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Campus life
Student Clinics spread their wings
The summary meeting for another year of activity of the YUFE Student Clinics at NCU was organized at the Copernican Integration Centre.
The Student Clinic Network at NCU was established in 2021 as a part of the YUFE Help Desk initiative to strengthen the bond between the University and the surrounding community. The participating students, supervised by researchers and faculty members, share their knowledge and experience gained at the University by answering residents' questions, conducting training sessions, and providing free advice and substantive support. Inquirers can remain anonymous.
– We provide advice in person, by phone, and by email, and we receive inquiries from both private individuals and representatives of institutions – says Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka, PhD, from the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, and coordinator of the NCU Water Clinic. She emphasizes that for students, working on responses to residents' questions about topics like retention or precipitation data is a great way to deepen and broaden their knowledge.
This year, students working under the guidance of Katarzyna Wasilewska-Ostrowska, PhD, in the University Prevention and SYNERGY Assistance Clinic responded to dozens of inquiries concerning family issues, personal matters, stress, and more.
The Intellectual Property and Standardisation Law Clinic actively supports those interested in protecting their intellectual work, investments, products, services, or inventions. It offers consultations, meetings with experts, training sessions, and workshops.
What else is happening in the clinics?
– This year, we audited several websites, including those of YUFE and the University Hotel. We also run the podcast 'We and Technology,' participate in events that promote knowledge sharing and the social engagement of the university – reports Aleksandra Śnieć, a student from the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, active in the Website Creation and Audit Clinic.
Aleksandra Kuchta, a student from the same faculty, active in the Information Verification and Cyber-Pathology Prevention Clinic, adds: – We conduct training sessions on fake news and disinformation for interested individuals, including pupils, students and seniors. Due to the high demand for knowledge on verifying whether information is true or manipulated, we plan to expand this activity next year.
The results of the Mural Creation Clinic, led by University Professor Iwona Szpak-Pawłowska, PhD, can be seen on the wall of the Student Activity Centre "Kotłownia", among other places. Professor Szpak-Pawłowska's students also showcased their design skills at this year's Toruń Festival of Science and Art.
This academic year, the Legal Clinic is focusing on international networking. Nearly 30 students from our university, the University of Rijeka, University Carlos III of Madrid, and Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas are currently meeting at NCU as part of the programme "National and European Law in the Context of Migration: A Comparative Study and International Practice and Experiences Implemented at the Legal Clinics." – This is another step in building the first international YUFE clinic – explains Filip Garnicz-Garnicki, a student from the Faculty of Law and Administration at NCU. The collaborative work will soon result in, among other things, the publication of a newsletter in which future lawyers will explain the complexities of EU laws.
More information about the activities of the YUFE Student Clinics at NCU and the application form can be found at: https://poradnie.umk.pl/pages/main_page/
Learn more about NCU's civic engagement within YUFE: https://www.umk.pl/en/yufe/civic/
Want to establish a new clinic? Write to: civic-yufe@umk.pl
