On 5-6 November, ELTE hosted the CHARM-EU Days 2024, an event series incorporating the CHARM-EU Annual Conference and the inaugural Cultural Festival with a focus on cultures and intercultural learning. With more than 50 programmes at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University, as well as local activities at partner universities’ campuses, the Festival was a colourful showcase of the cultural diversity of the Alliance and a joyful environment for experiencing interculturality and multilingualism.
“Throughout the two days, there was a warm enthusiastic atmosphere, where all participants were eager to share knowledge, engage with new ideas, and ask questions. The value add of this event was that not only were we showcasing and discussing key aspects important for CHARM-EU, but we were also scaffolding those discussions with actual live cultural events. This bridge between conceptual discussions and cultural practices made the programme even more relevant and memorable.” – Silvia Gallagher, Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, CHARM-EU Quality Officer.
Besides the visiting CHARM-EU colleagues, local ELTE students, academics and staff members, the Festival was open to everyone interested and successfully reached hundreds of participants. The programmes also attracted external visitors, including full classes of high school students and their teachers, as well as staff members from embassies, cultural institutions and beyond. The majority of activities were organised by and held at the linguistic and cultural departments of ELTE. Furthermore, the ELTE University Library and Archives, the Eötvös Art Ensemble, the Student Council of the Faculty and external stakeholders (such as the Irish Embassy or Budapest GAA) also organised programmes, while some of the activities in Budapest have been offered by colleagues from CHARM-EU partner universities. In addition, some of the partner universities also provided local programs to engage participants directly in their campuses as well.
“The theme for the conference was well chosen and felt right at the time: intercultural awareness, communication and learning was of great interest and this was noticeable in the active participation of the audience. The fact that much of the programme of the Cultural Festival was planned in the same spirit was a successful concept. There was a wonderful mix of culture, music, dance, games, sports and more.” – Harriet Klåvus, Head of International Cooperation at Åbo Akademi University, WP5 co-lead.
Altogether, visitors attending the Festival in Budapest could choose from a wide range of activities including musical, theatre, dance and literary events, pub quizzes, escape rooms, interactive games, gastronomic events and workshops, an international karaoke night and concerts. Additionally, visitors could enjoy pop-up concerts in various parts of the campus as well as several poems printed out in all CHARM-EU languages. The Bazaar of Untranslatable Items, the Hungarian Folk Dance House, the Gaelic Games Demonstration and the live readings from contemporary French literature were among the most visited programmes and many joined in for the performance of the Choir of the Scandinavian Department as well, staying also for the freshly baked Norwegian waffles and great discussions. The CHARM-EU table on campus engaged a high number of students and guests, and one of the highlights of the festival was the Intercultural Pub Quiz, followed by the International Karaoke Night.
“The first CHARM-EU Cultural Festival in Budapest was an amazing experience. The activities really provided teambuilding opportunities for all the CHARM-EU visitors, but also allowed us to meet our local colleagues and students from ELTE. The activities like the international trivia, pub quiz and karaoke brought us together in a really fun way!” – Annet van der Riet, Educational Scientist at Utrecht University and Lead of CHARM-EU Professional Development group.
Participants attending the Festival at partner universities enjoyed an inspiring array of activities. At Trinity College Dublin, students could take part in an Irish for Beginners class, while Utrecht University hosted a Linguistic Trivia session. The University of Montpellier offered a Linguistic Trivia, the University of Barcelona organised a Short Film Festival on Instagram, an interactive discussion on the future of democracy took place in Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, and the University of Applied Sciences Ruhr West engaged participants with a cultural Buzz-Feed Game.
Many local and international students participated in the Festival, and the student voice was a prominent element during the CHARM-EU Days. For the opening ceremony of the Festival, the CHARM-EU Student Council prepared a video sharing their personal experiences on what interculturality is for them in their mother tongue. They also participated in some of the Festival activities and met with the Student Council of the Faculty of Humanities to share good practices.
“The CHARM-EU Days gave me a deeper understanding of what CHARM-EU is all about, what opportunities it offers, and how we as members of the Student Council can help our students and work with the Alliance. I met with international students currently studying at ELTE through the CHARM-EU mobility framework, and had many informal encounters with students, teachers and CHARM-EU staff participating in the festival. It was great to see how the programmes such as the waffle tasting got people together, I could experienced directly how equal we are in our differences.” – Réka Boros, Vice-president of the ELTE Student Council, member of the CHARM-EU Student Council.
