As part of the COLOURS project, an IMAGINE/IDEATE workshop was organized at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, where students applied design thinking principles to address equality, diversity, and inclusion issues within the university environment. This two-day workshop provided an opportunity for participants to analyze existing challenges and develop practical solutions they could implement themselves. During the workshop, students worked in groups, first identifying the challenges they face in their daily lives. They then focused on creating solutions using creative methods. Importantly, the proposed solutions had to be realistically implementable by the students themselves, fostering their responsibility for shaping the environment and driving positive changes. At the end of the workshop, students presented their ideas, and the best proposals were recognized. The winning group, composed of first-year students from the professional bachelor’s program in Intercultural Communication, proposed organizing events to help students integrate into their new environment and find like-minded peers. These events aim to provide practical support to young people facing challenges in adapting to a new social and academic setting. The authors emphasized that such events would foster a positive and inclusive experience, promoting mutual support among students. The workshop’s outcomes demonstrate that by encouraging active student participation and creative approaches, sustainable changes can be achieved in their daily lives. This workshop is part of the COLOURS project, which aims to promote the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion in educational institutions.

On 10 December, the VUAS Library invited students to a meeting with Rafael Martín Calvo, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Translation Studies. He talked about how a writer's work is presented to publishers in another country before it is translated, what to do when only a few Latvians know a certain Latvian word, how many hours it takes to translate a novel and when is the best time to learn a foreign language. He also talked about participation in publishers' events, book fairs and book presentations in different countries. The students also had the opportunity to see translations of Nora Ikstena, Albert Bell, Guntis Berelis and other writers already published and to learn more about each of them. R. Martin Calvo also talked about his dream projects and revealed some of the works he is currently involved in. Thank you to the VUAS Library for hosting the event!

CoLab ""Higher Education and Workforce in the Region" held at the VIZIUM Science Center brought together academic staff, students, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and other members of the community. The discussions focused on analyzing current challenges and exploring innovative solutions to ensure that new specialists are well-prepared to meet the demands of today’s labor market. Opening the event, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) Rector Andris Vaivads highlighted the increasing demand for highly qualified specialists in the coming years, referencing forecasts from the Ministry of Economics. He called for closer collaboration between universities, businesses, municipalities, and society to adapt educational programs to the real needs of the labor market. Dr. Annette Klinkert, Executive Director of the COLOURS project, and Dace Štefenberga, VeA’s COLOURS Content Manager, shared insights on the European University Alliance and its benefits for the region. Austris Galindoms, Head of the Economics and Procurement Department at Ventspils City Council, emphasized the municipality’s role in fostering cooperation between education and the labor market. Meanwhile, Sandrine Labory from the University of Ferrara presented Italy’s experience in the Emilia-Romagna region. Other participants included Baiba Kūma, Head of the Kurzeme Planning Region’s Business Center, and Gvido Grinbergs from the Business Support and Digital Innovation Center at Ventspils High Technology Park, who stressed the importance of developing digital skills in the workforce. Raita Rollande, Head of TDL School, a subsidiary of TestDevLab, shared her experience collaborating with higher education institutions to prepare new specialists. Additionally, Maksims Kovalenko, Production Director at Immer Digital, highlighted workforce challenges in the industry. The forum concluded with a panel discussion on the impact of higher education on local economic development and regional growth. The panel featured business representative Raita Rollande, Ventspils City Council Deputy Executive Director Egons Spalāns, VeA Rector Andris Vaivads, and student Kārlis Andrejs Krūmiņš.

On 3 and 4 of December, the European Parliament's service hosted the third edition of the Citizens' Language Days, a two-day event dedicated to exploring the power of clear language in fostering transparency and democratic participation. The event, organised in Luxembourg, was also attended by students from the translation programmes of the universities included in the EMT (European Master in Translation) network. One student represented each EU language. Latvia and the Latvian language were represented by Adrija Enrika Ēdele, a student of the Master's programme in Translation at VUAS. The students were invited to the European Parliament (EP) in Luxembourg, where most of the staff of the EP Directorate-General for Translation work. In addition to workshops and conferences, the students had the opportunity to get to know the quarter where the European Parliament is located and the work of DG Translation. "During the event, we were able to listen to conferences, workshops and speeches in different EU languages. It was particularly important that we were present at the presentation of the Citizens' Language Guidelines, which are an important tool for language professionals, translators and others interested in the production and adaptation of texts into plain language," says Adrija. It should be noted that the guidelines are derived from the ISO standard on plain language. The guidelines are available in all 24 EU languages and include not only text, but also video and audio material.

On 22 November, the European Commission organised a virtual visit to the Directorate-General for Translation, which was also attended by MA students of the Faculty of Translation Studies of the VUAS. The event was well attended (around 800 participants) and gave our translation students the opportunity to learn all about the work of translators and interpreters in DG Translation and other EU institutions. The event organisers gave an overview of the volume of documents translated in the EU institutions and explained the computer-aided, machine translation and artificial intelligence tools used by translators in the EU institutions. Our students had a one-to-one meeting with translators from the Latvian Translation Unit, where they could get answers to all their questions about eligibility requirements, application prerequisites and how to apply for a traineeship or a job in the EU institution.