LKA Students Take Part in SPACE Centre Volunteer Programme in Austria
From 15 to 23 September, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Austria hosted the international ACE RISE volunteer programme organised within the ACE²-EU European University Alliance. Two students from the Latvian Academy of Culture (LKA) Master’s programme in Cultural and Arts Management, Keita Nikola Rasa and Santa Ābele, took part in the programme. During their stay, the students contributed to the organisation of the Carinthia 200 road cycling event, supporting logistics, communication and the overall delivery of the event. Their participation provided valuable hands-on experience in organising a large-scale event while also strengthening their teamwork and intercultural communication skills in an international environment.
For both students, one of the most valuable aspects of the programme was the opportunity not only to discover another country, but also to become part of a local team and contribute directly to the event. The international setting also provided a practical opportunity to experience cultural differences. Before starting their volunteer work, the participants attended an introductory session on culture shock and intercultural communication, and over the following days they were able to experience these topics first-hand.
“I joined the project because I wanted to find out what it is like to work in an international team in another country. On our very first day at the Austrian university, we discussed culture shock and cultural differences. At first, many of these things seemed self-evident, but it was the actual volunteering experience that helped me truly understand how to communicate and collaborate with people from different countries, adapt to different situations and organise tasks together,” says Keita Nikola Rasa.
The students were entrusted with a range of responsibilities, including participant registration, preparing information materials and presenting medals to athletes at the finish line. Being directly involved in communication with event participants allowed them to feel like fully integrated members of the organising team.
“I was very happy that the tasks we were given were genuinely meaningful and important to the event. It made us feel that our presence was truly wanted, appreciated and valuable. The work was rewarding and enjoyable because we were not ‘hidden away’ from participants or spectators, which can sometimes happen unintentionally in international projects due to language barriers or other reasons,” says Santa Ābele, reflecting on her experience.
One of the most memorable moments for Keita was welcoming Svetlana, one of the ACE²-EU volunteer programme representatives in Austria, at the finish line after she had taken part in the race and presenting her with a medal. In their day-to-day work, the students also appreciated the support of the host team and the opportunity to get to know other volunteers and local residents in an informal setting.
“We were welcomed into the team as if we were one of their own. We were encouraged to try different tasks, and the organisers made sure that we could gain as much as possible from the experience,” Keita says.
Over the course of one week, the students experienced Austria not only as volunteers but also as members of the local community. They established new connections with students, event organisers, university staff and local young people, while gaining experience and knowledge that can be applied in their future professional work in Latvia.
“Of course, volunteering in a country where you do not hear Latvian anywhere around you can be challenging and a little intimidating, but I can definitely say that Austria and its people are very welcoming and understanding. The experience was also made much easier by the Austrian team’s precise and highly professional organisational skills, as well as their English proficiency, which made communication easier and ensured that we always had a clear understanding of what was happening,” says Santa.
The ACE RISE programme aims to engage students from all ACE²-EU partner universities in volunteer work with partner organisations, promoting intercultural exchange, civic engagement and participation in socially meaningful initiatives. The programme will continue in 2027, and work is currently underway to involve new organisations willing to host students from LKA and other ACE²-EU partner universities.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, 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-funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
_M3gHVKr.png)