On October 30-31, 2025, Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Kuopio, Finland) hosted a kickoff meeting for the Erasmus+ "STEP" project, aimed at developing trauma-informed teaching in the higher education system of Ukraine and Europe.

During this meeting, five project packages were presented, along with their objectives, content, and deadlines, and initial key actions and coordinated further cooperation were defined.

The project participants are:

- Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Kuopio, Finland);

- FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences (Graz, Austria);

- Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany);

- Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (Zagreb, Croatia);

- Khmelnytskyi National University (Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine).

Khmelnytskyi National University was represented at the kick-off meeting by Associate Professors of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Larysa Podkorytova and Alla Rudenok, who talked about the Fourth Work Package of the project, for which our university is responsible together with the Croatian Institute for Migration and Nationalities. This package is a bridge between theory and practice, research and implementation. Its main objectives are:

- to test and improve the training program on trauma-informed teaching in a university environment;

- to train trainers who will implement the training program for higher education teachers, ensuring high-quality implementation of the trauma-informed program;

- provide teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to recognise and support migrant students who have experienced the effects of war trauma through the implementation of a trauma-informed teaching curriculum;

- collect feedback from teachers, students, and trainers to evaluate and further improve the program and training materials.

The STEP project is critically important for contemporary European society, which urgently needs to prepare for interacting with people who have experienced psychological trauma. Understanding the nature of trauma, its impact on the individual, and human behaviour patterns contributes to better integration of traumatised people into society, which makes both the traumatised person and the community with which they interact healthier through the development of acceptance, understanding, and awareness.

Additional information about the project can be found here: https://iro.khmnu.edu.ua/erasmus-ka220-hed-step-travmo-informovane-vykladannya/