There are numerous study abroad programs run by American universities in Prague, and for years there has been informal networking among staff from the different organizations.

Two years ago, NYU Prague Associate Director Thea Favaloro joined forces with several other study abroad organizations to create a more formal network. They founded the Association of American University Programs in the Czech Republic (AAUPCZ), which currently is made up of 8 member organizations. In 2017, AAUPCZ joined the European Association of Study Abroad Programs.

“The association provides a forum where we talk about experiences, discuss issues that affect us all, and share resources,” explained Thea Favaloro.

The impetus for creating AAUPCZ was because of issues relating to visas – staff from many study abroad organizions were struggling with changing and unclear regulations about Czech student visas. “We realized that if we were to act collectively, it would give us a stronger voice with local authorities,” said Favaloro.

Since then, the organization has explored more ways to become stronger by working together.

This fall they launched a series of diversity training sessions for staff from all member organizations. In December, NYU Prague hosted a session on LGBTQ for staff from all organizations. A transgender American student from the CIEE study abroad program shared her experiences as a student in Prague. Thea Favaloro spoke about NYU Prague’s resources for LGBTQ students, and Kim Strozewski from CET gave a presentation about what administrators should be aware of when working LGBTQ students abroad. The next training session in the series will focus on issues of race and privilege.