| Open Call: Join the UAx Platform in 2025 |
We are thrilled to announce an open call for applications, inviting the final five ELIA member institutions in higher arts education to join the UAx Platform in 2025 and become sister schools to five Ukrainian higher arts education institutions. About the UAx Platform The UAx Platform is a community initiative connecting art universities from Ukraine with across the EU, UK, and USA, promoting solidarity and collaboration among ELIA members. Annually, between 2022-2025, we announce a call for a partnership between five Ukrainian arts universities and five current ELIA members from across Europe and beyond. Currently, the platform includes 28 institutions, with plans to expand to 33 in 2025 with your support! Our mission is to foster the resilience and recovery of Ukraine's cultural sector by strengthening higher arts education in the country during times of crisis. Established in November 2022 with the generous support of the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation (AACCF), UAx supports Ukrainian art students and institutions through a student scholarship and mentorship programme, a sister schools partnership programme, and knowledge-exchange initiatives. Through UAx Ukrainian institutions have received full subsidies for ELIA membership, and access to an extensive network of 285 higher arts education institutions, resources, events, and partnership opportunities for fostering international collaboration. Many ELIA institutions are already engaged in actions to support Ukrainian art students (please see the full list here). This open call invites additional and last five ELIA member schools to join as supporting institutions, pairing with Ukrainian art education institutions. About the Sister School Partnership Programme In the early days of the Russian invasion, ELIA expressed solidarity with Ukraine, reaching out to its members to compile and share a list of support initiatives across Europe and globally. Many ELIA institutions responded enthusiastically, and the Sister School Partnership Programme emerged from this response. By joining the UAx Platform as a sister school, your institution will gain the opportunity to participate in a strong network of art universities. Participating institutions will commit academic and administrative resources to support the student mentorship programme, knowledge exchange and peer-learning initiatives, as well as participation in the UAx Day taking place a day before an ELIA signature event. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the UAx Platform activities, sister schools formalise their partnership through a memorandum of understanding (sample available here). As participants in the UAx Platform, ELIA member institutions will allocate resources to establish an international mentorship network. Two UAx Mentors per ELIA sister school will be nominated, each working with up to six students in Ukrainian institutions. This mentorship aims to support Ukrainian students in developing their practice, building confidence, expanding their professional networks, and offering supplementary support to their home institutions during wartime recovery. The mentorship will be one academic year. Become a Sister School Following an open call in summer 2024, five outstanding Ukrainian institutions have been selected by the UAx Steering Group to join the UAx Platform in 2025. These institutions are:
For more information on the disciplinary profiles of these Ukrainian institutions, please refer to this presentation. We invite current ELIA members to submit their applications by 13 December 2024 to become sister schools of these Ukrainian higher arts institutions. For further information about this transformative project, please contact Uliana Furiv, the UAx Platform Manager, at uliana.furiv@elia-artschools.org. To express your interest, please complete the application form below. Open Call Application Form
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