Deadline: April 26, 2024
Applications are open for the Warsaw Euro-Atlantic Summer Academy (WEASA) 2024. WEASA is an annual summer school for mid-career professionals from the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans. WEASA was founded in partnership by: The College of Europe in Natolin, the Polish-American Freedom Foundation and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
This year’s theme is: “Seeking momentum. Embracing Euro-Atlantic integration in times of crises”.
Objective for WEASA 2024
This year, the objective is to bring participants from Eastern Europe and Western Balkans to the College of Europe in Natolin to debate current issues related to European enlargement, security and geopolitics; to exchange experiences and find common solutions which would advance Euro-Atlantic integration in the long run. WEASA 2024 will also help participants to develop new skills and help them be more aware of the challenges their countries face in their European integration and to start thinking of ways to overcome them. WEASA 2024 will also be an opportunity for networking, sharing experiences and ideas, and learning how the region can work together to better strengthen its readiness for integration, build a more resilient society and understand its place in Europe and the world.
For this reason, they have developed a program of lectures, workshops, debates, and individual skills-building sessions, to best address their aims and objectives.
This year’s WEASA will cover such topics as:
- How to revitalize Euro-Atlantic integration in difficult times
- Lessons learned from previous enlargements
- How to strengthen democratic resilience
- The challenge of cybersecurity in the democratic process
- Fighting against disinformation and an introduction to OSINT
- European integration outlook for Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans
- Personal digital security: practical tools for being safe online
- Geopolitics and the changing world order – what it means for the future of Europe?
The program is designed to ensure a perfect combination of lectures, workshops and panel discussions providing both theoretical and practical background. The approach to the content was adjusted based on the suggestions of their alumni members.
In addition, they have introduced some novelties to the summer academy content structure. The participants of the summer academy will present their countries from the perspective of Euro-Atlantic integration and indicate the main challenges their societies face in this process. Furthermore, the participants will take an active part through a specially organized Oxford Debate and a simulation game!
Cost
- WEASA organizers cover participants’ travel costs for travel for up to 350 euro (with no exception as budget is limited).
- The accommodation and food for the whole duration of the summer academy will be fully covered by the organizers.
Eligibility
- WEASA 2024 will host 35 participants coming from a cross-section of society and specifically from public administration, academia, NGOs, think tanks, media and civil society organizations who are citizens of the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans.
- They typically look for mid-career professionals (usually those with at least five years of professional experience), who work as policy analysts, experts, advisers, civil servants, journalists, private sector specialists and in NGOs and are interested in WEASA related topics.
Application
The deadline for submitting the applications is April 26 2024. WEASA 2024 will take place in July 1-10 2024 in-person at the College of Europe in Natolin in Warsaw, Poland. Participants shall plan to arrive on June 30 and depart on July 11. Be aware that no early or late arrivals/departures will be accepted as Natolin hosts other activities before and after WEASA.
For more information, visit WEASA.
