Unite! news

Diversity and collaboration are at the core of the Unite! community, but daily work within structured work packages often keeps staff members in silos. To unlock Unite!'s full potential as a true community, fostering peer-to-peer relationships beyond these work package boundaries is essential. With this goal in mind, Expert Team 6.4 embarked on a mission to identify the needs and expectations of all Unite! staff regarding socializing activities that boost motivation, foster a sense of belonging, and build a sustainable Unite! community.

The Unite! Hiking & Walking Club and the Unite! Cooking Club, launched during the 8th Unite Dialogue at Wroclaw Tech, mark the beginning of this transformative journey. Benedetta Gennaro from TU Darmstadt, who is actively involved in Community 3 (Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing) and a new member of the Unite! Cooking Club, aptly captures the spirit of the endeavour:

"I believe cooking brings people together. You use your hands. You share things. You chit-chat while you’re doing it. It’s also an easy way to share cultural traditions.”

These clubs not only provide avenues for connection but also act as the first steps in breaking down the silos that often confine members within the work package structure. For example, within the Unite! Hiking & Walking Club a challenge was launched to collectively hike and/or walk the 609 kilometres separating Wroclaw Tech as the host of the 8th Unite! Dialogue and TU Graz as the host of the upcoming 9th Unite! Dialogue.

Jessica Retzlaff, a staff member at TU Darmstadt who is actively involved in Work Package 4 (Reinforcing academia-business cooperation) and a passionate member of the Hiking & Walking Club, is convinced that achieving this goal together will bring everyone closer within the Unite! community:

"Yes, I am sure that we can achieve this goal together. Everyone is pumped. I will join the challenge too! I look forward to coming together again in Graz, where we can talk about how we collected the kilometres. "

Both clubs exemplify the commitment to nurturing a sense of belonging and connection within the Unite! community, which is fundamental to achieving the Unite! mission.

As the 8th Unite Dialogue drew to a close, the enthusiastic atmosphere surrounding the debut of the Unite! Hiking & Walking Club and Unite! Cooking Club remains palpable. These clubs represent not only a commitment to offering Unite! staff avenues for socialising interactions but also a dedication to breaking down silos, building connections, and enriching the Unite! community. With every stride we take within the Unite! Hiking & Walking Club challenge and each culinary creation we share within the Unite! Cooking Club, Unite! moves closer to realizing its full potential as a tightly-knit, diverse, and vibrant community.