Live My Life is Una Europa's joint format for job-shadowing. The initiative connects professional services staff members across the eight participating universities, organising colleagues into pairs to facilitate peer-to-peer learning. Participants are paired based on share job roles and responsibilities with the aim of ensuring a rewarding learning experience for all. The staff mobility of up to two weeks is accompanied by a mentoring programme that encourages engagement with the wider Una Europa network and introduces key skills such as intercultural awareness, communication and language skills. Embedded in other Alliance activities, Live My Life aims to guarantee more in-depth insights and longer-term benefits than individually-arranged exchanges.
The first cohort of Live My Life participants included representation from eight Una Europa partners and came from four key working areas: alumni, library, press and communications and staff development/ international office. 56 colleagues completed staff mobility under Live My Life in the Spring/ Summer of 2022. Helsinki to Edinburgh; Paris to Madrid; Kraków to Berlin - our staff members travelled all across Europe for a uniquely enriching opportunity for professional development!
The eleventh episode of the Una Europa podcast is jam-packed full of speakers from all stops on the Live My Life journey - from the pairs brought together through the programme to the people coordinating the initiative from behind the scenes. Listen to hear personal insights from the programme, the value of learning outside of your own "office", and the new skills and connections developed through peer-to-peer learning.
Susi Poli and Marie-Julie Jacquemont
Cosima Wagner, Anne Kakkonen, Tuija Korhonen and Aleksandra Prokop-Kacprzak
Susi Poli, Simon Rienacker and Marie-Julie Jacquemont
Katarzyna Maj Müller and Ulf Marzik
" After these two years of pandemic it has been so nice to meet people in person. That is the best thing of this week. "
Anne Kakkonen (Information Specialist, University of Helsinki) on the highlight of her Live My Life experience
" If the people that work in the university know about new perspectives, not only to see their own work but also see the person behind the work. That is what we did: we exchanged not only our views on how libraries should function but also about us as people "
Ulf Marzik (Library Manager Freie Universität Berlin) on the new perspectives brought about by Live My Life
Meet our speakers
Anne Kakkonen is an Information specialist at the learning services at Helsinki University Library. Her main responsibilities include coordinating staff development and internship programs. Tuija Korhonen is also an Information specialist at Helsinki University Library, working in the area of research services. She is responsible for data support and also a liaison librarian for languages and media & communications. Their Live My Life partners are Aleksandra Prokop-Kacprzak, Head of Collection Circulation and Reference department of Jagiellonian Library at Uniwersytet Jagielloński in Kraków; and Cosima Wager, Research librarian at Freie Universität Berlin's University Library and liaison librarian for East Asian Studies with a focus on digital humanities and research data management. These two pairs were able to meet while Aleksandra and Cosima were in Helsinki for their mobility.
Katarzyna Maj-Müller is a Librarian at the scientific information section at Uniwersytet Jagielloński in Kraków. Her job involves organizing trainings and webinars for students and researchers. Ulf Marzik, Library manager of the Law Library at Freie Universität Berlin, introduces new and digital platforms to teachers, researchers, students, and international guests.
Marie-Julie Jacquemot is 1Europe Project Manager for WP6 "Una Europa Community" at Freie Universität Berlin, and is responsible for the development of the Live my Life program. Susi Poli is Education and Professional Development Leader in the Education Division of Università di Bologna and a member of the working group on Staff Development under the Una Europa 1Europe project. Simon Rienäcker is 1Europe Project Coordinator for WP6 "Una Europa Community" at Freie Universität Berlin. Among many responsibilities, Simon is editor and technical producer of the Una Europa Podcast series.
" Community and context are really important, together with intercultural issues and understanding. We have to go wider in our understanding, our place, and our universities connected under the Una Europa alliance. "
Susi Poli (Education and Professional Development Leader, Universitá di Bologna) on the cornerstones of the Live My Life program
The podcast is part of the 1Europe project and co-financed by Erasmus+.
