4 TO 15 SEPTEMBER

Review of the Sustainable Mobiliy Summer Academy 2023

Two weeks of intercultural exchange around sustainable mobility

From 4 to 15 September 2023, the Sustainable Mobility Summer Academy took place at the Technical University of Wildau (TH Wildau), funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The theme of the two-week international, interdisciplinary event was "The Role of Cycling and other Modes of Transport" and focused on cycling and sustainable mobility. Almost 20 participants from eleven different countries, including Belgium, Germany, France, Ghana, India, Canada, Cuba, the Netherlands, Senegal, the Czech Republic and Uganda, engaged in joint exchange, took part in excursions and worked out joint results.

The two-week academy ended with a joint presentation of a "business game", which was part of the study and event programme and was developed in cooperation with the surrounding communities, especially the community of Eichwalde. The participants explored the municipality on site, conducted interviews with different stakeholders and developed proposals and recommendations for improving the bicycle infrastructure with a view to bicycle parking facilities for the municipality, especially in the S-Bahn area.

Voices of the participants

Eden from Canada studies Natural Resource Sciences at Thompson Rivers University

»I think it is a really great environment to meet people. I have learned so much about other countries and cultures and how they are different and the same. My perspective has grown like a years worth in the two weeks. It is a once in a livetime opportunity.«

Manuel from Ghana studied Transport Geography at Cape Coast University

»I am a researcher on micromobility. It was a great opportunity to see and explore what happens in the western world and compare it to my homecountry. (...) It was a wonderful experience, a great interaction not only because of the topic, but also because of the different cultures.«

Lilidh from Belgium studies Business Management at Vives University

»If you don't know what to do with the summer or you want to do something differently, I would definitely recommend going here. It was fun. You also see lots of things. They take you to cities you would never go to, for example Potsdam. I never heard of it before.«