On Monday, April 28, 2025, the GIPE++ spring school launched with great energy and enthusiasm as Students and staff from partner universities came together at the Westfälische Hochschule for 12 days of collaborative learning, intercultural culture and creative ideation.

The week began with a warm welcome by professors Manfred Meyer and Michael Wendland, both coordinators of the GIPE project, setting the tone for what promises to be an enriching program. Participants quickly got to know each other through an ice breaking Human bingo activity hosted by Mechthild Rieger from the International office. A joint vision for the GIPE documentary was then introduced, followed by a guided campus tour, from the basement of the university to the neighbouring building, led by local students.

After a shared lunch in the Mensa, students got to work in their streams, making final adjustments for their upcoming presentations. The afternoon took a creative turn as each stream produced short multilingual video introductions, a fun exercise in stepping outside comfort zones and learning about one another. The day wrapped up with video showcases and a welcome dinner for the organizing team and stream leads.

Tuesday opened with a presidential welcome from Prof. Dr. Bernd Kriegesmann before diving into stream presentations. Each group had 30 minutes to present their analysis and vision for the project streams, offering insights into early conceptual directions. This served  as a warm up for the presentations with the client on next Tuesday, May 06. In the afternoon, participants engaged in an intercultural teambuilding workshop led by Prof. Rainer Janz, focusing on building trust and effective communication across cultures. After finishing agenda of the day, GIPEES had the choice to go out and sightsee.

Wednesday was all about cross-team synergy. The morning was dedicated to a structured interaction and coordination session where all streams rotated in pairs to exchange feedback, align visions, and explore collaboration potential. After lunch, teams transitioned into internal concept development, detailing mockups, strategies, and content plans. During this time, members of the university senate were invited for an open house visit to see the project work in progress. The day concluded with a cultural highlight: an excursion to Schalke with guided tours, providing a relaxed and informal setting to continue networking and bonding.