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Participant reviews of SeGRID 2023

Read the testimonials to find out what previous participants have to say about the course.

Tetiana Momot

29-year-old Tetiana is from Kiev and participated in Segrid 2023.

She learned about Segrid in Ukraine through an NGO portal. The portal contained information about the Swedish Institute and the Segrid course, which she decided to apply for. Tetiana was accepted into the program, and in June she travelled to Sweden. After a long journey from Ukraine, with far too little sleep, the study visits began the day after her arrival.

"The National Library was a highlight! I was so impressed with their passion and their ability to preserve books the way they have."

Once in Linköping, the highlight was learning more about change management, her favourite subject during the course. Working in a team and gaining insights from the participant’s various countries was something Tetiana found very rewarding. She also learned a lot from the role play.

"It taught me a lot about how we can develop digitisation in my home country, Ukraine. I think we have much to learn from the Swedish system and how Swedish digitisation is structured."

Tetiana is grateful she decided to apply for the course and got accepted and encourages others to take the leap and apply. She also advises approaching it with an open mind. She shares how Segrid has been a great platform to meet new people, to network, and to learn about different cultures. Tetiana believes she will find great use for the knowledge she acquired in Sweden.

When asked about what could have been done differently, she says she would have preferred an extra day for more time on group work, but aside from the somewhat compact schedule, she is very happy.

A picture of young woman.

Tetiana Momot

I have developed my skills in digital transformation and how it can be applied in Ukraine. Moreover, I have gained inspiration for my master’s thesis and have acquired the tools to apply my previous knowledge in a more concrete manner. Thanks to Segrid, I have gained both inspiration and practical skills. Apply!

Jubo Beridzishvili

27-year-old Jubo from Georgia learned about the program from a friend who had participated and recommended it.

This piqued his interest, prompting him to learn more about the course and ultimately apply. He was accepted and began the course in the summer of 2022.

Thanks to the program, Jubo has built a vast network of people he either works with or spends time with privately. They were people from Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia, and they got along well. Jubo smiles when describing the atmosphere at Campus Valla.

"The atmosphere at the folk high school with the nature and the horses was delightful."

In addition to the inspiring environment and the opportunity to get to know other participants in the course, Jubo has developed skills in teamwork, communication, and leadership. He also learned more about inclusion related to digitisation.

"A lesson I take with me is the importance of inclusion of different groups in society. It could, for example, involve including different age groups. In my home country, Georgia, we don't have that mindset because we have other more pressing challenges to prioritise. For that reason, we don't really prioritise an inclusive society, which I think is unfortunate. When I work on projects at my job, I always try to think inclusively, which is a tool from the Segrid course.

 
A picture of young man.

Jubo Beridzishvili

Jubo recommends anyone interested in digital governance, e-governance, e-services, and inclusive societies to apply for the Segrid course. He gives Segrid 10 out of 10 points.

Milica Zindovic

26-year-old Milica from Montenegro learned about the program from a past participant who had participated three years ago. 

Montenegro is a small country, and within her sector, people tend to know each other quite well. She heard only positive and encouraging words about the course, with previous participants expressing great satisfaction with their experiences. After being recommended the program from multiple sources, curiosity was sparked, leading her to delve deeper.

Being in Sweden enriched Milica with many new experiences. The culture, norms, and people were different from what she was accustomed to. On campus, she was pleasantly surprised by the commitment and passion of the staff and lecturers. In terms of theory and practice, Milica's study visits were the highlights, especially Visualiseringscenter, which left her particularly impressed. Besides getting to know the culture and country better, Milica acquired many new skills during the program.

"E-governance was the field where I learned the most and the field I most wanted to develop and strengthen my expertise in, as it is within my area of work. In my role, I focus on resilience, innovation, transparency, and openness in the public sector. Thanks to Segrid, I could enhance my skills in these areas. It was also valuable to gain insights and lessons from my colleagues in the Western Balkans and learn about the working methods applied in, for example, Albania and Bosnia."

Milica has recommended Segrid to her colleagues in Montenegro.

"It is a unique opportunity to learn more about Sweden and digitalisation and to make connections and experience a new environment and culture. You also get the chance to travel and meet like-minded young people interested in the same issues as yourself. These experiences would not have been possible at home. The study visits and the robots are examples of unique experiences and insights."

 
A picture of a young women.

Milica Zindovic

To have access to the high standards that Sweden upholds, and gain inspiration and insights were crucial for the development of our own initiatives in Montenegro. Thanks to the ideas I gathered when presenting posters on e-practices, I was able to incorporate some of those ideas into my work.

Eugeniu Harabara

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Eugeniu Harabara

35-year-old Eugeniu from Moldova first learned about the course through LinkedIn, after seeing a post shared by an acquaintance. After researching the course further, he applied and was later accepted.

One of the highlights during Segrid was seeing how the city of Stockholm had developed and digitised the transport sector. Inspired by this, Eugeniu spoke to the Swedish embassy in Moldova to discuss the possibility of implementing the Swedish strategy for smart transport in Moldova. He says that this could be accomplished thanks to the experiences gained from the Segrid course. He also explains that the collaboration hopefully is about to take off and get started properly.

Eugeniu explains that his social skills were challenged and developed during the course, due to the intensive schedule where participants constantly interacted. Additionally, he enhanced his communication skills, especially during group work presentations. He also developed skills in processes related to digitisation.

"I would definitely recommend Segrid, and I have already done so to many of my colleagues. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, make connections, and at the same time, experience a new country and culture. Above all, it is a way to discover how more developed countries work with digitisation and advance in this field. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but it is a great way to learn from each other."


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SeGRID 2024

SeGRID is a part of the Swedish Institute Summer Academy for Young Professionals. The course welcomes participants from the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.

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