Local and International Students Come Together for Breaking Barriers 2022

What prompted you to get involved in Breaking Barriers?

RSU SP approached ISA to ask if anyone wanted to be a project leader. It sounded like fun, so I suggested to the Assistant of Integration and Sports, Lucas Risters, that we do it together.

Describe what Breaking Barriers is about.

The whole point of Breaking Barriers is for international and local students to come together and break the barrier between them.

The name also refers to the hope to break down barriers between different nationalities, dissect prejudices, stereotypes, talk about discrimination etc.

The focus is not just on nationality, but on a lot of other things like professions and social background too.

What was your personal motivation to get involved?

I am interested in meeting more local people, because before I joined ISA I barely had anything to do with any local students at RSU. I want to break this barrier for other people too. International students have prejudices against Latvian students and vice versa. I would like for us all to come together so we can understand one another, interact, and maybe also make friends.

We're excited that this will be an onsite event! I think people will be more interested to get to know one another if they can meet in person. New students might have had difficulties meeting others during the pandemic. Now they'll be able to make friends or acquaintances, and see how other students at RSU study, or live.

Tell me about your background.

My mother's side is German, and my father's side is Russian. I lived in Russia for the first five years of my life and then we decided to move to Germany. The education and healthcare systems are better than in Russia, and career-wise I think you can achieve more in Germany than in Russia. 

Do you speak Russian?

Yes, I speak Russian every day with my parents, and also in Riga. I talk to some patients in Russian too, because sometimes it's easier.

Has this helped you integrate in a way that other international students might not have been able to?

Definitely. I sometimes speak to Latvian students my age who are partying in the Old Town in Russian if they can't speak English that well. It's helped me a lot. Also in my studies. For example, we were with patients once and we only had one teacher for two groups. The teacher couldn't be there for both groups, so they asked us if someone speaks Russian. I said I could and helped translate everything for my group mates so that everyone could understand what we were being taught.

What kind of turnout are you expecting at the event?

We think that it will probably be mostly first semester Latvian and first or second semester international students who will come. They're open-minded and not so fixed in their lifestyles yet in Riga. They might also be more keen to get to know different people and cultures. We actually think that many people will sign up.

We are providing free food and fun activities, so that will be a draw!

What ideas do you have for specific events already?

We have decided to invite one international lecturer and one Latvian to tell us about discrimination they have experienced due to their origin or profession.

The event will take place on 28 May at the RSU SP House where there will be different activities, e.g. groups will have to work together to build their own ideal society, or there will be lectures by people from different nationalities. There will also be a scavenger hunt in the Old Town where students will be sorted into mixed groups.

The day will provide them with a space to learn about different stereotypes, ask questions, and investigate prejudices. International and local students don't always interact during their studies, so this event hopes to provide them with a space to meet.

What's new this year? What are you bringing to Breaking Barriers?

We've made the event only one day long, rather than two as previously. We also changed the start time to a little later on the Saturday, because we recognise that people might have been out the night before. We also tried to mix up the formats so the event doesn't feel too academic. We want to get people excited so that they get involved more. The whole event will end with a party at the RSU SP House.

Facebook event
applications have closed