June was a busy month for Circle U. at UCLouvain, with two summer schools held the same week, one in Brussels Saint-Louis, the other in Louvain-la-Neuve.
Plain Language, AI and Democracy: A Week in Brussels Saint-Louis Campus
The first, "Plain Language, AI Literacy and Democracy in the EU", took place on the Saint-Louis campus and was coordinated by the University of Oslo in partnership with UCLouvain. Over the course of a week, students from across the alliance's universities explored the connections between plain language, artificial intelligence and democracy, including a highlight: a visit to the European Parliament and its Directorate-General for Translation and Clear Language.
Ariana Pinto Moreira, one of the participants and a student at UCLouvain, recalls:
"Plain language is much more than simply making communication easier to understand: in this Summer School it became clear that it is an essential tool for bringing institutions closer to citizens, fostering more informed civic participation, and making democracy more inclusive. At a time when discussions about the challenges of Artificial Intelligence are increasing, participating in this programme was extremely relevant. It allowed me to reflect on how AI can be used to strengthen democratic resilience through text, without losing sight of its risks."
A Linguist's Perspective
On the teaching side, Barbara De Cock, professor at UCLouvain and a linguist herself, especially values the richness of bringing different perspectives together:
"This course, organised by Hilde Reinertsen (UiO), was yet another example of the fact that bringing together teachers and students from different disciplines and countries makes for a more interesting and more complete view of this important societal topic. As a linguist, being part of this course also confirmed and reinforced my observation that our society needs more linguistically trained people, rather than less, in order to adequately deal with challenges related to plain language, even (or perhaps precisely) in a context where AI is used. Finally, the linguistic diversity of the group of students allowed us to concretise what linguistic diversity in the EU means in terms of legal and democratic rights for people living in the EU."
Entrepreneurship for Social Impact in Louvain-la-Neuve
In Louvain-la-Neuve, the focus turned to entrepreneurship, with the first edition of the Women Founders Network Summer School – From Potential to Power, organised with the support of UCLouvain's Louvain Learning Lab. Over five days, students from several Circle U. partner universities worked together on entrepreneurial projects addressing societal impact: student well-being, women's health, and mental health in the workplace.
Azzurra Cipollini, a student at the University of Pisa, worked with her team on student mental health:
"Starting from a striking statistic, 57% of students experience feelings of isolation and loneliness, we designed the pilot of an app aimed at fostering meaningful connections among students, building supportive communities, and improving well-being across university campuses. This experience reminded me that innovation can become a powerful tool for positive change when it starts by listening to people's real needs. I leave this experience with new skills, fresh perspectives, and the belief that the best ideas are born through collaboration."
Two Weeks, One Shared Conviction
Two weeks, two different atmospheres, but one shared conviction: it's by encountering other ways of thinking, other disciplines and other countries that the ideas that matter are born.
The Summer Schools in Pictures
