ESN volunteers from across Europe gathered in Portugal at the first Erasmus Generation Meeting to discuss the future of mobility and its challenges.
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) held for the first time an international conference, organised by ESN Portugal, where the ESN sections from all over Europe came together to learn and discuss topics related to the new Erasmus+ programme and the future of mobility. The purpose of this new meeting format is to connect the volunteers in order to keep improving the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme.
The first edition of the Erasmus Generation Meeting (EGM) was scheduled to take place in Sweden in 2020 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it had to be postponed. After two years of waiting, 800 participants from 40+ countries (including Switzerland) were finally able to meet in Porto for three days (from 7 April to 10 April 2022) to build connections, exchange skills and share best practices. Apart from ESN volunteers, representatives from partner organisations, universities, and associations as well as members of EU institutions participated in the event. The highlight of the event, as pointed out by Juan Rayón, the President of the Erasmus Student Network, was the range of topics discussed during the three days. More than 80 sessions were held by both ESN members and external speakers on the digital transformation, the European Green Deal, the notion of inclusivity and democratic participation. The discussions also included the situation of the Ukrainian students who had to flee the war and the importance of providing support through the Erasmus Student Network. In parallel to the panel discussions, participants had the opportunity to chat with business representatives as well as the European Personnel Selection office responsible for selecting staff to work for the EU institutions and agencies throughout the career fair with the purpose of presenting the employability prospect for Europe’s mobile youth, mostly in Portugal. Several activities such as interview simulations or “pitch yourself” exercises were also organised. Furthermore, a mobility fair was organised in order to enable participants to find key information on mobility opportunities. This was a good occasion for the 40 Swiss delegates who participated in the EGM to showcase the country and the Swiss mobility and exchange programme. Four delegates of ESN Switzerland also facilitated a workshop on international and national collaboration between the sections, which aimed at discussing how the EU neighbour countries could better cooperate.
Lucia Leoni, member of ESN Switzerland Advisory Council and chair of the Swiss education committee, mentioned that while having concrete exchanges between the different ESN sections from all over Europe allows to gain a better understanding of bigger topics and to improve the Swiss network, it also reveals “what we are missing out on by not being part of the Erasmus+ programme”. One particular aspect is the digitalisation of the programme: because Switzerland is not associated to the programme, it does not currently have access to the Erasmus+ App, which will most likely create some gap. Lucia Leoni pointed out that “even if a similar Swiss app was developed, it will still make it harder for students to apply for an exchange to Switzerland”. According to Juan Rayón, “the participation of non-EU countries in Erasmus+ has been a big success and should be detached from other political debates”. Hence, the international board and ESN Switzerland call for a swift re-association of Switzerland to the Erasmus+ programme.
The kick off of the Erasmus Generation Meeting, which will be held yearly, became one of the biggest events of the emblematic European Year of Youth. Next year in Amsterdam, volunteers will continue the dialogue on the future of mobility by learning, sharing, and finding solutions to the current challenges.