GRÓ GEST Welcomes the 2022 Cohort
The GRÓ GEST team is very pleased to welcome the 14th GEST cohort to Iceland, which has now completed its first week at the GEST programme. The GEST team is grateful for the fellows' decision to join the programme and their dedication in getting here, as many have experienced challenging travels to Iceland. They all arrived in time to join the orientation programme which started last Monday. This is the third GRÓ GEST cohort participating in the programme during the pandemic, which indicates the commitment of the fellows in enhancing their skills in advancing gender equality in their home communities.
This year fellows have joined the GRÓ GEST programme from 15 different countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Malawi, Moldova, Namibia, Pakistan, Palestine, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The fellows include researchers, activists, artists, government officials, and master students, who all have in common their interest and dedication to enhancing gender equality. This semester, six fellows participate from GEST partner universities through the ERASMUS+ programme, receiving a joint scholarship from GRÓ and the Erasmus+ grant scheme.
The week started with three days of orientation, where the GEST activities and programme were introduced, as well as the University of Iceland, living in Iceland, student housing, and practical information. The fellows also introduced their own research of how to live in Iceland, how to seek information about the weather, transportation, swimming pools, shopping, concerts and events. The latter part of the week was dedicated to an introduction to their work on final assignments, as well as introduction to theories and concepts of gender.
The GRÓ GEST team looks forward to getting to know the 2022 cohort better this semester, and spend time with them both in the classroom and during field visits in Reykjavík and in the south of Iceland.