Poland
participants
Creating a space where first encounters feel safe, natural and meaningful stood at the heart of Buddy Up!. The initiative aimed to ease the emotional transition into a new country by ensuring that no international student experiences their first days in Katowice alone. At the same time, it empowered local buddies to step confidently into their role and build connections beyond their assigned pair. Strengthening a sense of belonging from the very beginning helped lay the foundation for an engaged, supportive, intercultural community throughout the entire semester.
Buddy Up! was not just a meeting, it was the official starting point of the international experience in Katowice. Before the semester began, we gathered incoming Erasmus students and their local buddies in one shared space to turn online introductions into real-life connections. The event created a friendly environment where first meetings were supported through interactive ice-breakers and group activities. Instead of leaving these initial encounters to chance, we intentionally built a welcoming atmosphere that encouraged openness and belonging. By bringing together international students, local buddies and ESNers at the very beginning of the mobility experience, we laid the foundation for long-term friendships and meaningful intercultural exchange. Buddy Up! transformed our Buddy Programme from a logistical process into a community-building experience!
