COVID-19 STATEMENT
We state here the types of requests we can meet (and under what circumstances) as well as an explanation behind why we are unable to meet certain requests related to COVID-19 policies.
We can meet the following requests – under the following conditions;
> An individual sleeping space – However, if you fill out your jotform at the last minute, it may mean we have conflicting needs e.g., if we have already confirmed a number of individual sleeping spaces for the course, we may have reached our limit and would not be able to meet your request.
> To ventilate spaces as much as possible – This is less possible during winter/early spring months – when the weather will be too cold.
> To use outdoor spaces for sessions as much as possible – This also depends on the weather and the training team needs e.g., some sessions may not be suitable for outdoors.
We cannot meet the following requests – due to the following circumstances;
> Generalised testing for COVID-19 and follow-up isolation of those who are COVID-19 positive:
As all participants are needing to do international travel immediately beforehand through busy areas, this means we are not in a position with the facilities we have to make this viable and honour the needs of such participants. To be more specific:
>> Our facilities do not have capacity to guarantee isolation spaces. If we were to lower the number of participants per course it would affect the learning process (which requires a baseline number of participants) and it would also affect the financial viability of our project.
>> There is a high likelihood of participants catching COVID-19 or other seasonal viruses (particularly in winter months) during their travel to the Ulex centre. Regardless of the cleanliness of our centres – there is always the possibility that you may catch a seasonal virus on your journey or at the centre as you will be in close contact with others who have travelled from across Europe. This is a structural circumstance which we cannot control.
>> Collective buy-in for greater precaution was decreasing in Spring 2023 and began to have a greater negative impact on group dynamics and learning. For instance, the isolation of asymptomatic people who are positive with COVID means neither the individual nor their peers will have the learning experience to which they have dedicated time (10-12 days including travel), leave and sometimes personal resources to attend.
We understand that our policy does not always make spaces accessible for people with vulnerabilities – but these decisions have been made with the awareness of the wider context (international travel, our project’s sustainability, group learning processes) to try to assure the most positive impact for the largest number of people.
Keeping in mind the specific context of our courses (e.g., people travelling to attend from across Europe or sometimes the world) – we are open to your suggestions / examples of other training centres who are offering different approaches which are more able to meet the needs of people with vulnerabilities. Feel free to share these with admin@ulexproject.org.