The UNESCO Chair Lifelong Guidance and Counselling University of Wrocław warmly invites you to participate in the next edition of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) entitled Life Design for Hope: The Laboratory of Core Educational and Counselling Competencies in the Anthropocene.

The aim of the project is to develop and enhance key competencies needed in the Anthropocene era among students preparing for roles such as career counsellors, personal and professional development trainers, educators supporting life and career decision-making and labour market entry; doctoral researchers conducting studies in this area; as well as university staff committed to building bridges between theory and practice and ready to engage in the exchange of experience.

The Competence Laboratory is intended to become a space for experimentation, exploration, testing, and assessing the usefulness of contemporary educational and counselling methods, tools, and techniques. During the sessions, led by researchers and trainers, participants will have the opportunity to learn, test tools, and learn from each other by sharing their experiences gained in diverse social and cultural contexts.

Benefits for Participants

A key benefit of participating in the Competence Laboratory will be the strengthening of core competencies essential in the Anthropocene—particularly educational and counselling competencies.

Participation in the BIP will also offer an opportunity for mobility to students who, for various reasons, cannot take part in long-term Erasmus+ exchange programmes. Through both physical and virtual mobility, participants will not only gain experience in team-based work but also build networks for knowledge exchange, transnational cooperation, and intercultural transfer of innovation. The project’s transdisciplinary nature and its multicultural background (with contributions from French, Finnish, Portuguese, and Polish researchers) will foster a deeper understanding of research ideas and their practical implications.

The Life Design for Hope Competence Laboratory will also allow participants to recognise the need for communication between researchers and practitioners working across cultures as well as the importance of continuous lifelong learning. It will support the pursuit of developing research methodologies and seeking educational, training, and counselling solutions focused on building hope. Such an approach is essential for addressing the complex and multilayered challenges of today’s world. Ultimately, participants will be better prepared for effective professional functioning—as educators, trainers, and counsellors—taking into account the cultural and social diversity of various groups. In the long term, participants may also use the relationships established during the programme to build an international network of specialists.

Dates: 18–22 May 2026

ECTS Credits: 3 ECTS

Duration:

• 5 days of in-person lectures and workshops (from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
• Virtual component – 3 days / 3 online meetings (before and after the in-person part)

Virtual Component:

The virtual component will include lectures and the testing of tools, techniques, and methods that can be used in online education and virtual counselling. It will consist of 2 online lectures (opening and closing), 2 online workshops, and the creation of small virtual working groups responsible for completing group tasks and jointly developing educational and counselling materials.

Preliminary Schedule

1. Pre-arrival virtual component

Tentative date: May 14

• Organisational meeting
• Online inaugural lecture
• Introduction to the in-person component: planning tasks related to the workshops; distribution of materials to be prepared

2. BIP Sessions in Wrocław

• 5 days of lectures and workshops on the Life Design for Hope concept

We are planning workshops on the following themes: integration, building hope, strengthening resilience, coping with change, visual work with metaphor cards related to hope-oriented counselling, and the use of the “autobiographie raisonnée” approach in hope counselling. The programme is not closed — we are open to your proposals.

3. Final virtual component

Tentative date: May 25

• Heros Navigares for Hope online workshop
• Online lecture closing the project
• Final summary and evaluation of the project

Participation and application options

We invite both researchers who would like to contribute to the teaching activities and students interested in participating. We can accept a maximum of 25 students.
The number of students from each university will depend on the number of declarations submitted by partner institutions.

BIP funding

Each participating university covers the travel and subsistence costs of its students and staff, using funds available within the Erasmus+ programme. The University of Wrocław is responsible for the academic and organisational aspects of the BIP, including the preparation of materials, the organisation of lectures and workshops, and the provision of coffee breaks for participants.
More information coming soon