Faces of Our CommUNAty: “My staff empowerment journey has been about two things: trust and teamwork.”

Staff empowerment lies at the core of Una Europa because when colleagues feel trusted, heard and encouraged to take part in the alliance's initiatives, they bring fresh ideas and a true sense of ownership. The energy that comes from this empowerment drives collaboration and innovation across all our partners, which in turn helps our community to grow organically among our colleagues through word of mouth.

That's how we move from being a merely institutional network to a vibrant, ever-growing community that reaches every part of our universities. This approach is critical because we need people to understand the value of the alliance and for them to see themselves as part of this new ecosystem that goes beyond local realities and puts us in a better position to face the challenges of the future, but together.

The strategy is mainly about opening doors, creating more opportunities for mobility, training and international collaboration in general for our professional staff. We want colleagues to learn from one another, share good practices, and grow together. It also aims to broaden the concept of internationalisation, extending it to more professional groups across our universities and not just those traditionally involved in international relations.

Live My Life is our blended job-shadowing initiative, and it gives professional staff the opportunity to step into another partner university's environment, learn directly from peers and bring back fresh ideas to their home institution. It goes beyond traditional self-arranged staff exchanges because we prepare participants through online sessions that explain the bigger picture: We give an introduction about the European Universities initiative, the alliance’s mission, how it works and more. And we also offer practical guidance and intercultural tools, especially for colleagues experiencing a professional stay abroad for the first time.

For those already involved in international collaborations, the programme is just as valuable: the online preparation combined with the physical exchange offers a real opportunity to broaden one’s horizons. Since the matches are arranged centrally, they are not always perfectly aligned in terms of roles or tasks. This gives room for discovery and for that shift of perspective to take place.

I remember one colleague, Julian Muñoz, who was not very involved in the alliance at first. Then he got the chance to participate in Live My Life. He came back to his home university, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), completely transformed and inspired. Today he is UCM’s Senior Local Lead, a key role that helps bring the Una Europa vision into the local context of his university. That is exactly what we want to help grow in people: turn curiosity into heartfelt commitment.

For me, this journey has been about two main things: trust and teamwork. On one hand, trust, because I've been encouraged to lead initiatives, share ideas openly, and collaborate with colleagues across institutions. I've had the opportunity to present our projects and steps forward in forums within the alliance and beyond, which has been an incredibly enriching experience. It is that trust and that support that have helped me grow and made me feel like I'm truly part of something bigger, which is this European University.

On the other hand, I feel teamwork has been and is a vital component of it all, of course, because I don't feel alone in the Una Europa unit. I'm fortunate to work with the most wonderful colleagues, who always empower and inspire me on a daily basis and are a constant source of meaningful discussion, brilliant ideas, and motivation. So, yes, even if I don't take part in specific exchange programs, I work closely with colleagues from all institutions. And I truly feel grateful for that.