The Culture of Sharing: “DON@ – Donation Opportunities for Newcomers”

On April 4-5, Vytautas Magnus University representatives attended a transnational meeting in Athens, Greece which aimed to develop future steps of a new student project: “DON@ – Donation Opportunities for Newcomers”.

The key objective of the DON@ Donation Opportunities for Newcomers project is to facilitate the integration and improvement of living conditions of students with fewer opportunities by promoting mutual support, inclusion, and sustainable development.

Three universities and three non-profit organizations are involved in the implementation of the “DON@ Donation Possibilities for Newcomers” project: INSA Rouen Normandie (France), Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain), IASIS NGO (Greece), Erasmus Student Network France, Erasmus Student Network CosmoLyon (France).

Moving for Erasmus mobility or for full-time studies abroad entails buying many essential things for students’ accommodation in a new country. Predictably, students want to reduce unnecessary spending and spend their saved money on other important plans such as traveling, rather than buying a set of kitchen utensils, for example.

DON@ Donation Opportunities for Newcomers project is aimed to resolve this issue: facilitate the culture of sharing between students and make them spend less money.

The transnational meeting in Athens hosted by IASIS NGO was a significant step forward in the DON@ project’s development, bringing together partners with a shared vision and commitment to making a difference. The meeting covered a range of topics, including the project’s communication and dissemination, students’ need survey strategies, the development of a digital donation platform, and future plans.

Participants highlighted the importance of engaging with local communities to promote the project and encourage the culture of sharing items from student to student. They also discussed future events in the summer dedicated to collection and donation activities. In the coming month, partners will explore the needs of students, gather focus groups, and prepare events in their city.

The project started in September 2022 and will last until August 2024 from the program Erasmus + KA220-HED – Cooperation partnerships in higher education.

Read more:

What VMU students think about this initiative – New Project for Students: “DON@ – Donation Opportunities for Newcomers”

A transnational meeting in Kaunas, Lithuania – Work in progress: “DON@ – Donation Opportunities for Newcomers”