The Catholic University mobilizes for Ukraine. In the five campuses of Milan, Piacenza-Cremona, Brescia and Rome, economic, psychological and training support initiatives have been activated in favor of university students from the territories affected by the conflict.
The Gemini Fund, set up by the University following the Covid-19 health emergency, will collect donations from both the university community and from companies and foundations that already collaborate with the Catholic University to financially support projects in favor of Ukrainian students . Contributions can be made at the following link https://sosenga.unicatt.it/fr-dona-ora – indicating DONATION FOR UKRAINE in the section “donate donation”. The Catholic University also adheres to the initiative promoted by the Ambrosian Caritas in support of the Ukrainian population.
Exemption from the payment of university fees is provided in all locations for students who come from the areas involved in the conflict and who should apply for it. At the Piacenza campus, the Catholic University, by adhering to the relevant call for proposals from the Emilia-Romagna Region, is making five scholarships available for a value of three thousand euros each for students coming from Ukraine. Furthermore, free accommodation is provided for beneficiaries at the ER.GO residences until 30 September 2022, subject to actual availability.
In addition to economic aid, the University promotes psychological support activities: EDUcatt, the foundation that manages the services for the right to education, provides a free listening desk for Ukrainian and Russian students.
On the training front, Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, proposes two initiatives with the aim of making the skills of the students and teachers of the Faculty available. The first initiative is called “Razom in Italy – Together in Italy. UC students and teachers for Ukrainian refugees ”, and is carried out with the University Center for International Solidarity of the University (Cesi) in partnership with AVSI and the Russian Christian Foundation. The project is coordinated by professors Adriano Dell’Asta, professor of Russian language and culture, and Anna Paola Bonola, professor of Russian language, supported in the psychological field by Fabio Sbattella, professor of Emergency Psychology. The initiative provides for the organization of free Italian language lessons held by students of the Russian language courses of the Catholic University with a level of knowledge of the language of level B1 or higher or of adequate knowledge of the English language. The lessons, lasting about an hour and a half each, will be aimed at groups of a maximum of 3/4 people and will take place twice a week electronically. The didactic material will be provided to the participants free of charge. The project will take place from April to September and the participating students, who are currently following a special training course, will be awarded 4 ECTS. For information: [email protected].
The project “The Italian for welcoming. Teaching Italian to Ukrainian refugees: training, methodologies, applications – ITAUKR “, coordinated by Mariateresa Zanola, director of the Observatory of Terminology and Linguistic Policies and of the Master in Didactics of Italian L2, with Silvia Gilardoni, full professor of Didactics of Italian as a Second Language and the collaboration of the University Language Service (Selda). Specifically, the project provides for the organization of free training seminars for volunteers engaged in teaching Italian as L2 to Ukrainian refugees, addressing in particular those who work in national and international voluntary and third sector associations active in reception and integration projects. of refugees on the national territory.
The seminars – which will be held subsequently on 21 and 28 April, always from 18.00 to 19.30 – have the aim of responding to the first emergency of pre-A1 and A1 basic level learning, according to the requirements of the Common European Framework. of reference. The training accompaniment to Ukrainian refugees will continue to allow them to be trained up to the achievement of level B1, necessary to access the level of certification currently required for more advanced professional placements. Furthermore, in the coming weeks, Selda will promote a free course of about thirty hours of Italian for Foreigners dedicated to Ukrainian university students.