyed my time with the La MANCHE project in Bulgaria,” said Joe. “I made a difference in the people’s lives, and they made a difference in mine. I hope that I can continue my work developing relationships between the UK, EU and the neighbouring countries, universities and students. Events like this bring nations together and help make a better European Union by building relationships. 

“With the leadership skills I have learned from the Young Leaders Academy I can now make a positive impact on my own university and community.” 

“It was a really great opportunity,” Nethan added. “It gave us an insight to what it was like to study in different countries. It is also ties in with my course, as business enterprise should always have an international perspective.”