Went to Iceland on Erasmus+ and took the opportunity to interview Icelandic prisoners
As a senior lecturer, are you considering applying for Erasmus+ to teach at a European partner university? Do as Nikolaos Stamatakis did. At the same time as he went to Iceland within the framework of the Erasmus+ teacher exchange, he took the opportunity to do data collection for his research.
"The idea was well prepared before my trip to Iceland. I would have gone there anyway to collect data for my research project, and when I was granted a grant from Erasmus+ for teaching, I took advantage of the fact that I was already there," says Nikolaos Stamatakis, Senior Lecturer in Criminology.
Nikolaos Stamatakis is participating in a Nordic research project that deals with restorative justice and the reintegration of prisoners into society. Restorative justice is about a way of relating to the consequences of a crime and about how the convicted person can reduce his or her risk of reoffending with the help of responsibility, healing and reconciliation.
While teaching at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik during his two weeks in Iceland, he took the opportunity to visit four prisons to give the inmates the opportunity to answer his questionnaire.
"All prisoners who were detained in Iceland at the time of my visit were given the opportunity to participate in the project and their response rate was over 90% of the entire prison population," he says.
Erasmus+ is available to all employees
Teachers and doctoral students employed at Mid Sweden University can apply for mobility grants for teaching at partner universities within Erasmus+. The Erasmus programme is a significant part of internationalisation at Mid Sweden University and it is also possible for administrative staff to apply for grants for further education within the programme.
For Nikolaos Stamatakis, the exchange was very successful and he encourages his colleagues to apply.
"I am convinced that employers value the skills and experience gained through international exchange programmes such as Erasmus, as participants demonstrate adaptability, cultural awareness, communication skills and a global outlook, which are in high demand in today's interconnected world.
