The project “Adaptive and Flexible Education for War-Affected Students in Ukraine (SAFE LEARN)” has been selected for funding under the ERASMUS-EDU-2025-CBHE call. Out of 1,200 submitted and supported proposals, only 81 were retained for funding. The project supports Ukrainian universities in addressing the challenges of war and displacement through effective educational strategies, particularly by embedding trauma-sensitive teaching (TST) into academic practice. The initiative aims to systematically integrate evidence-based, trauma-informed pedagogy into instruction, student support, and institutional structures to enhance student resilience, engagement, and emotional well-being – even under extreme conditions.
SAFE LEARN falls under the Erasmus+ program’s Capacity Building in Higher Education strand, which supports universities in partner countries like Ukraine in modernizing and strengthening their systems for the long term. The focus is on multilateral collaboration to address crisis-related disruptions and safeguard the quality of education.
The project consortium includes academic and research institutions from Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Germany, and Ukraine. Together, they are working on:
- tailored training programs for more than 100 university instructors
- resilience-focused support measures for students
- a digital information hub for trauma-sensitive teaching
- long-term strategies for systemic transformation
The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum is one of the German project partners. Dr. Tetiana Gorokhova, visiting researcher at CAIS, contributes her expertise on digital technologies in formal and non-formal education, work with young people and young refugees based on principles of human rights and sustainable development. CAIS also plays a key role in designing accessible, user-centered digital learning environments and analyzing the role of digital tools in implementing trauma-sensitive teaching practices.
SAFE LEARN contributes to strengthening Ukraine’s higher education landscape and reinforces European cooperation in education and research during times of crisis.