From Sustainable Agriculture to Healthy Lifestyle Communication: LAC Lecturer Participates in ACE²-EU Programme in Poland
From 8 to 12 June, the ACE²-EU European University Alliance intensive programme “Fruit and Vegetables – Sustainable Cultivation, Diet and Health Impact” is taking place in Poland, Medical University of Gdańsk, bringing together students and academic staff from the Alliance partner universities. The Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) is represented in the programme by Aija Lūse, Director of the Master’s Programme “Cultural and Arts Management” and Lecturer at LAC.
The programme aims to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the sustainable cultivation of fruits and vegetables, dietary habits, and their impact on health, while introducing participants to current challenges related to food production, quality control, and public health promotion. During the programme, students take part in laboratory classes focused on pesticide residue testing in fruits, microbiological analyses, principles of health risk assessment, as well as discussions on food packaging and the environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution.
As part of the programme, Aija Lūse led the international workshop “Social Media in 2026: How to Capture Attention in a World Where Everyone Creates Content”, where students explored current social media trends, the principles of the attention economy, the importance of authenticity in digital communication, and methods for effective audience engagement. The workshop examined how social media platforms have evolved from communication tools into entertainment and content-consumption environments, where competition for users’ attention is greater than ever before.
“Particularly valuable was the opportunity to work with students and academic staff from such diverse disciplines as medicine, nutrition science, food technology, and agriculture. It once again demonstrated that even the most effective health and sustainability solutions cannot reach their audiences without effective communication. At the same time, communication professionals need to understand the scientific and practical contexts in which these solutions emerge. Such interdisciplinary collaboration is one of the greatest strengths of the ACE²-EU Alliance,” emphasises Aija Lūse.
During the practical part of the workshop, international student teams developed social media campaigns aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle and dietary habits. Students defined target audiences, designed communication concepts, and created short-form video stories using principles of emotional marketing, storytelling, and audience engagement. The result was a range of creative communication ideas encouraging fellow students to adopt healthier daily habits and make more conscious lifestyle choices.
Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project No. 101177596. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
Information prepared by
Aija Lūse
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