To make student and staff mobility more inclusive and climate friendly are two overarching goals of ENLIGHT that are a subject of discussion in various of our activities. Especially in the Work Package Connect the issue is one of the main focus points.
One central objective with respect to inclusiveness will be to widen the definition of underrepresented groups that currently includes students with disabilities or health issues; from less favourable socio-economic backgrounds; with specific (cultural, religious, and personal) motivations. As only by constantly evaluating and revising this definition together with student representatives who bring common but yet overlooked student struggles to our attention, ENLIGHT will become truly inclusive. To this end, a survey on ‘Student diversity and discrimination’ is currently designed by the Göttingen Institute for Social Diversity Research.
To be able to exchange experiences, survey findings and best practices links between Equal Opportunities Offices or other responsible departments at the ENLIGHT partners will be established. Based on this exchange, we will design case studies in close cooperation with the ENLIGHT student network in order to realise or goals to enhance inclusion and diversity in mobility
Regarding the issue of making student mobility more sustainable a first important step is the linking and interconnection of existing Green Offices and sustainability or mobility Initiatives at the ENLIGHT universities which will help to facilitate exchange regarding experiences with existing sustainable mobility offers.
Furthermore, different documents that will be used as a guideline for future activities are currently developed. Besides the development of virtual mobility formats, changing of predominant modes of transportation and carbon offsetting measures, the promotion of sustainable living in host countries is addressed in the paper and will be discussed more intensively in the future.