International University Week 2026 – Democracy and Human Rights

Video IUW Jena – © Rebecca Pohl und Benjamin Pohl

Welcome to the IUW at Jena University of Applied Sciences – April 2026
From April 19–24, 2026, we are happy to welcome around 60 international students, our hosting students, as well as a number of international lecturers to Germany at Jena University of Applied Sciences (Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena or EAH Jena), right in the center of Germany.
We are looking forward to an inspiring week filled with lectures, workshops, cultural exchange, and activities as part of SocNet98, the European network of social work universities.
If you are an international student or lecturer and interested in joining, you will find useful information below to help you prepare and get the most out of this unique international week.
If you are a student at the EAH Jena, you will find information on how to participate at the end of this page in German.

Welcome address to International University Week Jena 2026:
Prof. Dr. iur. Thomas Trenczek

Programme

Itinerary of the IUW 2026 Jena

At the IUW 2026 our focus will be on Democracy and Human Rights, key values of social work practice across cultures and contexts.
We have invited the renowned Prof. Dr. Jens-Christian Wagner, director of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp memorial sites, to give the opening lecture. He is known for his clear stance in favour of democracy and against historical revisionism.
Throughout the week, participants will engage in a dynamic and hands-on program built around 3 interactive workshops, field trips, a group excursion and an outdoor adventure. The goal is to explore the topic from multiple perspectives, encourage critical reflection, and foster meaningful conversations among international students and lecturers.

Workshops

We look forward to the wide range of workshops on our theme of ‘Democracy and Human Rights’ in social work: Description of the workshops

Field Visits

On the afternoon of April 22nd, there will be an opportunity to get to know organisations working in the fields of political education and social work on democracy and human rights. Some of them will introduce themselves at the EAH Jena, whilst others will be visited at their working places. Participants will be grouped according to their interests at the start of the IUW – here is a brief preview:

a) EmpowerMensch: Excursion to Erfurt
b) European Institute for Youth Education and Exchange Weimar (EJBW): Excursion to Weimar
c) Demokratie_laden Kahla + KoKont Jena: Excursion to Kahla and Jena-Winzerla
d) Network for Democracy and Courage (NDC) + Mobile Counseling in Thuringia (MOBIT): Presentation at EAH Jena
e) Institute for Democracy and Civic Society (IDZ) + Violence Prevention Network (VPN): Presentation at EAH Jena

Campusmap

Graphic: ART-KON-TOR and Marie Koch
Campusmap Jena

Getting to Jena

Arriving by plane + train

Via Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).
From there, you can travel to Jena by train:

Train from Berlin to Erfurt
Take a train with either
- Deutsche Bahn (DB)
- FlixTrain
to Erfurt Hauptbahnhof (Erfurt Hbf) – travel time is approximately 2 hours.
(Note: You may first need to transfer to a Berlin station such as Berlin Südkreuz or Berlin Hauptbahnhof.)
Train from Erfurt to Jena
From Erfurt Hbf, take a regional train to Jena West. Options include:
- RE3
- RE1
- RB21
These can also be booked through the DB website.

Via Frankfurt (Main) Airport
From Frankfurt, the journey to Jena takes a bit longer but is just as straightforward:

Train to Erfurt or Jena
- First, travel to Frankfurt(Main) Hauptbahnhof (main station) – several local train options are available.
- From there, take a high-speed ICE train to Erfurt (~2.5–3 hours), then change to a regional train to Jena West.
- Alternatively, there’s a route with just one transfer in Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe (~4h 22min).
By Bus
You can also take a FlixBus directly from Frankfurt Airport to Jena Bus Station (~4–5 hours).

Train Travel Tips

There are frequent train connections throughout the day from Berlin and Frankfurt, so you can easily match your train journey to your flight schedule.
Be sure to allow enough time to collect your luggage before boarding your train.
If you book all your train connections together (e.g., on the DB website/app) and experience delays, you’re usually allowed to take the next available train at no extra cost.

Helpful App:
Download the DB Navigator App to check train times, tickets, platform info, and alternative connections.

Arriving by Car or Bus

Long-distance buses (like FlixBus) also offer affordable connections to Jena.
Alternatively, you can explore carpooling platforms or drive yourself.

Contact

Foto: privat	Frederik von Harbou International Relations Coordinator, Faculty of Social Work“ iuw2026@eah-jena.de
Foto: privat	Johanna Felicitas Borgas Student Assistent for the International University Week 2026 (IUW) iuw2026@eah-jena.de
Foto: privat	Daniel Stieger Student Assistent for the International University Week 2026 (IUW) iuw2026@eah-jena.de
Foto: privat	Dr. Danny von Nordheim Head of International Office auslandsamt@eah-jena.de
Foto: Ziyad Shahadeh	Nancy Reichel International Office auslandsamt@eah-jena.de

Für Studierende der EAH Jena:

Mitmachen bei der IUW 2026

Du möchtest die International University Week (IUW) 2026 aktiv mitgestalten und im April dabei sein? Dann werde Teil dieses besonderen Projekts!
Im Wintersemester 2025/26 kannst du dich über Stud.IP im Modul 1.213 – Wahlpflichtfach I für das Seminar „IUW 2026“ anmelden.
Was dich erwartet:

Du gestaltest die Woche aktiv mit und hilfst bei der Organisation.
Du begrüßt internationale Gäste in Jena und erlebst interkulturellen Austausch hautnah.
Du knüpfst neue Kontakte zu Studierenden und Lehrenden aus ganz Europa.
Du erweiterst deinen Horizont zum Thema „Democracy and Human Rights“.
Und ganz nebenbei verbesserst du dein Englisch in einer lebendigen, praxisnahen Umgebung.

Die Teilnahme steht Studierenden aus dem Fachbereich Sozialwesen offen.