Communication strategies on digital platforms for improving the leadership communications skills
Course Type: Applied Blended Challenge (ABC)
Duration and Learning Format
- Total workload (60 hours), broken down into:
- Synchronous online activities: 2 sessions (September) on the fundamentals of solutions journalism & digital narratives and case study (3 hours)
- Independent and group work: studying the fundamentals and investigating the case study, work in groups and do assignments/task (25 hours)
- On-site (physical mobility) activities: 5 days in campus UFV (30 hours)
- After follow up & reflection (2 hours)
- Dates of:
- Online component: 23 September 2026
- On-site component: 9-13 November 2026, in Madrid, Spain.
Credits and Certification
On successful completion of the course participants will receive 3 ECTS credits and a certificate of attendance
Organising Institutions and Teaching Staff:
Lead and Host Institution
Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV) -Madrid
Names of teaching staff involved: Marta Molina Díez, Sonia Sánchez Díaz y Mayra Ambrosio Laredo.
Partner Institutions
Partner universities: University Goce -Delcev (UGD) -North Macedonia
Names of teaching staff contributing to the course: Natasa Miteva
External stakeholders
- Policy makers & housing authorities
- Urban planning experts
- NGOs & social organisations
- Journalists / media professionals
Course Overview
The primary objective of the program is to help train future opinion leaders capable of communicating complex—and at times discouraging—realities with rigor, clarity, and responsibility. By addressing challenges such as the housing crisis as a shared European issue, the program responds to growing trends of news avoidance and public disengagement. Drawing on strategies inspired by solutions journalism, we want to foster the leadership skills required for the next generation of communicators to inform, engage, and empower society.
Learning Journey
Online sessions: (September 2026)
- Introduction to key concepts: fundamentals of solutions journalism & digital narratives and communication strategies
- Discussion about the topic: housing crisis
- Group formation
- Tasks
- Guided discussions
Onsite sessions: 9-13 November in Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV)
- Workshops
- Practical sessions
- Stakeholder engagement
- Fieldwork
- Challenge-based
- Final presentations: Last day in the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Follow-up / reflection: Online session (November 2026)
- Online reflection activity
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Introducing solutions journalism approach
- Analyse housing crisis across countries
- Evaluate public policy effectiveness
- Develop storytelling skills
- Design a communication strategy to disseminate potential solutions to the housing crisis through digital narratives.
Learning Outcomes:
- Apply solutions journalism methodology
- Verify impact of crisis and housing policies in Europe
- Design a communication strategy to disseminate potential solutions to the housing crisis through digital narratives
Which students would find this course useful for them?
This course may be suitable for students from ACE2-EU partner universities enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programs in the following fields:
Indicate:
- Level: undergraduate
- Fields or disciplines: communication, journalism, marketing
This course may be suitable for those who have an interest in:
You may also include:
- Leadership communications skills
- Communication strategies
- Marketing
- New narratives
- Housing crisis
- Recommended Language Level :
- English B1–B2
Application Process:
Interested applicants should
🔗 Apply here:
https://forms.gle/HQA4p6c5679Xh1Zs7
Deadline for receipt of applications: 15 September 2026
Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee a place on the programme. Participating institutions apply their own internal selection procedures.
Prior to the start of the course, selected participants will receive a welcome email from the ACE²-EU Alliance containing detailed information and instructions specific to the programme.
Further Information
For any further information or queries related to the course, please contact:
