Two weeks ago was the Face-to-Face week of IGNITION’s partners’ Blended Intensive Program! After several weeks of online collaboration, the students and facilitators finally met in person in #Bragança to continue their teamwork.
Throughout the week, students participated in various talks and workshops that enhanced their learning experience. Melissa Selzener’s presentation on “Creativity in Groups” focused on how to increase creativity using brainstorming techniques. Agnieszka Głodowska and Jakub Garncarz delivered a workshop on “Cultural Diversity in International Teamworking,” emphasizing the impact of cultural differences on communication. Thea Warringa and Harro Leupen conducted a “Prototyping Workshop,” guiding students on visualizing their concepts and creating prototypes. Diana Silva and Gleidcy Rocha offered insights on “Investor Pitch,” focusing on how to pitch ideas effectively.
The students found the workshops and intercultural collaboration interesting and useful. “We learned a lot from the program and we learned a lot from each other”. Wednesday provided a nice break from the work with the cultural excursion to the nearby Prehistoric Rock Art site, where they also got to swim in the Côa River.
Thursday’s dinner served as a wonderful conclusion to the week. The atmosphere was great and showcased the connections forged amongst the students and facilitators. The Instituto Politécnico de Bragança organized a special surprise, which ended up being the highlight of the evening: a performance by the women’s music group Tona Tuna, that showcased traditional Portuguese music and dance.
Overall, the week challenged students to work in international teams, think critically and creatively to come up with solutions, and practice their presentation skills. At the end of the week, they presented their innovative prototypes to each other and the teachers. It proved to be an impactful week full of incredible #teamwork, #intercultural #friendships, and #innovative #prototypes. During the next few weeks, they will finalize their products and present them to their clients.
Many thanks to our Portuguese colleagues Inês Barbedo and Bárbara Barroso for organizing this fantastic week of #learning, #collaboration, and #innovation. And a heartfelt thanks to all the facilitators and support staff from #IGNITION who supported the students and contributed to making this week a success.💪🏻