Students of the Learning Centre Aspira Zagreb, accompanied by Ana Katanić, Coordinator of Studies for International Management in Hospitality and Tourism and Gastronomy, and Professor Ivana Šalinović, spent five days in magical Bratislava participating in the Erasmus program called Circular Economy. The innovative and first-of-its-kind program in which Aspira took part, aimed to familiarize the participants with the challenges of economic sustainability in the modern world, and encourage personal change as well as change in the participants’ universities. During the first part of the week, the students had the opportunity to listen to various lectures on the power of the circular economy, where, in addition to the basic concepts of the field, they were also introduced to inspiring examples of good practices of the regenerative economy around the world, such as saving an almost extinct breed of horse, revitalization of a small coastal town with a festival of old ships… The last part of the week was reserved for group work, during which the participants had the task of coming up with a solution to certain current problems, such as food waste, and the first prize was given to the idea of exchanging clothes on the campus.
The program with really interesting guest lecturers from Norway, Slovakia, and France, and participants from Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, and Armenia was also accompanied by rich extracurricular activities such as a tour of one of the most historically significant city districts Petražalka, known as the Iron Curtain border. In addition to cultural enrichment, the students also enjoyed traditional Slovak dishes, and the culinary highlight was rounded off with a farewell dinner on the riverboat with a magnificent view of the fortress.
Our students spent their free time visiting the city, its’ fortress, museums, and zoo, and all of them eagerly await the opportunity to participate in similar programs.
