Natolin campus updates

As the first reports on COVID-19 appeared in Europe in early 2020, we started to make plans and react. Our main goal throughout the whole pandemic has been to keep our community safe while making sure that students can carry out their studies and enjoy all the opportunities the Natolin campus has to offer.

We successfully concluded the 2019/2020 academic year in June. All our scheduled assessed courses and exams, including language certification exams, took place as planned. They were moved remotely and only underwent minor shifts in timing.

As we entered the 2020/2021 academic year, we wanted to make sure that all students, staff, and visiting professors feel safe and confident on campus. As such, we instituted a series of policies and pledges, outlined below, that help to structure our work. We implemented our first round of community-wide testing before students had even arrived on campus and continue to work closely with the community, regularly meeting with individuals, groups, and our student representatives.

Natolin Pledge 1 // Regular testing We have organised several mass COVID-19 tests for the whole student community in the first semester of 2020/2021. We pledge to continue testing on a regular basis, as long as need be. In addition, we also arrange individual tests for any student who has symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection or has been in contact with an infected person. We cover all the costs of such tests. Testing is not limited to students alone. All staff, visiting professors, and long-term contractors were also tested.
Natolin Pledge 2 // Innovative learning Some of our classes take the form of in-person instructions, others are conducted remotely. All in-person classes also include a remote connection for students who cannot be physically present in the classroom. This shift does require some changes in the way we teach. We have formed a dedicated on-campus team that looks at blended learning pedagogies and strategies, briefing professors therein. We have also made significant new investments in ICT equipment to support more effective remote learning.
Natolin Pledge 3 // Community outreach We recognise that on-campus safety requires community effort. It is only by working together and looking out for each other that we can stay safe. We are therefore in constant dialogue with our student community, discussing our pandemic response with the student representatives and, at times, a dedicated social committee.
Natolin Pledge 4 // Support for every student Every student who is in quarantine or (self-)isolation receives full support from the Natolin community, including food, book, and medicine deliveries. In addition to this, we also provide counselling support to any student who might require such. Finally, we will host any student who cannot travel home, either for the winter break or in the weeks after the conclusion of the academic year, on our campus.
Natolin Pledge 5 // A safer campus We have redesigned parts of our campus with student and staff safety in mind. This includes ventilation upgrades in common rooms, plexiglass screens in the campus restaurants, and readily available hand sanitizer in every classroom, common room, and at the entrances to all buildings. All rooms are regularly cleaned and professionally disinfected.
Natolin Pledge 6 // A team of experts We have built up a dedicated pandemic response team that includes an experienced epidemiologist and legal advisors. This team helps us navigate both the ongoing epidemiological situation and better understand government responses in Poland and beyond. We regularly share the team’s findings with our community, informing it of any changes in Polish or international restrictions.

Below you can find a selection of events that happened on our campus in the current academic year. The complete list of events is available here.

	Climate Transition Lecture by Mr Michał KURTYKA, Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland and President of COP24 On 15 February 2021, the College of Europe in Natolin had the pleasure of hosting Mr Michał KURTYKA, Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland and President of COP24, for our third high-level lecture in the framework of our Climate Transition Lecture Series titled: "Current challenges and their overcoming on a state and EU level". Learn more here.
	Capacity Building Workshops on the United Nations SDGs at Natolin The Careers and Professional Development Office of the College of Europe in Natolin in cooperation with the United Nations Association in Poland organized a capacity building programme on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). Our students had the unique opportunity to discuss with many prominent speakers, participate in several tailor-made interactive workshops as well as in a UN General Assembly simulation exercise. Learn more here.
	Online International Conference "The Protection of Children in Armed Conflict: Two Decades of Institutional and Humanitarian Action" An event organised on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children on armed conflict, as well as in light of the International Children’s Day, by the Embassy of Belgium in Warsaw and the College of Europe in Natolin. Learn more here.
	Natolin Neighbourhood Days 2020: "The EU’s Southern Neighbourhood in Transition: Whither Maghreb?" This autumn’s Natolin Neighbourhood Days, organised by the European Neighbourhood Policy Chair, turned southwards and critically addressed several challenges with a view to provide students with a more thorough understanding of current political, politic-economic and security dynamics in an important EU neighbourhood sub-region. Learn more about this event series here.
	Climate Transition Lecture by Mrs Laurence TUBIANA, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and Special Representative for COP21 On 28 October 2020, as part of the "Climate Transition Lecture Series", the College of Europe in Natolin was honoured to host Mrs Laurence TUBIANA, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and Special Representative for COP21. The special online lecture was titled "Between (climate) ambition and (social) justice: evolution of the global climate policy framework". Learn more, watch the video and the picture gallery of the event here.
	Opening Ceremony at the Natolin Campus with keynote speaker Mrs Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA On 20 October 2020, the College of Europe in Natolin held its official Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year 2020/2021. On this special occasion, we had the privilege to host Mrs Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, Leader of the Democratic Belarus, who delivered an inspiring keynote address. Learn more, watch the videos and the picture gallery of the Ceremony here.
	Natolin First Semester Study Trips – Four Destinations in "Borderlands" From 20 to 26 September 2020, Natolin students of the Mário Soares Promotion embarked upon their first semester study trips under the overarching theme "Borderlands: Peripheries have much to teach the center". This year, students had the possibility to choose between four study trips! More information as well as the photo galleries are available here.
	Start of the Academic Year 2020/2021 On 3 September 2020, we celebrated the start of the academic year 2020/2021 with the students of the Mário Soares Promotion: 134 students representing 39 nationalities, thus the second-largest student intake in the history of the College of Europe in Natolin! Read the full description of the event and see the picture gallery here.
	Arrival of the students of the Soares Promotion On the last weekend of August, the majority of the students of the Soares Promotion arrived to the Natolin campus. The College of Europe in Natolin has required students to present a negative RT-PCR upon their arrival. The whole Natolin staff has also been tested in order to safeguard the community from the coronavirus. Read more here.
	FAQ – Information before the start of the Academic Year 2020/2021 We have collected a list of frequently asked questions and answers for the students of the Mário Soares Promotion 2020/2021 before their arrival to Natolin. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions section here.