Wednesday 17-05-2017 - 10:56

Between 24 and 28 April 2017, six students from Kaunas University of Technology, namely Monika Balčiauskaitė, Marta Talandytė, Adriana Lavrukaitytė, Monika Samuolytė, Ieva Kurkulytė and Agnė Medėkšaitė together with seven students from The University of Porto audited the social responsibility of The University of Edinburgh under the framework of the ESSA project.

On the first day of the project, students divided into four international groups. Each group received different benchmarks related to research, teaching, and support for learning and public engagement, governance, environmental and social sustainability and fair practices. Using the above-mentioned criteria, students conducted the audit through document analysis, as well as interviews and focus groups with university staff.

For all the students involved, the audit was a first experience and a great learning opportunity

Following the research, students presented their observations to university staff and those interested in university social responsibility. Students will then summarise all the findings and recommendations in a report. For all the students involved, the audit was a first experience and a great learning opportunity.

"This is an absolutely unique project and we are so lucky to be chosen as the participants. Not only did we have the chance to look at the University of Edinburgh and its social responsibility, but also to learn about auditing. I also could not forget mentioning the fact that we met amazing people and visited a picturesque city,"said Adriana Lavrukaitytė

”The Auditing week was full of new opportunities: we developed our skills and met students from Porto and Edinburgh. On the other hand, the experience was at times challenging. I am hoping that our insights will be beneficial in a way that would create discussions among the staff about certain fields which require attention,” said Marta Talandytė

“This project is much more than I could ever expect from an Erasmus+ project. I want to thank the organisers for the unique opportunity not only to have access to auditing but also to become part of that process,” added Monika Balčiauskaitė / Monika Samuolytė

Social responsibility - a duty to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystem

Connecting the dots, social responsibility is a duty which every individual has to perform to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystem. The ESSA project shows that students are truly interested in helping the university and the society and want to be part of that process.