Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a beautiful place to visit. Its rich cultural and historical background is reflected in its stunning architecture and colorful streets, while its lively atmosphere attracts tourists worldwide. Thanks to the support of VSŠ Academia and the Erasmus+ project Costabex, students Tamara Bogosavac and Tatiana Dieudonne were allowed to travel to Prague and participate in workshops organized by the Czech Technical University, also the organizer of the project.

The Costabex project (Full Study Exchange – International Mental Health Programme) is an educational program focusing on the mental health of outgoing Erasmus+ students, aiming to prepare students for the risks and difficulties they might encounter during their exchange. The project team consists of members from three different countries: Lithuania, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.

“We were very excited to have the opportunity to fulfil our dream of visiting Prague and expanding our knowledge. We attended two workshops on financial management and mental health within the Costabex project. These workshops were perfect for us as Tatiana is currently on an Erasmus+ exchange at the Academia in Maribor and I am preparing for my exchange.”

On the first day of the trip, they attended a workshop on financial management, which was very informative and interactive. They learned how to identify their income and expenditure and how financial literacy works. There was also more free time during the workshops to get to know the other participants. They discussed their budgetary aspects and received advice on how to deal with them. They also learned about financial analysis, which will be particularly useful for the Erasmus exchange. After the workshop, Tamara and Tatiana decided to explore the city and try the delicious food Prague has to offer.

On the second day, the students held a mental health workshop. They learned about the importance and difficulty of balancing mental health abroad. They touched on some of the deeper issues such as depression, anxiety and panic attacks. The mentor shared with them several different ways of coping with difficult days during the exchange.

“We learnt about different techniques to manage stress, promote relaxation and look after our well-being, which was a great refresher. One of the techniques we tried was progressive muscle relaxation, developed by Edmund Jacobson. This technique involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in the body, which can help reduce muscle tension and promote relaxation.”

After the workshops, Tamara and Tatiana took care of exploring the city and visiting some of its most famous sights. First, they walked across the Charles Bridge, one of Prague’s most famous landmarks. The bridge offers a stunning view of the city and is lined with street performers and souvenir vendors. Later in the morning they visited the Dancing House, a modern and unique building designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry. At the end of the day, they visited Prague Castle, a magnificent complex of buildings dating back to the 9th century. The castle offers a magnificent view of the city and the Old Town.

“We were lucky enough to catch the sunset from Prague Castle, which was a stunning scene, before catching the bus back to Maribor.”

Students had a chance to hear and learn more about Stress management, Culture shock or Mental health. Participants could also experience several relaxation techniques, meet other fellows who are going abroad and share their stories.

What’s next? Feedback part.

According to the feedback, 75 % participants evaluate our training as beneficial. As the number one they did mention a session about the Crisis situation and as a number two Stress management.

One student also shared that: “it really opened my eyes a little to see what kind of things/situation I’m probably going to deal with”.

Another student added: “now I know how to be prepared and what to be prepared for before I actually leave” or “ I have not heard about a Culture shock before the training so I am glad that I get to know more about it here before I go abroad”.

We also asked students to give us some advice on what to do better for the next round or if they miss something.

Here are some tips we got from them:

In the first session, students discussed their motivation to study abroad together with ambassadors – students who already finished Erasmus study abroad in different countries. Students were divided into several groups to mingle and ask questions to ambassadors or share some fears they already face. About 120 students participated which did show the importance of this topic.

The second session was focused on Stress management. How to recognise the existence of stress? What do we see as stressors? What are the coping strategies? These are only examples of questions students were talking about during this session.

The third session explained the term culture shock and how it can influence our understanding of different cultures. Students learnt how to manage the culture shock and challenges that may arise while studying abroad. Trainers talked about Culture itself, how to take care of ourselves through a healthy lifestyle or asking for professional help. They also experienced some relaxing techniques and had the opportunity to share and discuss some experiences with different culture specifics they had already come across abroad.

Two sessions left. In the next session, we will take a look at the topic of Mental health. Students will for instance learn how to recognise and distinguish between depression and anxiety.

The last session will be focused on action planning and possible crises and will be a sum up before going abroad.

We are pleased to see that our students value these training courses and try to incorporate all ideas they share with us in feedback to ensure as highest positive impact possible in terms of their preparedness.