TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Edyta Gawlak
The Student Project Incubator Summer Programme 2025 aimed to develop students’ innovation, collaboration, and design skills through an intensive, practice-based experience using Design Thinking methodology.
The programme addressed the need for experiential learning that connects academic knowledge with real-life business and social challenges. Students worked in intercultural teams on authentic briefs from corporate partners (HSBC and Ringier Axel Springer Polska) to design user-centred solutions.
The activity contributed to Una Europa’s goal of promoting international, interdisciplinary education and aligned with the Jagiellonian University’s mission to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility among students.
The programme brought together 22 students from all eleven Una Europa partner universities across Europe and beyond – a truly international cohort representing institutions from Poland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Finland, the UK and more.
The facilitation team consisted of four experienced trainers and mentors – psychologists, sociologists, and economists – working in intercultural and interdisciplinary constellations.
English was the working language, and all group work, reflections, and presentations were conducted in an international context, enabling cross-cultural dialogue and peer learning.
The programme was fully grounded in non-formal education and learning-by-doing principles.
Participants went through all five stages of the Design Thinking process – empathy, define, ideate, prototype, and test – using a variety of interactive and experiential tools such as:
Empathy interviews and qualitative data coding (based on real transcripts from HSBC employees),
Empathy Map and Persona Canvas development,
Visual metaphors and collages to express user emotions,
Brainwriting 6-3-5, Dot Voting, and Now–How–Wow matrix for ideation and prioritisation,
Low-fidelity prototyping with tangible materials,
Pitch Canvas and storytelling exercises to train public speaking.
Reflection and feedback rituals (e.g. Balloon of Hopes & Fears, Daily Reflections, Keep–Stop–Start feedback) were used to encourage metacognition and emotional awareness.
The Student Project Incubator Summer Programme 2025 successfully enhanced participants’ innovation mindset, teamwork, and communication skills through a hands-on, design-driven process. Over four intensive student groups students worked in intercultural teams to solve real business challenges from HSBC.
By the end of the programme, each of the four teams developed a working prototype and presented it during a final pitching session evaluated by a professional jury. The projects ranged from gamified talent-mapping systems and wellbeing initiatives (Happiness Coach) to mentoring platforms and experiential learning tools.
Participants demonstrated clear growth in empathy, research, and creative problem-solving skills — learning how to conduct and interpret qualitative interviews, build personas, and translate insights into user-centred solutions. Evaluation results confirmed a very high level of satisfaction (average 4.9/5) and strong personal engagement.
The initiative strengthened collaboration between Una Europa, the Jagiellonian University, and Fundacja Warsztat Innowacji Społecznych, becoming a reference model for future interdisciplinary innovation schools within the Una Europa network.
As a trainer and co-designer of the programme, I was responsible for developing the pedagogical framework and facilitating workshops on Design Thinking, Empathy Research, Ideation and Creative Prototyping. I guided students through all phases of the Double Diamond process — from understanding user needs to testing solutions — while integrating psychological safety, reflective practices and group dynamics into the learning experience.
I co-created learning materials, moderated two in-depth reflection circles as a psychologist to support participants’ emotional processing and team dynamics, and facilitated daily evaluation moments where students shared insights and challenges.
I also supported participants during public presentations and pitching rehearsals, helping them refine their narratives, structure arguments and manage stage presence. My facilitation combined methodological clarity with warmth and humour, creating an atmosphere where students felt both supported and inspired to take creative risks.
Additionally, I mentored international teams one-to-one, providing feedback on empathy maps, personas and prototypes, and ensuring inclusivity and open communication across cultural backgrounds.