On June 1, a round table focused on The Pitfalls in Counseling for University Students of Ethnic and National Minorities in Czech and English Study Programs took place at the CZU. The round table was held under the auspices of prof. Ing. Jiří Remeš, Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Education, and Ing. Iva Hrabánková, Ph.D., Chancellor of the CZU.
This event was organized in collaboration with the Association of University Counsellors of the Czech Republic (AVŠP), a professional association bringing together academic staff and other employees working at universities who provide study, psychological, special-pedagogical, and career counseling, currently counting over 100 members.
The round table was attended by over 30 AVŠP members from various Czech universities, e.g. Charles University, Czech Technical University in Prague, University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Prague University of Economics and Business, Masaryk University, VSB-Technical University Ostrava, and Tomáš Bata University in Zlín. The private sector was represented by colleagues from the University of New York Prague. We were excited to welcome also the representatives of the Czech National Agency for International Education (DZS), who were very much interested in this event.
The goal of the meeting was to share experience and good practice with various types of counselling services for foreign students and students of ethnic minorities in the Czech Republic, as well as to address potential pitfalls and issues. Thematically, the event was divided into three blocks, namely study counselling, a block presented by former students from the perspective of ethnic minorities, and the last block dedicated to sharing experience from the perspective of psychological counseling. Each block was opened by a short contribution on the given topic, which initiated a discussion among the participants. "The counseling support does not mean reducing study requirements, but provides room for communication, mutual respect and trust", stated Vice-Rector Jiří Remeš, who at the same time explained the mission and goal of the newly established Centre for Counseling Services at the CZU.
The meeting addressed a number of topics that we would like to elaborate more in the future, in particular focusing on intercultural differences and communication, and educating students and university employees in this area. A significant issue that was mentioned repeatedly by various participants was the lack of external psychosocial care and services for foreign students through the regions. This topic is one of the key topics that universities have to address. Other areas in which we would like to collaborate with other universities are activities leading to the improvement of students' orientation at the university and in the education system itself. The question of how to support students so as not to be afraid to tackle the problems and ask for help was broadly discussed, as well as the fact that this might be a taboo topic in many cultures. During the meeting, there was also enough time for experience sharing and networking.
The fact that all involved participants perceived the round table topics as crucial was also evident from how each post sparked a lively discussion and many questions. From the participants´ reflection, it is obvious that there will definitely be a need to address a number of topics more in detail. Therefore, we intend to keep organizing similar events in the near future.
As a part and parcel of this event, the host organized a guided tour of the CZU campus, including demonstrations of sustainable development elements, which testify to the fact that at our university we not only talk about things and teach them, but also implement them in practice.