Milsa Group

MILSA is an innovative comprehensive academic mentoring programme that leads the way in the field of facilitation of students’ intercultural learning. From 2016–2017, MILSA was developed by an international project team consisting of Ellen Krause and Annie Cottier,University of Bern, Switzerland and Susan Oguro,University of Technology Sydney, Australia, and funded by the Mercator Foundation Switzerland. Designed to maximise students’ intercultural learning gained through study abroad, MILSA makes use of pre-departure and post-sojourn workshops, but also of communication technologies, prompted blog contributions and active reflections during students’ time abroad. These measures ensure that MILSA mentees receive comprehensive support throughout the study abroad experience and are also supported to apply these intercultural skills back home and develop a critical way of thinking about their own society and values. In this way, not only is the critical understanding of the host country’s culture(s) developed, but also that of the home country.

Milsa Group was awarded with the Bo Gregersen Award for Best Practice in 2018 for creating a valuable project that demonstrates a good practice of intercultural learning and a great example of international team cooperation.