Széchenyi István University is participating in a three-year Erasmus+ programme with Polish and German partners. Focusing on vocational training, the project aims to develop a family health counselling model that responds to modern needs.

SZE places great emphasis on fostering its higher education relations, and joined the Erasmus+ project launched in November 2021 at the invitation of an existing partner. The international programme entitled “Family Health Advisor” includes our University, the University of Warsaw UKSW, the German IFN Research and Networking Institute and the German FOM University of Applied Sciences. The project is hosted by the Polish company EDU Research.

The Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the Kautz Gyula Faculty of Economics submitted the application for the tri-national programme. "The great advantage of this topic is that it is interdisciplinary, i.e. it involves several disciplines, so the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences of our university have joined the research," said Dr Éva Happ, the leader of the project from Győr. In addition to her, Dr Zoltán Bugovics, Dr Petra Szücs and Dr Erzsébet Printz-Markó represent the University in the project team.

Following the launch, members participated in international meetings where they outlined common goals, evaluated in-depth interviews related to the research, and learned about best practices in the participating nations. Partners explored systemic, terminological, cultural, and other differences between Poland, Germany, and Hungary. These meetings were followed by short exchanges involving learning-teaching-training (LTT) activities. Dr Veronika Keller, Associate Professor, and Dr Erzsébet Printz-Markó, Assistant Professor, represented the Győr-based institution on the first visit to Warsaw. Participants gained in-depth knowledge of Polish family support models and the philosophy of their social system. The subsequent project meeting took place in Kirchseeon, Germany, in early 2024.

At the domestic event in early June, Polish and German guests were introduced to the activities of Hungarian family and child welfare centres, the Hungarian network of social workers, and the unique support system for people in need of social care in Europe. They also visited the Family and Child Welfare Centre in Mosonmagyaróvár, gained insight into the daily operations of the local “DrogPont” and the Children's Transition Home, and attended a presentation on the work of the Example Association for Children between the Islands. The presentations and programmes held in Győr and Mosonmagyaróvár during the four days highlighted other potential areas of cooperation, such as the social system for the ageing population and support for the mental health of university students.

Participants of the learning-education-training short programme organised by Széchenyi István University in Győr in the framework of the Erasmus+ project "Family Health Advisor" (Photo: Máté Dudás)

"Our visit to Hungary was inspiring, and we see many more opportunities for research cooperation between our universities," said Dr Marek Kulesza, Associate Professor at the Department of Family Studies at UKSW Warsaw, at the end of the program. Another participant, FOM psychologist Merle Siepmann, added that she had a very positive experience at the program organized by Széchenyi University and hopes that similar opportunities for international relations between institutions will be available in the future.

"This project encourages inter-faculty and international cooperation, as well as publications in foreign languages. The translation of the results into practice will also contribute greatly to social sustainability, as the development of family health advisory roles will benefit local people," concluded Dr. Happ. She added that the project will be concluded in October as a side event of the Kautz Conference, and that not only university members but also external visitors are invited to the presentation of the results.

The guests visited the castle of the Albert Kázmér Mosonmagyaróvár Faculty of the Széchenyi István University in Ódvar, and got acquainted with the social institutions in the town, such as the Family and Child Welfare Centre, shown in the second picture.