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from June 2, 2025 to June 13, 2025
From 2 to 13 June 2025, eight members of the University of Tours took part in the NEOLAiA European Summer School entitled “Vanishing and Silenced Communities, Places and People”, held in Ostrava, Czech Republic. This summer school, which focused on educational innovation and open science, forms part of the NEOLAiA European University Alliance project, of which the University of Tours is a member.
Designed as an interdisciplinary training programme in digital and social humanities, the Summer School aimed to introduce students to digital mapping (QGIS), collaborative data collection, and the enhancement of forgotten industrial and social heritage through a collective interactive mapping project. Over the course of two weeks, participants from the nine NEOLAiA European universities combined fieldwork, documentary research and digital tools to produce an interactive map of the industrial district of Vítkovice, bringing together diverse disciplinary approaches. The programme sought to restore visibility to places, communities, and forms of heritage that have been “erased” by time or inequality.
The University of Tours was proudly represented by a multidisciplinary group comprising:
The students fully engaged in the training sessions, practical workshops and collaborative activities, while teaching and research staff contributed their expertise and took part in the Open Science Festival (programme link), held alongside the Summer School, fostering dialogue across disciplines and cultures.
This experience not only allowed students to strengthen their digital skills and intercultural teamwork abilities but also to actively represent their university in a stimulating and rewarding international environment.
This Summer School is one of a range of opportunities offered by NEOLAiA, an alliance of nine European universities committed to transforming educational practices, fostering scientific cooperation and promoting societal engagement.
And the journey continues:
Congratulations to our delegation for their contribution to this innovative European project blending heritage, digital tools, civic engagement and the social sciences!