eXpress12 by Erasmus Student Network AISBL

Read about:

V Eduk8 V SocialErasmus V EUCIS-LLL

ESN COUNTRIES

Volunteering

ESN ESTONIA ESN POLAND

Making a difference

12th Edition - Autumn 2011

Editor in Chief Josefin Svensson Authors Tania Berman Michel Erlandsen Remo Ughini Katja Krohn Alfredo Calì Tiina Nõulik Eero Loonurm Kärt Maalinn Ivo Lillemaa Kea Kiviraijuja Kaisa Lindenburg Mariann Mölder Dorottya Glatz Leo Smith Josefin Svensson Iga Nowak Julia Trawińska Ola Kubiczek Katarzyna Pachlita Hubert Wodzyński Karol Ślusarski Noé Viedma Despina Vachari Nurlan Ahmadov Kadir Keles Nicoleta Popa Language editors: Leo Smith Design: Michael Magin Josefin Svensson Photo: Emilia Zyskowska Katja Krohn ESN Kapa Athens European Youth Forum

Editoral Dear reader, This new academic year opens with, in the Erasmus Student Network, three core ideas: mobility, volunteering and non-formal education. Mobility? Because this is what we stand for. Volunteering? Because this is who we are. Non-formal education? Because this is what we learn while being in ESN. What does it mean to be a volunteer? It means that we dedicate our time and energy to a cause we believe in and we want to fight for. In ESN, this cause is mobility – and especially the experience of an academic mobility within the framework of the Erasmus programme. We aim to make the Erasmus experience the best experience ever – give to others what most of us have experienced as well. What does it bring us to volunteer to make the mobility experience the best experience ever? It brings us fun. It brings us friends. It brings us laughter. But it also teaches us many things and is as such an experience for life: the experience of volunteering that imparts us with a greater sense of personal and community responsibility and greater confidence in our own ability to make positive changes in society. Most of us could experience Europe during their Erasmus exchange. The ESN experience allows us to go a step further and to continue to enjoy the feeling of European belongingness and to actively create it or participate in its reality. We are volunteers and stand up for the society we wish to create. Volunteering allows us to shape our society by being active citizens – it also allows us to learn a lot thanks to non-formal education. This form of education is “not formal”: it doesn’t take place in a class with a teacher, homework and exams. Its framework is rather free, and most often it happens with peers, without noticing that we are learning. It is a form of learning by doing, although it is accompanied, mostly by peers: by ESNers. ESN sections provide and conduct non-formal education – very often without knowing this word. Almost all volunteers will say that they learned a lot during their volunteering experience. The challenge of the upcoming years in ESN is to increase the quality of this non-formal education. We can reach this goal by increasing the awareness ESN Sections have of NFE and their potential to deliver it, by creating tools for them to learn more about NFE and benefit from it, such as the Section Guide or events such as Eduk8, through workshops where a high quality NFE is delivered, etc. This is one of the big challenges of this year and the upcoming ones, so that our volunteers benefit from fun and friends, but also learn in a positive and friendly atmosphere – and know how to highlight in the future what they learned. What is impressive with volunteers is the generosity that they show. ”- Why are you so generous? Why do you give your time for “nothing”? Would nonvolunteers say. - Because while giving, we receive so much”, would any volunteer reply. Thumbs up for the generosity that volunteers show and thumbs up for their continuous motivation and involvement! ESN is proud of you. Tania Berman President ESN AISBL

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The theme of the next issue:

Now & Then

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SocialErasmus ESN Eduk8

EUCIS-LLL

SHOW YOUR COUNTRY! 8 ESTONIA

20 POLAND ESN POLAND

„BLACK SILESIA” IS FULL OF POSSIBILITIES!

ESN TUT IC

THE DELEGATES’ MEETING CRACOW 2011

ESN TLU TALLINN

WE’VE PAINTED THE MONUMENT!

ESN TALLINN

EUROPEAN DAY & THE SCHUMAN PARADE

EBS INTERNATIONAL

DO YOU KNOW POLSKA?

ESN TARTU

ESN ESTONIA

EVENTS & ERASMUS EXPERIENCES SOCIALERASMUS CHARITY CONCERT

EXCHANGE YOUR LANGUAGE! 6

PORTUGESE: ALGARVE, O OÁSIS DE PORTUGAL

FELLOWSHIP OF CULTURES PROJECT: AKDENIZ!

EN: ALGARVE, THE PORTUGUESE OASIS

THE AMAZING NATIONAL EVENT OF ESN GREECE

AZERBAIJANI: ARTIQ VAXTDIR...

MÜBADILE EDEK VE DEYISEK...

ESN INTERNATIONAL

EN: IT IS TIME ALREADY …

OCTOBER INTERNATIONAL BOARD DIARY

II YOUTH CONVENTION ON VOLUNTEERING

RECIPE

SECTIONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

MEET THE BOARD 2011/2012

ESN ESA CYPRUS

NEW BOARD - NEW HOUSE

AEP-ESN PADOVA

QUIZ

ESN LISBON

LET’S EXCHANGE AND CHANGE…

Projects & Partners

SocialErasmus - ESN’s new flagship project for 2012

Coordinator

by: Michel Erlandsen Although SocialErasmus was founded in Poland in 2009 and the project grew bigger and became an international project of ESN in many countries it is not yet focused enough. Therefore ESN International decided to make it the new flagship project for the year of the 25th anniversary of the ERASMUS programme in order to emphasise the importance of social inclusion and to give the international students even more support from the Erasmus Student Network. ESN received a grant from the European Commission in order to develop the SocialErasmus project into a bigger and more centralised project with the participation of all the ESN countries. Through the grant, ESN is able to welcome a new project coordinator who will organise activities and meetings, make a project plan and will be in contact with all the national SocialErasmus coordinators. Michel is Danish and he recently arrived in Brussels and has already begun his work. Throughout the year he will plan the actions, strategies and guidelines for future events, to make

it easier to understand what belongs to SocialErasmus and what does not. The first important meeting will be the SocialErasmus coordinator meeting in January 2012, where all National coordinators will meet, share best-practices and problems related to the project; furthermore the participants will receive professional training on How-toorganise-SocialErasmus-events. The next big step in the upcoming year is the SocialErasmus week in May, which will be closely related to the 25th anniversary of the ERASMUS programme. Together we can show Europe that mobility not only means traveling or studying abroad, but also active engagement in local communities. Through our activities we will show that the international students are willing and happy to give something back to their local hosts. During the SocialErasmus week activities will take place all over Europe and afterwards a video and a brochure will be produced to show the awesomeness of ESN’s projects. Last but not least a final conference will be organised in September 2012 to evaluate the year and to plan how the project will be developed in the future to ensure it a long and prosper life in ESN.

Social Erasmus 4

Name Michel Erlandsen Nationality Denmark Languages Danish, English, German

Throughout the past fourteen months Michel has gone from ESN buddy, local board member, local webmaster, local Vice President, Vice National Representative, Eduk8 trainer and now International SocialErasmus Coordinator. His work in these positions has given him profound insight into the network and given him a fine understanding for the work being carried out at the local, national and the international level. Although he has not been on ERASMUS, he has participated in a one year student exchange program in the US, awarding him with an experience for life and an expanded cultural understanding. Furthermore he has been working with communication and project management for various companies for the past four years providing solid practical experience to the SocialErasmus Project. He has a very enthusiastic and positive approach to the tasks ahead and in cooperation with all of the member countries he will promote and develop SocialErasmus as the flagship project of ESN in 2012 Michel said: „I am happy to have been granted this opportunity to devote my time fully to the SocialErasmus project, which I find to be of huge importance to the network, the local communities and the International Students. The work that is being carried out by volunteering students has direct impact on the people involved and society in a broader prospective. ”

Projects & Partners

SocialErasmus - a broader perspective By Remo Ughini 24 years ago the Erasmus programme was founded and for almost 23 years ESN has helped exchange students in various ways. All of us know the importance of both institutions and the tremendous effect it has on young people’s lives. Living in a different city in a different country with different people we see the world and ourselves with different eyes. Nevertheless, contact with the local community outside university is mostly limited to the supermarket cashier and the landlady. This has always been a bit of a dilemma for ESN. We help students with integra-

tion, but by doing this we also enforce the barrier to the local community. The initial idea of SocialErasmus in Poland was to improve the reputation of ERASMUS students. It happens though that many SocialErasmus events bring international students in contact with parts of the community they would otherwise never meet and thus help to solve this dilemma. International students meet orphans, the elderly; people bound to the hospital beds; children at a local school etc. and share some of their

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Blood in the net By Alfredo Calì dents their international experience and their desire to be an ESNer. In that way the Erasmus students mature and return to their country with a new soul, an international soul, and the lack of this which is the largest cause of the famous post-Erasmus depression. How to overcome post-Erasmus depression? Join your local the ESN Association. A lot of friends of mine did it, even where the ESN section didn’t exist, like in Cologne, Germany, which Valerija founded. From common experience, the spirit of an individual grows. And so following the example of Valladolid, the ESN Catania, enriched by a member who has experienced something so special, decided to collaborate with another external association from the students’ world. The reason? To donate blood.

Srasm

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The cooperating association is the Avis, the largest in Italy in this field. Now all members of ESN Catania, after finishing the big job of organizing the national event, returned to the field to sponsor and develop this event of solidarity. The intent is twofold, to donate blood for people who need it and teach people from the city and the community as a whole, that the foreign students in particular and the students in general, are an added value for a modern society.

Eras

What does network really mean? It’s so simple… It means to work in a “net”… The words mean the same. And when does a network work?? When different people pursue the same goal, using different things and tools, sharing experiences and feelings all together. Is that not true? And this is exactly what happens to people who approach the Erasmus world, ESN in particular, studying abroad. Coming back home you gain a great “desire to do” and you will never stop. The Erasmus experience is made for this goal. Last year I was in Valladolid, Spain, where the ESB section is very active, involving the Erasmus students participating in many activities. Juan, Angie, Nacho, Santi, Zahira, and the others made us grow in ESN spirit. How?? They shared with the Erasmus stu-

Erasmus experience. During the last one and a half years, the project has developed into one of the biggest and strongest projects within our network without much promotion. Still we have the feeling that we’re only just starting and are looking forward to the upcoming year and many new developments. The grant, which ESN recently received and having a full time person functioning as a coordinator will raise the visibility of the project inside and outside ESN. The highlight of this year will be the SocialErasmus week with activities all over Europe. So keep your ears open and keep organising amazing SocialErasmus Events!

So on 25th May we put our hands towards serving the community in Catania, rather, our arms and gave it all a bit ‚of our Erasmus blood’, always so active, fun and full of life, which surely will be good for everyone. And then what? We tried to give birth to a continued collaboration with the Avis and why not, try to bring all sections of the national network to collaborate ... who knows ... next year there will be a national day of ESN blood?

Events & Experiences

by ESN ITU & ESN EXISTANBUL The Social Erasmus Charity Concert aimed to bring together Erasmus students and local students in a social responsibility project. To achieve this goal, a two phase social project was chosen. With the income from the first social project, the second step would become a reality. The first part, Charity Concert by Şekerasmus occurred on 17th May, 2011 and the Donation to a Village Primary School and Leukemia Institution happened on 10th June, 2011. This Social Erasmus Project was carried out by two universities ESN ITU (Istanbul Technical University) and ESN EXISTANBUL (Istanbul University) and Social Erasmus Music Band, ŞEKERASMUS consists of Adrien Husson (guitar), Ricardo José Faro Gómez (guitar), Victor Skardelli (bass guitar), Helen Junker (soloist), Isabell Hubert (soloist) Edwar Xie (violin), Sigmund Brielmaier (violin), Hae Ji Park (keyboard), Sylvia Kriese(drum). Preparation phase: started with finding instruments from our friends and Şekerasmus had rehearsals for six weeks in a studio. During this period, we had tried to find sponsorship to finance our expenditure. Istanbul Live Performance Hall, where the concert took place, did not ask for entrance or renting fee and helped us by cutting prices of beverages. Although

our friends gave their instruments to Şekerasmus Music Band, we could not find sponsorship for studio rental and for all other expenditures which means, we had do finance our expenditures from the donation amount. Concert day: with the great performance of Şekerasmus and participants, the fun and joy of the night was far better than expected. The Şekerasmus`s

music was strolling around the participants’ blood. The atmosphere was worth seeing. Everyone was enjoying the good music, dancing, bouncing accompanying to the music.

Decision for donation: after the concert, the second step started, donation of the money. We offered two opportunities before the concert, a donation to a village primary school and a leukemia institution. Although the votes of donation to a village primary school were more than leukemia institution, we decided to donate to both of them. Some of the money was appropriated for the leukemia institution and the rest used for the donation for a village primary school. The school was chosen by the Social Erasmus Coordinators of ESN ITU and ESN ESXISTANBUL with the members of the group, thinking some of the band members’ vacations through the east part of Turkey. Considering time and the appropriate place, Van-Koçak Primary School, an eastern village primary school was chosen. Donation day: after deciding upon a school, all stationery equipment was bought and sent by cargo. On the 10th June 2011, some of the stationery equipment weas carried and given to the students with some of the band members. It was worth to see the smiles on the children’s faces, the happiness and excitement of meeting foreign people. They tried to talk in English and showed their hospitality with the cookies they gave us. During these emotional moments, having some tears in our

eyes put all the work into perspective. As a result of this process: all of these great experiences, seeing the relationship between Erasmus and local students while having fun together, sharing their time at the social event, seeing the smiles of children on their little faces, their excitement and happiness was priceless and pleasing. We

Performance of Şekerasmus http://bit.ly/uhi4mz Solo performance of Isabell Hurbert http://bit.ly/t6Hscc Charity part of event http://on.fb.me/vZpB88

owe a big thanks to Şekerasmus for their hard work and the spectacular performance, and also all other friends who joined us in this organization in all ways; like the people who donated some money even though could not join the night. After seeing this success, we would love to continue this project every term with new faces. Hope to see you at the next Social Erasmus Concert…

Links

SocialErasmus Charity Concert

Section in the Spotlight

Section in the Spotlight: September ESN ESA Cyprus By ESN ESA Cyprus This month’s Section in the Spotlight is located on the sunny island of Cyprus. ESN ESA Cyprus has a very unique member structure, as their team is made up by almost entirely current Erasmus students on Cyprus. This means that the section has to re-establish itself almost every semester, making it a real challenge for the team which also consists of the strong duo of the President/NR and Vice-President/Vice-NR who have been developing the section from the very beginning. The team currently consists of 17 members, 5 of them are board members and the remaining members are university coordinators, they work as contact persons between the universities, the Erasmus students and the section. Local Cypriot students are

also involved in the section work, as ESN ESA Cyprus has a well established partnership with a local international students club (European Club EUC), and they often co-organize big events together. ESN ESA Cyprus is an active section, and during the academic year 2010/2011 over 60 activities was arranged for the international students at Cyprus. Monday evenings are dedicated to a weekly radio show about cooking, each broadcast is related to a different country of Europe with an Erasmus student as guest. It is one hour full of typical food, drinks and typical music. The section organizes and overnight trip almost every month, and in the past the Erasmus students on Cyprus have been able to visit Egypt and Jor-

dan as well. There are also lots of local events being organized such as karaoke challenge, sports days, a paint-ball tournament or a trip to a waterpark. For almost every overnight trip the Super Juyice Committee ensures that there is enough SuperJuyice for all the participants. Throughout the semester the President, with the help of other board members, organizes special workshops with various topics such as ”What is ESN”, ”Teambuilding and leadership” and ”Public Speaking”, to keep their members motivated and help gain knowledge of ESN. Several former ESN ESA Cyprus members have continued working actively with ESN upon returning to their home countries. The section also have people involved in international committees and although there yet hasn’t been an international event at Cyprus the section is willing to host one, so perhaps there will be one in the future.

IN THE

Show your Country

Passport

Estonia By Tiina Nõulik Estonia, with only about 1,35 million inhabitants, has one of the smallest populations in Europe. Estonians obviously love having a lot of open space around them. Our largest city is Tallinn, the capital, situated on the Northern coast of Estonia. Together with Turku in Finland, it is the Culture Capital of Europe 2011. The theme of this year‘s event is „Seaside stories“, so the best stories from all over Europe are being told in our lovely medieval-modern capital. Hundreds of different events are going on every day throughout the year, from making benches out of mobile phones and theatres of hay, to world class jazz concerts and other international events. Moving on to the East, a huge lake Peipsi (Peipus) separates Estonia from Russia, covering almost the whole Eastern border. This is also the border of the European Union. Down in the South-East the second largest city of Estonia is situated. With its less than 40 sqkm it is a perfect student town, small enough to use a bicycle almost all year round. Tartu has the honour of having the oldest theatre in Estonia, Vanemuine, and the oldest university, The University of Tartu. It

belongs to the top 600 universities of the world, having educated Estonian, Latvian and other scientists since 1632. Tartu is also called the Athens of the Emajõgi river (Mother River), which divides the town into two. There is also the Spirit of Tartu- the special vibe you experience when walking the streets of our lovely university town. Down in the South we have our highest hill (yes, we don’t have any mountains), the Munamägi (Egg Hill) is 318 m above sea level. We make the best with what we have, so during winter time the area around the hill is a very popular skiing centre. When it comes to winters, we have some proper ones here with up to -30 degrees of cold and several metres of snow. But don’t worry, we don’t live in the North Pole, our summers are as hot as the winters are cold, having up to +30 degrees of heat. Estonians are very proud of the 4 strongly diverse seasons we have. On the Western coast you can find long sandy beaches and our summer capital Pärnu, where half of Estonia‘s population tries to fit themselves to the same beach. In the West we also have two of our biggest islands; inhabited by people who are a little different from

Capital Tallinn Language Estonian Currency Euro (since 2011) Area 45 227 km2 Government Parliamentary democracy EU Member Since May 1st, 2004 Something extra Skype was invented by Estonians, it‘s an important part of our so-called Ecountry (E-elections, E-banking, digital document signing, WiFi access almost everywhere etc). Tallinn has been chosen among the world’s 7 most intelligent communities four times during the last decade by intelligentcommunities.org

those living on the main land (some of them can’t pronounce the letter ‚õ‘ for example, saying ‚ö‘ instead. You can’t see the difference? We definitely can). All in all, Estonia has about 1500 islands, some of them big enough for only birds.

Show your Country

ESN Estonia

Did you know? By Tiina Nõulik & Eero Loonurm

Link

Erasmus Student Network in Estonia saw its first daylight in the year 2000 when the very first ESN section was founded in Tartu on the 21st August. It was founded by the first Estonian Erasmus students, who had returned from their exchange, in cooperation with University of Tartu. ESN Tartu was followed by ESN Tallinn in 2003, today it is taking care of exchange students from 9 different universities all over Tallinn. Our capital has 3 more sections (ESN TUT, ESN TLU, ESN EBS), so all in all there’s 5 of us. After almost a year of preparations, on the 7th August 2011 ESN Estonia successfully elected the first National Board. The team consists of President, Vice-president (currently also Vice-

NR), NR, Alumni coordinator and WPA. The words „girl power“ represent ESN Estonia well as most of the network members, just as the NB, consists of girls. Our sections host hundreds of exchange students every year, organising different trips to neighbouring countries (including SeaBattle to Sweden) as well as to Estonia, very well organised buddy/tutoring systems in cooperation with the universities, visits to different cultural sights/museums, companies and other smaller but not less important events. For the future we are working to strengthen the cooperation between all our sections. Having 4 national platforms a year gives the idea a good start.

ESN Tallinn got the first ESN Alumni Prize for Knowledge Transfer in 2009 for its unique ESN Diary. ESN Tartu started to collect data and give out the Diary from 2011. According to ESN Survey 2010, Estonia ranked 1st with the score 4,74 out of 5 regarding the average satisfaction level for stay in the hosting country institution. ESN TLU Tallinn has had 40% of growth regarding the incoming exchange students since last year. ESN Estonia has hosted 4 international meetings during its 10 years of history. They were NNM (Nordic Network Meeting, now NEP) in Tartu and Tallinn in 2002, CNR Tallinn in September 2004, NEP Tartu in 2008 and CNR Tartu in June 2011.

ESN Estonia http://www.esn.ee

ESN Tallinn

ESN TLU Tallinn

ESN TUT IC

Show your Country International Club is a society set up by the Student’s Council of Tallinn University of Technology. It is also a section of Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Its mission is to help foreign students in settling in into the Estonian lifestyle and make their stay in Estonia as smooth and pleasant as possible.

Every exchange student will be provided with a personal tutor who will help international students with any questions they might have, providing advice and answers to any social or educational problems that international students might have. Throughout the semester several

events (cultural and educational) are organised for all the international students (exchange and degree students) staying at Tallinn University of Technology! Some of more memorable are South-Estonia and Saarema trips.

“Actually it was better than I could have hoped. The university was friendly and let me take all the courses I wanted with a flexibility I wish I found in every institution. The tutors helped me at every turn or doubt. In that environment it was easy for the Erasmus students , most of them living in the same building, to create a new home.” (Ester, Erasmus student from Barcelona, Spain)

blems (resident permit, Identity card, cultural program, lectures, doctor’s appointment etc.) ESN TLU Tallinn has 33 members and activities for all interests: Mushroom picking, trips around Estonia, cultural visits to different sights or companies, Estonian Evening, International Dinner, Pub Crawl.

(Kama of course). No-one had to ask if we were back in the city- when we woke up and were greeted once again by mist and rain, it was clear that we were, but it didn‘t matter. OK, so it was no Pärnu, but we got all that we needed from the trip: Vitamin D, glowing spirits, and renewed energy to enter back into the rat race of city life.” (Jane, Erasmus student from Dublin, Ireland).

All international students can apply for a tutor, who will help them during first weeks in Tallinn. The tutors will help students with their everyday pro-

”On our final day we said goodbye to the country. The snores on the bus on the way home indicated that everyone felt the same way that I did - exhausted. But this was the best kind of exhaustion - the kind experienced after a night of dancing singing and drinking

Our section ESN Tallinn is doing everything within our means to make the Erasmus students‘ life in Tallinn as fulfilling as possible. Here in Tallinn we unite students from 9 different partner universities. At the moment we have about 20 active members who are organizing different kind of events in order to introduce Estonian culture, habits and traditions to the Erasmus students.

In ESN Tallinn events programme there are many different events planned for the Erasmus students. Every semester begins with the „Orientation Week“ – four great events to meet new people and Tallinn (Movie Night, City Game, Bus Tour and Welcome Party). Every month ESN Tallinn organizes Movie Night and Quiz Tournament and many other events are held regularly throughout the semester – we organize trips

By Ivo Lillemaa

ESN TLU Tallinn is a young section but thanks to the hardworking tutors and active students the growth has been extremely fast. By Kiviraijuja &Lindenburg

and excursions, opera and theatre visits, creativity contest, various outdoor and sport events etc. You can find more information about at www.esn.ee/tallinn or contact us via e-mail esnt@esn.ee. By Kärt Maalinn

Show your Country

EBS International Club EBS International Club includes about 20 local students, let’s name them „tutors“, who each have 2-4 Erasmus students to take care of. They pick their students up from the airport, help to move in and solve problems, and of course spend free time together. Tutors are the Estonian buddies for Erasmus students so the exchange students wouldn’t feel alone and helpless in

here when they arrive. EBS International Club also arranges many events like Orientation Day, Citytour, Pubcrawl, social evenings, International Dinner, trips to other cities in Estonia, vistis to interesting institutions, museums, companies, and of course - numerous parties. Our Erasmus students used to say „I don’t have to worry, my tutor does it for me“.

Few words from our previous Erasmus students: „This Erasmus year in Tallinn among the ESN and the EBS international club was incredible! So many people met, so many experiences, I hope I am gonna live such a year again, it really gave me the will to go and to live abroad in order to discover new people and new cultures!„ Cyriaque from France „EBS international club organized a many of interesting events who were practically all the time, so I wasn‘t bored. I had a possibility to get to know the other international students in many of excursions (full of adventures) and to have fun together in EBS parties. I think EBS club works really good. Now I can have great memories from Tallinn and it was the most amazing period of my life.“ Sylwia from Poland

ESN Tartu ESN Tartu has about 25 motivated members and around 600 exchange students per year, who take care of the exchange students of 3 universities in Tartu. We have about 2 events per week, the most popular ones are the Welcome Week (that include Welcome Day organized by Tartu University, Pub Crawl, Welcome Party), Buddy Network (where the international students get an Estonian buddy to learn the language and teach their own, but it‘s also to bring the international students closer to locals) and the National Evenings every month, where the chosen country‘s students get to introduce their culture to fellow internationals and Estonians through their food, folklore, customs etc. We also try to do some charity work – a few times a semester we visit the local dog shelter, in addition, we collect all the items leaving students don‘t want to take with them and distribute them to next years‘ students and/or the homeless shelters in Tartu. In 2008, we organized the NEP Tartu and just two months ago in June; CNR Tartu 2011 was held in our beloved student town. Also 2 of the previous International Board Vice-presidents

are from ESN Tartu. “My experience studying abroad would be entirely different without ESN-Tartu. I met an incredible amount of incredible people through ESN events, and felt connected to the local community; having a bridge to local culture like the one ESN-Tartu provides is one of the reasons I now consider Estonia my home, not to mention the meaningful friendships I gained.” -Camille Morse Nicholson, Erasmus in Tartu, 2011 More information on ESN Tartu can be found on www.esn.ee/tartu and of course on www.facebook.com/esn.tartu . By Mariann Mölder

Projects & Partners

Eduk8, Eduk8, every day we Eduk8 By Dorottya Glatz Budapest, Hungary. These two words make many ESN member recall AGM 2011. But for 10 highly motivated ESNers these two words mean the place where they have had the time of their ESN lives. Despite the unbearable heat of the week between the 21st and the 27th of August the participants still worked hard to gain all possible knowledge to become trainers. The first day started with some difficulties... well yes the opening party happened to be very good...but as you all know every cloud has a silver lining: everybody learned a little italian - ‘Il tempo é molto importante’ - time is very important! Right after a short introduction about conflict management and the importance of being on time the training could start with group building and facing fears and expectations. Later on, identities, motivation and group dynamics were the focus. Participants had to work in pairs and prepare presentations about the Tuckman’s stages through answering questions like ‘What are the functions of the leader at different stages?’ and ‘How the leader can provide more supportive atmosphere?’.

motivate

On the second day, participants sought even more motivation and expanded their knowledge about group dynamics; they also learned methods for debriefing and feedback which are essential parts of workshops. On Wednesday, participants had to prepare their own workshops in groups for the next day. But before starting to work it out the toughest part still had to be learnt: active listening. Don’t think that staying quiet and saying the right thing at the right time is as easy as it sounds... After the 4th day of an Indian summer, around 7 o’clock the temperature was reasonable for attacking Budapest and doing some sightseeing. Imagine 10 leaders in one group trying to agree on going in the same direction...yes, chaotic! But after some beers on top of the Buda hills the conflicts become solved themselves and participants could immerse themselves in the Hungarian culture. The next morning the training for trainers continued where the groups put their newly gained knowledge into practice and held their own very first workshops. Each workshop had to be 1

activate

motivate

activate

innovate

The whole week was exhausting. This time even the ‘work hard - party harder’ spirit turned to ‘party hard - work harder’ but in the end it was very much worth the effort. Since August our fresh trainers have already held their first workshops on national platforms, section meetings and soon regional platforms as well.

innovate

Does your country have a trainer?

hour long including energizers and feedback. In the end, our lovely trainer Liza evaluated the work of the groups and the individual performance as well. This was the most active and one of the most useful days of all as every participant could experience how hard is to make people respect the trainer or even make them listen, especially if the trainer is younger than the participants. After the Eduk8 training the participants were rewarded for their work and taken to a relaxing traditional Hungarian spa; here it was finally time to relax and let all the stress flow away like a stream in the woods. On the very last working day our new ESN trainers decided on how to work together after Eduk8 and an action plan for future collaboration was developed.

Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Germany.

Events & Experiences

Fellowship Of Cultures Project by ESN Akdeniz! They know how to improve their Eglish: Sharing the friendship with remarkable synergy. In July, students from all around Turkey gathered in Adrasan Training and Application Centre of Akdeniz University, Antalya. A few months ago, volunteers of ESN Akdeniz applied for a Youth In Action Project to the Turkish National Agency, aiming to build remarkable communication and sharing between the participants, by the time they spent socially, getting to know each other and improving their English through workshops and sessions, that each of them are responsible for. 25 students from various cities of the country came together, took part in daily activities, organized artistic workshops like origami or the sharing of daily tips such as how to prepare your luggage most efficiently. Thousands of tourists from various countries fly to Antalya during summer to have a vacation. Participants of the Fellowship Of Cultures Project have done interviews with tourists, took a video as well and additionally made a sketch of the people who they had interview with. Kadir Keleş, the National Representative and Emre Çevik, the Vice President of ESN Turkey were present during the implementation of a project as special guests and were

participants as same as the rest of the group. They informed the students about the whole structure of ESN and what could be the benefits of being an ESNer in future. Most of the

participants whose ESN sections already exist in their universities applied to become a volunteer and currently a group of students took first steps to establish a new section in Kocaeli University. Volunteers of ESN Akdeniz were certainly satisfied with the results of the Project, as this is one of the hundreds of Youth in Action projects they have organized and thus believe

that it will be a great beginning for the members of the section to think even more extensive next time, apply for another Project in future which will consist of ESNers and students all around Europe, who knows?

After all, it is really not easy to explain the atmosphere and synergy that did arise after such week in Adrasan. Countless projects have been granted by EU, it was not the first event they participated in for most of the participants. But still, they all did agree about one thing in the end: they didn’t only improve their language and met with nice people, they learned you can experiment so many things with people who you have never met before in such a short period and it definitely feels good to be fascinated!

Translation

Algarve, o oásis de Portugal

A ESN Portugal organiza, todos os anos, na altura em que o bom tempo começa a aparecer, o Erasmus National Meeting (ENM) no Algarve. Este é, sem dúvida, um dos eventos mais aguardados do ano! Imagina 4 dias com 500 Erasmus no Algarve, num evento organizado com apenas um objectivo: viver os melhores 4 dias de Erasmus!

Nas margens ocidentais da Europa existe um país cheio de história e gente calorosa. Um país de contrastes que faz da diversidade uma das suas maiores riquezas, onde a natureza permanece intocada e as praias são banhadas pelo atlântico e pelo sol. Um país de artistas que deixaram a sua marca, cuja obra é conhecida por todo o mundo e onde se pode saborear alguns dos melhores vinhos do globo.

as estrelas do cinema já sabem disso. O mais provável ainda é teres visto um programa na TV sobre a cultura e a história daquele que foi eleito o melhor destino de golf do mundo. Mas também podes ter encontrado sites na Internet onde se diz que o verão aqui dura o ano inteiro e que se podem praticar quase todos os desportos, dentro e fora de agua. Ou então já lá estiveste e fizeste tudo isto! É natural que con-

No sul de Portugal há um sítio que encanta todos os que por lá passam. O sol brilha e aquece as praias, mesmo quando no resto da Europa está frio. Já ouviste falar deste sítio! De certeza que algum amigo já te disse coisas como “Eu fui da praia à montanha num segundo” ou “Estive em Sunset Parties, seguidas de grandes noites nas melhores discotecas e no dia seguinte almocei marisco fresco mesmo em cima da praia!”. É também provável que já tenhas lido sobre ele, que tenhas encontrado numa revista de viagens um artigo a dizer que umas das mais belas praias do mundo estão aqui e que até

heças o Algarve pelos olhos, pela mão e pela voz de muita gente. Mas se te falta conhecer os segredos, as cascatas escondidas, as praias desertas e selvagens, a beleza do cabo de Sagres (o ponto mais ocidental da Europa) e toda a diversão que este sítio tem para oferecer, desafiamos-te a visitá-lo!

com happy hour durante toda a noite (só para Erasmus) e a Festa da Espuma na KADOC, uma das melhores discotecas de Portugal, animaram as noites deste encontro. De dia realizaram-se actividades na praia e na piscina, karaoke e um dia no maior parque aquático português, o Slide&Splash.

Se gostas de praia, diversão à séria e paisagens de tirar o fôlego, deves passar pelo Algarve quando visitares Portugal. É um dos destinos mais procurados pelos turistas neste país e mesmo os portugueses não lhe resistem quando chega a altura das suas férias.

Estes dias passam à velocidade da luz, mas as memórias ficam para a eternidade.

Este ano o ENM teve lugar num resort de 4 estrelas, perto da praia de Albufeira. A Sunset Party, a Coyote Ugly Party

Algarve, tens de o viver para o compreender!

Translation

Algarve, The Portuguese Oasis On the western shores of Europe there is a country full of history and warm people. A country that takes advantage of its contrasts, where the nature remains untouched and the beaches are bathed by the Atlantic ocean and kissed by the sun. A country where plenty artists left their own marks, known worldwide, and where you can taste one of the best wines in the globe.

you’ve read about it, that you found in a travel magazine an article saying that one of the most beautiful beaches in the world are located here, and even the movie stars already know that. Probably you watched a TV programme announcing that this place was elected the best golf destiny in the world. But you may also have found websites on the internet where people say that there the summer goes on during all year and you can practice almost every water and land sports. Or maybe you have been there and have done all of this! It’s natural that you know Algarve by the eyes, hands and voices of many people. But if you don’t know the secrets, the hidden waterfalls, those savage beaches, the beauty of Sagres’ Cape (the Europe’s most western point) and all the fun that this place has to offer you, we challenge you to visit it!

In the south of Portugal there is a place that charms everyone, where the sunshine warms the beaches, even when it’s cold in Europe. You’ve already heard about this place! We are sure that some friend of yours has told you stuff like “I walked from the beach to the mountains in seconds!” or “I went to amazing Sunset Parties, followed by great nights at the best discos and in the following day I’ve eaten seafood on the beach!”. It’s also probable that

500 Erasmus at Algarve, on an event that has just one goal: to spend the best 4 days of the Erasmus experience! This year ENM took place at a 4 star resort, near the Albufeira beach. Everybody enjoyed the Sunset Party, the Coyote Ugly Party with happy hour all night long (for Erasmus only) and a Foam Party at KADOC, one of the best discos in Portugal. During the day there was plenty activities by the pool and the beach, such as karaoke and several sports, and one day was spent at the biggest Portuguese water park Slide&Splash. These days go by at the speed of light, but memories remain for the eternity. Algarve, you must live it to understand t!

If you like the beach, to party hard and breathtaking landscapes you must go to Algarve. This destiny is one of the most selected by tourists, when it comes to this country, and even Portuguese people don’t resist to spend some days there, when it’s vacancy time. ESN Portugal organizes, every year, in the Spring break time, the Erasmus National Meeting (ENM) at Algarve. This is, no doubt, one of the most expected events in the year! Imagine 4 days with

Meet the Board

October International Board Diary by Leo Smith October is notoriously one of the crazy months in ESN (which ones aren’t we hear you ask?) with many events happening at the local, national and international level and also the board engaged in the coordination of network, communication with external partners and running of our projects like PRIME, SocialErasmus etc. Thus, we have lots to let you know about in this feature… The month began with the return from CNR Nancy, a productive meeting that saw the approval of ESN Georgia and second sections in ESN Ireland ESN Croatia, demonstrating the growth and popularity of our network. Also, many interesting sessions were conducted whereby NRs had the opportunity to share ideas about what the network can do for the 25th Anniversary of Erasmus. A policy of the International Board this year is to stay close to sections and we felt that the best way to do that is to come and meet you face-to-face at your national platforms. Therefore, Damien was attending the Slovakian NP at the start of the month to speak with ESNers, get their feedback and talk to them about the activities of ESN International. At the same time, Leo returned home to the UK to participate in the UK National Platform, an event which saw the growth of ESN UK to 13 sections, the election of a new NB and really promising ideas for how the UK can get more engaged in ESN activities. We will be trying to coming to more platforms throughout the year, so just let us know if you would like one of the IB to visit your NP as well. Also, at the same weekend as the UK NP, Josefin and Fabian were representing ESN at the IFISO meeting (Informal Forum of International Student Organisations) in Thessaloniki sharing best practices, attending workshops and small sessions that facilitate cooperate between ESN and the youth associations. ESN was also elected as the next house for the Spring event, so if your section would like to organise this prestigious event, you can apply on www. esn.org.

Next up was the Right for your Rights Conference which took place in October in both Luxembourg and Brussels and it was the final event to celebrate the success of the project and cooperation between Campus Europae and ESN. The event was attended by Katja and Tania from the Board and many other ESNers from all across Europe, and they all participated in the conference, trainings and workshops and even had the chance to visit the European Parliament in Brussels. One of ESN’s most renowned projects, ExchangeAbility had its final event to celebrate the culmination of the project cooperation between ESN and UNICA. The event was held in Brussels and attended by a number of students with disabilities engaged in the campaign, National Agencies, the board and other important stakeholders. This fantastic and uplifting event saw the presentation of all the videos produced through the project and celebrated the impact of everybody’s work. Following on from this, Tania attended a National Agencies meeting which was a fantastic opportunity to talk about the implementation of the Erasmus programme, the work of ESN in each country and also how the two bodies can co-

operate for the 25th Anniversary of the Erasmus Programme in 2012. As some of you may know, ESN is supported by grants which allow us to work here in Brussels and also to run our major projects such as PRIME and SocialErasmus. Therefore, we are always trying to learn more about what we can apply for and how we can make better applications in the future. So on 28th November, Virginie, our new secretary (she started to work with us in September) attended a Grant writing and Info day to gather lots of information and gain trainings that will for sure be valuable to our work in the future. Simultaneously, the Regional Platforms began with SWEP Lisbon being the first event for ESNers in the region to attend. Josefin and Leo attended the event with 45 motivated participants coming from Spain, Portugal, France and Italy to attend workshops and trainings and share best practices and information about their work. And to round of a busy, yet productive October for the board we had a Halloween Party in the ESN House, with a number of ESNers present to join us for this ghoulish fancy dress event….

Section in the Spotlight

Section in the Spotlight: July AEP-ESN Padova By AEP -ESN Padova PadovaWinner of the Starlight Award 2011 and Section in the Spotlight in July, AEP-ESN Padova is one of the most active sections in the network. It was founded in 1992 and became part of the network in 1994, it has more than 40 active members, about 800 ESN cards every year, 2 twin sections (Maribor and Nancy) and 70 activities each semester. We can offer our Erasmus a lot of cultural events (such as theatre or photography courses), sport events (rafting, ice skating, etc.) educational events (trips to museums and cities), of course a lot of fun, besides involving them in our everyday life, out of ESN. Plus, we are very active also on the international level, and some examples are our 4 members in the IB in the last 5 years, the organization of the SWEP 2010, the participation in the major ESN meetings (CoMeet, CNR, Section Meetings) the participation in many international projects (Survey, PRIME, EVS, etc..) and the organization of the PRIME Conference 2011. However, our main commitment is on a local and national level: our greatest activities are the Boat Party, which means 15 hours through the lagoon of Venice with 250 Erasmus students, a 3-day trip to Slovenia and the Carnival, this year with more than 1800 participants and 28 sections from all over Italy, a guided tour through Padua and a huge masked party. We take part in the ESNow and the Evento Nazionale so that our Erasmus can meet those who are having the same experience all over the country. One of our new projects is the ESN Bazar: the guys who are going back home

IN THE

Section in the Spotlight: August ESN Lisbon By ESN Lisbon ESN Lisbon was born on a sunny day, in the year 2008 - And it seems like a million years ago! We are extremely proud to be a very active section in ESN, with activities every single weekend, parties, cultural events, and active members who are willing to go all the way to make each exchange student know what it feels like to have an Erasmus experience in this wonderful city! Our team has been growing at what looks like one unstoppable rate - not only in numbers, but in commitment and quality, we are around 30 active members, highly motivated to make this the greatest Erasmus students organization ever. And apparently, we are getting there even quicker than

can leave us what they don’t need, so that we can give it to the new coming students. Also this year, together with the University, we are organizing the Welcome Day and the Welcome Back Day, two days during which we welcome the incoming students or those who come back from their Erasmus. The University also gave us an office, which we open 4 days a week and where we welcome the incoming Erasmus or the Italian students about to leave who need information about their new cities. Finally, we do care about the cohesion inside our group and that is why we organize a dinner twice a year only for ESNers so that we can spend more time together.

we thought - Over the past year, we had more than 2500 Erasmus signed up to our section. To improve and always maintain the ESN spirit among the members, we organize Teambuilding weekends and dinners, in addition to our weekly meetings. .Beside the usual trips to Portugal’s most well known and cherished places (Algarve, Fátima, Porto, Sintra, Mafra, Arrábida, and Tomar), there were also some great group activities, where the spirit of ESN was always present, like in our BBQs, Movie Sessions, Eurodinner - among so many others! Our trip to Torres Vedras allowed the Erasmus students to experience the most Portuguese carnival of Portugal. We should also

mention the great Radical Weekend in Coimbra, where the Erasmus were given the opportunity to participate in activities like slide, rappel, climbing, and canoeing. Through Wine Tasting and Cooking Sessions we took some time to value our own flavors and gastronomy as well - Or do you still think that Portugal is just about the codfish and the port wine? Along with other ESN Portugal sections, we also took part in the ESN National Football Tournament in Aveiro, and, as it couldn’t be missed, the highlight of this year - the Erasmus National Meeting. This great event took place in the Algarve and we reached an amazing number of almost 200 Erasmus students signing up, joining 600 from other Portugal sections.

Section in the Spotlight: ESN Lisbon

Section in the Spotlight What about the parties? ESN knows how to throw a great party – no doubt about that! Every single Tuesday is already known as the “musicbox night”. This get-together always follows the traditional meeting at the “Erasmus Corner” - a street in the heart of our very own Bairro Alto - one of the coolest places to hang out at night and where all the Erasmus meet for a beer. We are also proud to say that we have had parties in the best clubs of Lisbon (Gossip, Kapital, Loft), a Beach Party, and that they were always memorable! One of the projects that helped the new Erasmus integration was the Buddy Programme. This project, which this year has brought together over 300 Erasmus students and Portuguese enthusiastic participants, consists in attributing a Portuguese student to tutor the Erasmus and help them to get involved with our lifestyle and culture. For the next semester, ESN Lisbon is already planning new initiatives concerning this integration, like the Tandem Language Project and Social Erasmus. Regarding the best interests of the Erasmus students, ESN Lisbon has an office, open every week day and also

has some partnerships such as with local banks, hostels, a language school, a surf school, phone networks and many others - all of which to guarantee the best services and the most comfortable life possible during each Erasmus stay in Lisbon. We have good contact with the universities around Lisbon, participating in Welcome Days and making ourselves known throughout the University Campuses. We also wrote the ESN Guide and will continue to improve it throughout the following semesters. ESN Lisbon is also working on establishing a long lasting relationship with ESN International and with other sections all over Europe, and as such, we

have members in the national board, and one of our members is the national PRIME coordinator. Also, not only will we be organizing the Cultural Medley for the second consecutive year, but we are also hosting the SWEP next October. At the Cultural Medley this July, ESN Lisbon is planning trips around the city, surf lessons, wine tasting and of course, big parties, where the ESN spirit we all love, and stand for, will surely be present. ESN Lisbon has had a very busy year - and we intend to keep up the good work and developing our section - Always with the Pallomeri spirit within all of us, that could never be missed!

Youth Convention

The rights of the Volunteer - II Youth convention on Volunteering by Josefin Svensson With a main topic of the rights of the volunteer, during four days at the heart of Europe, gathering thousands of young people, among them 80 ESNers showing the power of volunteers the Second Youth Convention on Volunteering took place. The event, organised by the European Youth Forum took place at the European Parliament Esplanade and Place Luxembourg in Brussels and gathered thousands of young people, politicians and other stakeholders from all over the world in a four-day event to empower the volunteer. The first two days were dedicated to a conference on the rights of the volunteer, bringing together 70 stakeholders from all over Europe to discuss this important matter. Raising the voice of volunteers, this conference resulted in a declaration which was officially handed over to representatives of the parliament. The following two days hosted an EUChina conference focusing on the volunteers values and work in the two parts, finding similarities and differen-

ces. The participants literally built a bridge in order to symbolize the bridge that should be built between Europe and China. Parallel to this was the biggest part of the event, the v-village, a fair containing the stands of youth organisations and important stakeholders each of which were showing themselves to the public, engaging visitors in competitions and other activities. ESN had its own stand, displaying its work, publications and with all the flags and

ESN gadgets it was hard to miss the delegation of almost 100 ESNers. The v-village festivities were open to the general public and offered an open space to be filled by the imagination of the organisations and stakeholders present. During its two days thousands of people visited the event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; taking part in art projects, debates and workshops. ESN was there to hold 7 workshops of which many were much appreciated. Moreover, an event like this is a great place to show the concerns, causes and work of a youth organization like ESN, but is also a great deal when it comes to opportunities offered to its members.

Show your Country

Passport

Do you know Polska? By Iga Nowak WHERE? Poland lies in the central part of the European continent, the geometrical centre of which is near Warsaw. This is where the lines from Nordkyn in Norway to Matapan in Greece, and from Cabo da Roca in Portugal to the central Urals intersect. The boundary between the East and West European continental masses also runs through Poland. Poland‘s total surface area is 322,500 sq km (312,600 sq km of land, 1,200 sq km of inland waters, and 8,700 sq km of territorial waters). This makes it the ninth largest country in Europe, after Russia, Ukraine, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Norway, and the 63rd largest in the world. HOW MANY PEOPLE? In 2003 Poland‘s population stood at 38,111,000. This figure makes it the 29th most populated country in the world and the 8th in Europe. Before, it ranked seventh,

but was surpassed by the independent Ukraine. It is forecast to regain the seventh place position roughly by 2030, surpassing Spain. WHAT IS THE BEST CUSINE? The Polish national dish is bigos, made of brined cabbage with a variety of meats, smoked meats and mushrooms. Another speciality worth trying is gołąbki - cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice or groats, served with tomato or mushroom sauce. Typical dishes include:barszcz beetroot soup with mushrooms or uszka (dumplings stuffed with mushrooms), mushroom soup, a cabbage dish (usually plain cabbage with mushrooms or pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms), sweet dumplings with poppy seeds, pastries, cakes, fruit, nuts, sweets and a compote drink made from stewed prunes, dried pears and apples. The main treat, though, is fish.

Capital Warsaw Language Polish Population 38.2 Million Currency Polish Zloty PLN (1 Euro = 4,14 PLN) Area 312,685 km2 EU Member Since 2004

WHAT IS WORTH SEEING? Krakow, Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Lublin are some of the most beautiful cities in Poland. Beautiful buildings, interesting architecture and scenic places, it is their common trait. Moreover, while in Poland it is worth a trip to the mountains or the sea. Tourists have to see Mazury - land lakes and visit one of the many scenic parks. This is Poland! More: www.poland.gov.pl. *Visit: www.doyouknowpolska.com

Show your Country

ESN Poland! by Iga Nowak & Julia Trawrinska The history of ESN in Poland began in 1998 when the first section was founded at the Medical Academy in Warsaw. At the same time, students from other cities, independently, saw the need to create organizations that would sustain student exchanges among the Poles, and has provided Erasmus with integration and support. The following universities gathered in informal groups, whose aim was to create a framework for cooperation between the visiting students at Polish universities. In parallel with the activities in sections, Artur Orlowski (ESN SGH section president) and Michael Rule (section president of ESN Gdańsk) independently began to develop assumptions about the start of cooperation between the national level sections. The idea of the first nationwide meeting of ESN sections led to the organization of a National Platform, which was held in Gdansk, Poland (09.05.2003 - 11.05.2003). Here we began discussing the proposal for the establishment of ESN SGH Association in ESN Poland, but after an exchange of views between representatives of the section about the decision on the initiation of work on the establishment of the association was postponed. From year to year, the ESN Poland Association is growing. We are constantly increasing the number of projects, as well as members of ESN. At present, ESN Poland has 33 sections in all major academic centers in Poland. In April 2011 at the National Platform

in Poznan, the Polish delegates elected a national board of six people. With the change of the national statutes, they established a new position in the board: Project Manager. In May the position came into effect. The official end

of term of the outgoing Board and handover was held on 1st July 2011. The meeting took place on the Baltic Sea in the beautiful tourist town, which is Sopot. Several days of meetings were held for the members of two boards and they were very beneficial and valuable! ‘Older’ friends gave newcomers successful rules for cooperation, solving the problems encountered and a whole lot of experiences that they managed to collect during the annual term. For members of the new board, it was an opportunity to create an action plan for the coming term, the division of taks and rules of operation in a group and designate the points to be implemented.

The substantive discussions that lasted very long. A few days spent together have passed under the motto ‘ESN’. Even the dinner took place in the hubbub of talk about SocialErasmus, Discover Europe or the National Platform. But the evening belonged to us! Tired, but satisfied with the agenda going out

on night walks on the beach. Courageous of us, in accordance with the principle of ‘being at the seaside is a duty to bathe in it’, jumped into the cold Baltic Sea. Others who deny this principle, they were thrown into the sea ... It was a nice meeting that will certainly leave a lasting memory of the outgoing board members. This short, but very efficient trip will have a very positive impact on year-long collaboration of new board members of the Association of ESN Poland. We are very grateful to Anne (now HR) for the ‘clasp us’ to her room. The view of 12 people sleeping in one small room (and one person in the car before the block;)) will long remain in our memory! Thanks to the outgoing Board: Magdalena Stanisławska, Piotr Cylke, Piotr Sosnowski, Joanna Gierasimiuk, Piotr Grudniewski, Krzysztof Węgrzynowicz (continues the function). Thank you for all your support and we hope to see you soon. And of course let’s wish the good luck for the new Board: Artur Koziński, Julia Trawińska, Anna Seweryn, Michał Piórkowski, Anna Murawska and me, Iga Nowak. Pallomeri

Show your Country

„BLACK SILESIA” IS FULL OF POSSIBILITIES! By Ola Kubiczek Between 19th and 22nd of May 2011 ESN UE Katowice organized the fourth edition of “Silesia Days”. “Silesia Days” is a cultural didactic conference organized for all exchange students in Poland. The goal of this meeting is to show the possibilities of students’ development in the Silesia Region to all foreign people and to prove that Silesia is a good place to live. Our event generally consists of three parts: 1) Conference day- this is a good occasion to learn more about working and developing a career in the Upper Sile-

sia region. Participants are also able to learn more about the history, current cultural events and technological news of the Silesian Voivodeship. 2) Extreme economics - a field game based on teamwork. The game takes place in the Silesian Central Park in Chorzów. It is full of attractions such as zorbing, roller coaster, wall climbing or windsurfing. 3) Trips to the most interesting tourist attractions in the region like the Brewery in Tychy (Browary Tyskie) or the coal mine “Guido” in Zabrze. The first day began in the afternoon. New friends from other universities were accommodated in our dormitory

and after that went to dinner, during which they had the opportunity to taste Pierogi - a famous Polish dish. In the evening we had a special welcome party in the student club “Kwadraty”. The party was exceptional, because it was a Foam Party! After a hard reveille on the second day, we went together to the University of Economics in Katowice to take part in the Conference. During this interesting meeting we learnt a lot about the present events in the Silesian Voivodship and watched two presentations which were made by our older Erasmus friends and related to their experien-

ces in Poland. They told us how they had developed their career in the Upper Silesia and what had helped them in coming to the decision about staying in our country. After dinner (a delicious pizza) all participants went to Tychy to visit the Brewery. They learnt about its history, about the production of the beer and in the end they took part in the beer tasting. In the evening we had a Bus Party. The whole Erasmus team from our University, our guests and the local ESN members had fun inside the bus which was traveling around Katowice. Saturday was a very active day. It was 30°C when the Extreme Economics

started. We divided our group into teams. For each team was given a map, with the help of which the team members were to reach every point on it. In every place there was a special challenge for the group. The points were received for completing them. The winners - a team with the highest number of points and the best time - got the prize. Everybody had a lot of fun and, what is important, we had been lucky enough to return before a great storm started. Luckily, the weather was much better, so we could go to the concert of Myslovitz. A bungee jumping turned out to be an extra attraction for the Erasmus people. The last day we spent visiting the museum - the coal mine “GUIDO” in Zabrze. The ESN members did their best to translate the difficult miner’s language to English. We gained knowledge about

the hard work in a mine and about the history of the coal mining in the Silesian region. After the tour we went to eat a special Silesian dinner: a beef roulade with the Silesian dumplings and red cabbage. Silesia Days 2011 has come to the successful conclusion! This year’s four-day event attracted 60 participants from Universities all over Poland. We had a lot of fun and after these days we are proud to say that: „BLACK SILESIA” is FULL OF POSSIBILITIES!!! See you next year! Get wild in Silesia!

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THE DELEGATES’ MEETING By Katarzyna Pachlita On 27th-29th May the Delegates’ Meeting was held in Cracow. It is one of the most important meetings at the national level between the Erasmus Student Network representatives. The delegates of all Polish ESN sections took part in the congress to deliberate, decide and plan how to work. One delegate from each section and a few guests

determined by the ESN Poland board were invited for the Delegates’ Meeting. The meeting takes place three times a year and is the international contact network. 80 persons, representing various universities took part in the meeting which was held in May: AGH University of Science and Technology, Kozminski University, National Defence University in Warsaw, Collegium Civitas, Medical University of Gdansk, Bialystok University of Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Lublin University of Technology, Lodz University of Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, Wroclaw University of Technology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Lazarski University, Katowice University of Economics, Cracow University of Economics, Poznan University of Economics, Wroclaw University of Economics, University of Gdansk, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Jagiellonian University, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Mikolaj Kopernik University in Torun, University of Szczecin, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, University of Warsaw, Medical University of Warsaw and Silesian University of Technology.

The Delegates’ Meeting was prepared by the two Cracovian universities, namely Cracow University of Economics and the Jagiellonian University. Those responsible for organizing the meeting were Ewelina Kus – president of ESN UJ, Adrian Łuczyński – president of ESN UEK and Marcin Kopeć – ESN Poland Association Fundraising Coordinator.

On May 28th, the deliberations were held at the University of Economics and were related to the reports on the current Board’s activity, the financial statements with emphasis on the outstanding section payments, the reports of the Audit Committee and the personal reports. Then the Erasmania case was discussed and afterwards the small sessions were conducted relating to the new association statute, the recruitment and the Discover Europe project evaluation. In the final stage of deliberations the vo-

ting for the amendment of the statute and regulations took place as well as the election to the ESN Poland Board, which includes: Artur Koziński – President Julia Trawińska – National Representative Krzysztof Węgrzynowicz –Treasurer Michał Piórkowski – Project Manager Iga Nowak – Communication Manager Anna Seweryn - Board Member of Human Resources Anna Murawska - Board Member of Organization On May 29th, the deliberations were held at the Jagiellonian University. The presentation topics consisted of the issues such as: the vision of co-operation development with Association Partners, the potential of the ESN Poland brand, a discussion on “What can be done thanks to the work in the ESN?” and a discussion on the ESN Olympics and Cracow ESNalia projects. The reports from the trainings and the Schuman Parade were also submitted. At the May Delegates’ Meeting important decisions were taken connected not only with the ESN Poland, but also with the various local sections, which have a significant impact on their continued functioning and activity. We do hope that the approved changes and adopted provisions will contribute to more effective work and even better using of the potential that ESN and people creating it have.

Show your Country

We‘ve painted the Monument! The Ecological-Scientific Picnic took place on the 11th June at Warsaw‘s Children‘s Health Center, under the patronage of the Mayor of Warsaw‘s Wawer district. During this picnic, the patients and other guests participated in various physics and chemistry experiments, including experiencing how a hybrid engine or a magnetic rail works. There were also other workshops on the creation of handmade paper, as well as activities with a microscope and rifles. Poland‘s ESN Organisation was very visible at the picnic. It integrated with both Polish and foreign students, bringing smiles

onto curious children‘s faces. Youngsters participated in activities such as having national flags or fake tattoos painted on their faces. There was also the possibility of making handmade jewelry or playing musical instruments. It was quite challenging for young people to try their best in communicating in foreign languages to the foreign students present. All this pleasantly took place in an international atmosphere. The concert of the band – Enej, as well as the presence of graffiti artists were the main attractions of the picnic. Two days prior to the picnic, a big gray monument was placed on the site of the picnic. By the end of the picnic the statue was no longer a frightening gray statue, but a beautifully co-

loured sculpture which attracted positive attention. This project was prepared by Alicja Getka from Warsaw‘s Academy of Fine Arts and was realized by the students from Erasmus Student Network. It was a real treat for them to paint a gray dirty monument, successfully doing so and rewardingly saying “We‘ve painted the monument”. This selfless action was done so that the children fighting for their health could feel that through this colourful monument they were not alone in their efforts. The purpose of this project was to make gray reality into something more colourful. All of the activities mentioned above are just a small part of the SocialErasmus project in Poland. The human element as well as the smile of the children‘s faces were what counted for us ! By Karol Ślusarski

European Day & the Shuman Parade This year’s May was full of such great events like the ESN Olympics, The Final Gala of Discover Europe, The European Day (SGH) and of course the Schuman Parade! Let’s refresh our memory about the Schuman Parade and The European Day. The parade was a huge success. There were many of us, every section from Warsaw delegated a small group consisting of members and Erasmus students to represent them. The parade started at noon from the place in front of the Castle in the Old Town and was moving towards ‘Nowy Świat’ to the so called ‘European Town’ where we had our stand to promote ESN and make children smile. Our big flag was seen everywhere by everyone, even on TV! Later in the European Town we were painting kids’ faces, blowing up balloons and

enjoyed our time together ;) Another event coordinated by ESN SGH was The European Day. We were celebrating the unity of Europe and promoting the Erasmus programme. It took place in the main building of Warsaw School of Economics. We gathered a huge crowd there! People were shocked and amazed by our dance show performed by Joanna Dąbrowska and Volodymyr Sharapov. The big surprise was our handmade wall presenting the word ‘Europe’ made out of 100 boxes! During the event we organized a conference on how we can obtain subsidies from the EU. From the very beginning we were

supported by traditional music from European countries. In other words: another great event prepared by the ESN! So, as these events belong to the past, we look forward to the future! We hope next polish events will be another success in promoting our beloved ESN! By Hubert Wodzyński

Show your Country

Alphabet: Do you know Polska? Here is the Alphabet about this wonderful, central European country bringing you a lot of entertainment and knowledge! Let’s check to see how much you know about Poland!

A like Astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus) born in Toruń. Developed the heliocentric model of the solar system, according to which the Sun is at the center. Copernicus‘s theory influenced the way of looking at Earth and the human place in the universe and became the basis for the development of science.

B like Bison. The largest surviving in Europe mammal. The Poles have saved the bison from extinction.

C like Constitution

H like “God’s Playground, a History of Poland”, N. Davies It is the best known history book of Poland in English.

I like inspiration to learn polish language This language is known as one of the most difficult languages to learn. We have a lot of tongue-twisters. Can you repeat: suszą szosa sucha ?

S like ‘Slavonic soul’ Poles are considered to be people of honour, as well as vulnerable to romantic impulses.

T like temperature

The first polish university was founded in Cracow in 1364.

K like knowledge

U like UNESCO.

Polish mathematicians broke the secret of the Enigma code (a coding machine used by Nazi Germany).

The UNESCO Word Heritage Lists included e.g. Wielczka. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, created in the Middle Ages. For centuries, it was the source of the country’s wealth. Today, it is the most popular Polish tourist attraction.

J like Jagiellonian University

L like name: Lech Lech Wałęsa. Poland was the first country of the communist block where the old system collapsed. Lech Wałęsa was the leader of movement.

D like diversity

M like million

The whole territory of Poland is varied. You can find: sandy beaches on the Baltic Sea, many lakes and picturesque landscapes in the mountains.

The population in Poland is 38,2 million people.

E like European Union

Neighbouring states: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Russia.

F like Flag.

Maria Curie-Skłodowska won two Nobel Prizes in the field of physics and chemistry. She was co-founder of radiology and discovered radium and polonium.

Poland lies in moderate climate zone. In summer (June-September) is usually warm about 25-30, but in winter (October - February) the temperature is dipping to -25 - -30.

In 1791 the Poles adopted the first written Constitution, the first in Europe, the second in the world.

Poland is in the EU from 1st May 2004.

R like radium

N like neighbours

O like openness

The Polish national colour is white and red. That’s the colour of the polish flag.

Foreigners perceive Poles as a very open people. Poles make new friends easily and are warm in their relations with strangers.

G like great sportsman

P like Pierogi

Polish sportsmen are: Otylia Jędrzejczak (Olympic champions in swimming distance), Adam Małysz ( the most popular polish ski-jumper), Robert Kubica (F1 driver) etc.

From time immemorial the Poles have loved drinking and eating. Typical polish cuisine is very diverse and contains e.f. oscypek (typical polish cheese from mountains), żur (a soup), kluski (a delicious polish pasta) and a lot more.

W like Warsaw The capital of Poland.

Z like złoty That’s polish currency ( 1€ - 4,01 PLN).

Ą,Ć,Ę,Ł,Ń, Ó,Ś, Ź, Ż ?! Difficult? Now,I don’t think so! ;) So you think you know Polska? Would you like to prove it? Or maybe discover it? We invite you to Poland! Visit websites: doyouknowpolska.com Encourage to check up: www.esn.pl, www.en.poland.gov.pl

By Iga Nowak

Projects & Partners

The European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning By Noé Viedma The European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning (EUCIS-LLL) gathers 24 European networks working in education and training. Together, these organisations cover all sectors of education and training including networks for higher education, vocational education and training, adult education and popular education; networks for students, school heads, parents, human resources developer professionals, teachers and trainers. Through its members, EUCIS-LLL embodies lifelong learning. The creation of this platform is a response from civil society organisations to the defining and implementation of a European education and training policy. EUCIS-LLL promotes European-wide cooperation among civil society organisations in order to build a citizen‘s voice on lifelong learning issues and to propose concrete solutions based on the expertise, the competencies and the experience of its networks‘ experts and practitioners. It takes regular positions to defend the common interests of its members. This is the case for example on the future of the education, training and youth programmes or to promote the development of European citizenship education. Since its creation in 2005, EUCIS-LLL has increasingly achieved more recognition from the EU and other relevant stakeholders, going from 6 members in 2005 to 24 in 2011. During its last General Assembly in Krakow, EUCIS-LLL

welcomed four new members: ESN, UNIQUE, CONTACT 2103 and OBESSU. EUCIS-LLL was particularly looking forward to involve youth organisations in the network. The platform has grown fast and its older members are eager to maintain a “family spirit”. Indeed, EUCIS-LLL represents a great opportunity for its members to know each other and also to share knowledge on a regular, friendly and structured basis. Gina Ebner, EUCIS-LLL President, said that “Looking back at the last few years, I see that being able to work together represents a real change. By exchanging views we can find similarities but we can also bring new ideas and solutions to the challenges we are facing today.” The platform is also a tool to promote a holistic vision of lifelong learning, from cradle to grave, that is not limited to formal education but integrates nonformal and informal learning. By bringing together actors from all sectors and levels of education and training, EUCIS-LLL contributes to an increased flexibility between systems. Youth organisations such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a good example as they are bridging non-formal education - through the involvement of student volunteers in their projects - and formal education - by connecting Universities and students across Europe. The platform fosters a vision of lifelong learning that promotes equity, social cohesion and active citizenship. It believes that the objectives of education and training should not only be described in terms of employability or economic growth but also as a framework for personal development. It is essential to raise awareness on the fact that lifelong learning should include a large range of learning settings and create more complementarity and continuity between formal, non-formal and informal learning.

EUCIS-LLL organises conferences, public hearings and seminars on transversal topics on lifelong learning. In 2011, the platform tackled issues such as volunteering in education and training, the impact of transnational mobility to foster personal, social and civic competences. Furthermore, since 2010 three working groups were set on the “social dimension of E&T”, on “EU tools & competences” and on the “sustainability of lifelong learning”. These working groups are composed of experts and practitioners coming from its member networks. They allowed the platform to strengthen exchanges amongst its members and to make innovative proposals to decision-makers. The key messages that emerge from EUCIS-LLL meetings and activities are communicated to EU institutions via our position papers or via meetings with their representatives. Last but not least, the platform advocates for a stronger consultation and participation of organised civil society at all levels of policy-making. It is active in civil society groups in order to promote these ideas as well as to raise awareness on the role of lifelong learning, notably to develop European active citizenship. It is a member of the Civil Society Contact Group and the European Economic and Social Committee Liaison Group. EUCIS-LLL believes that student networks such as ESN, OBESSU or ESU should be consulted automatically when a policy paper is to be prepared in a field that concerns them directly. This should be the case for all European civil society stakeholders and EUCIS-LLL is constantly striving to make it happen.

Events & Experiences

The Sunny National Event on Crete by ESN Greece by Despina Vachari After long discussions and several interesting suggestions everyone in the National Platform of ESN Greece agreed that Crete was the place for OUR first National Event. The local section in Crete, ESN Tei of Crete is composed of some crazy and responsible men and a courageous treasurer, Georgia. The section is located in Heraklion, the capital of Crete, a city of dubious beauty, in which I personally would disagree as, sun and fun is always there and nobody would doubt this. The rendezvous was set to be at the port of Piraeus for the non-Cretan participants. About 140 Erasmus students and ESNers from Thessaloniki and Athens met in front of the ferry and were ready to depart for their trip. A long and interesting sleepless night was foreseen, as the participants were about to meet all together for the first time and start the journey to the magnificent island. For this reason our sponsor had already been waiting for us at the port and free energy drinks were distributed to the participants. We arrived early in the morning, left our tiredness behind and let the fun begin. (Εδώ μήπως να προσθετες πως ενοθήκατε με Τους Κρητικούς ερασμους και esners και τον τελικο αριθμό υποψηφίων?). First stop was Elounda where we took the boat for a short cruise around Spinalong, a historic island and ended up at Kolokitha, a small, almost private beach. The sea was a bit cold but not cold enough to keep us from swimming, diving and playing games in the sandy beach. Time to go? No, not before the barbeque! Food is always good and the way back to Elounda was short. One of the most famous beach bars of Crete was open only to National Event participants and despite our tiredness and our will to lay and relax on the sun beds music got loud soon and we took the challenge. Our first day ended

with an unforgettable party by the sea with us dancing and singing our favorite songs and watching the sunset on the background. For the second day aquapark was the main attraction. With a few absences (people who chose an alternative sightseeing schedule on the famous ancient palace of Knossos) we departed for Watercity. Waterslides with names like harry cane, black whole, high-speed fast and faster and other crazy staff but also lazy river and peaceful swimming pools soon were full of Erasmus students testing their limits, testing their friends limits or even testing our limits. We had much fun but time goes by so quickly and it was already time to get back to the hotel. We

had just few free time to get ready and enjoy the pre-party (there’s always a pre-party) next to the pool and a mythical party organized exclusively by “ESN Tei of Crete” took place at the ΤΕΙ. All you could see around was glowing cheeks from the morning sun and happy faces dancing to the groove. We slept for less than three hours but sleeping was not included in the schedule. So next morning, last day of the National Event and is already the time to check out from the hotel. Last stop Matala, a beach on the southern part of the island; known for the hippies that used to live the caves scalped on the cliffs. The sea is amazing there as it is an open gulf to the Libyan sea; the

sun was shining and the beach almost perfect. You could see the difference: on your right hand, the caves where the hippies used to live in the early 70s and on your left hand cute cafes and bars on pirate style are open all day and night long. So we had chosen one of these bars to say the last goodbye before taking the road to home. By early afternoon we found the best way to say goodbye to the beautiful island with a bikini party! Our yellow bracelets were still on our wrists and soon mojito started getting in our minds. Like this we started the hippie hippie shake and said some sweet goodbyes. It was already 6 p.m and we had to hurry to catch our ferry. Inside all of us were wishing to miss the ferry and stay in the island forever but we all knew that the office of “ESN Tei of Crete” was too small to accommodate us all… As one farewell is never enough, we continue our group hugs, goodbyes and promises to meet again next year at the port of Heraklion. Time to get in the ferry, the journey back seems shorter as we all sleep and dream we are still in Crete. We wake up at the port of Piraeus and the first National Event of ESN Greece is officially over. Special thanks to the “ESN Tei of Crete” for their great work, to Rania Chantzopoulou and the Greek web-team for the help with registration system, to Orestis Vlachos for the logos and the graphics, to the sections of ESN Greece for the support and to all the participants for the great moments.

Translation

Artıq vaxtdır... Mübadilə edək və dəyişək...

By Nurlan Əhmədov

Bildiyimiz kimi təhsil sisteminin inkişafına bir çox amillər təsir göstərir ki, bunların sırasında ən vacibi mübadilə proqramlarıdır. Mübadilə proqramları sayəsində fərqli təhsil sisteminə, mədəniyyətə , tarixə malik olan dövlətlərin inteqrasiyası baş verir. Həmin proqramlar içərisində tələbə mübadiləsinin sayına görə Erasmus xüsusilə seçilir. Lakin bu cür proqramlar sırf Avropa Birliyi daxilində deyil, 3-cü tip ölkələri də özündə ehtiva etməlidir. Əlbəttə buna bir sıra məsələlər maneə yaradır. Maliyyə, Viza problemi, məsafənin uzaqlığı, diplomların tanınması və müxtəlif vaxtlarda verilməsi və s. Belə ki, təhsilin keyfiyyətində olan fərqlər mübadilə proqramlarının sərhədlərinin əsasən Avropa daxilində məhdudlaşdırılması ilə nəticələnir. Bu problemləri konfrans, seminarlarda müzakirə etməklə onların həlli istiqamətlərini müəyyənləşdirmək lazımdır. Lakin, problemlərin həlli konfransların mövzusu olaraq qalmamalı, dövlətlərin təhsil qurumları, universitetlərin idarə heyətləri tərəfindən həll edilməlidir. Hər bir universitet öz tələbələrinin mübadilə proqramlarında iştirakında maraqlı olmalıdırlar. 1 semestr və ya 1 il mübadilə proqramında iştirak etmək həm də maliyyə baxımından 3 və ya 4 il xaricdə təhsil almaqdan daha əlverişlidir. Buna görə də özəl şirkətlər də bu proqramların effektli fəaliyyəti üçün maliyyə yardım ayırmalıdırlar. Çünki statiskaya nəzər yetirsək mübadilə proqramlarının iştirakçıları iş tapmaqda çətinlik çəkmirlər və onların şansı digərlərinə nisbətən daha çox olur. 31 May 2011 – ci ildə Erasmus Tələbə Şəbəkəsinin üzv olan Bakı Beynəlxalq Tələbə Klubu tərəfindən həyata keçirilən Azərbaycanda təhsil alan xarici tələbələrin 1-ci Forumunun da məqsədi bu problemlərin həllini müəyyənləşdirməkdən olmuşdur. Belə ki, forum müddətində tələbələr öz problemləri barədə danışmış və daha yaxşı təhsil üçün təkliflərini vermişlər. Tədbirin mədəniyyət hissəsində isə müxtəlif ölkələrin mədəniyyətlərini

özündə əks etdirən nümunələr göstərilmişdir. Bu cür tədbirlərin keçirilməsi dövlətdə olan təhsil qurumlarını mübadilə proqramlarına daha çox diqqət yetirməyə imkan verir. Nəzərə alsaq ki, Odlar Yurdumuz – Azərbaycan Asiya və Avropanın qovşağında yerləşir , onda Avropa , Asiya, və digər qitələrlə əməkdaşlığı gücləndirmək üçün geniş imkanlar vardır. Qeyd etmək istərdim ki, hər birimizin ümumi məqsədi daha çox öyrənmək və daha çox öyrətmək olmalıdır. Bu baxımdan, bütün dünya dövlətləri əməkdaşlığı gücləndirməli , sülh şəraitində yaşamalı və fikirləri, mədəniyyətləri , təhsili mübadilə etməlidirlər. Və Yadda Saxlayın !!! – Qloballaşma başqalarına hörmət etmək, mübadilə etmək və daha yaxşıya dəyişməkdir... Artıq vaxtdır ...

Translation

It is Time Already … Let’s Exchange and Change… By Nurlan Ahmadov

As we know there are so many things that influence the development of an education system , one of the important things among them is exchange programmes . The integration of different societies with different education systems, culture and history,

and this is being realized with the help of exchange programmes. Erasmus is unique amongst such programmes for the sheer number of students that participate and its effectivness. However, such programmes shouldn’t act only inside Europe , it must go beyond borders and contain other countries. Indeed, there are challenges that create barriers: financial, Visa problems, the distance, recongnition of diplomas, and the variety on times of giving diplomas. So, diversity on quality education results in exchange programmes being limited to Europe. With discussion about such problems at conferences might help to find solutions for these issues. But, the theme of the conference shouldn’t stay only as formal documents, such problems sholuld be solved by the administrative staff of universities and other education instutions. The main aim of every university should be on the participation of their students in such programmes.

) was to discuss problems and suggest their proposals for the getting better quality education. At the cultural part of the ceremony there were cultural performances by representatives of different countries. Such events help to get more support for the mobility programmes from the educational instutions. Considering, the Land of Fire- Azerbaijan is situated between Asia and Europe , there are more possibilities to reinforce cooperation with all continents. All of us has a common idea: To learn more and to teach more. So, all of the countries have to reinforce cooperation , live in peace and exchange ideas, culture and education. And, Remember !!! – Globalization is to respect others , exchange and to be changed for the better...İt is time already...

Moreover , the private sector and companies can also contribute with financial support to such projects. Statistics show that participants of mobility programmes don’t meet any difficulties on finding jobs and they have more chances than others. The main aim of the 1st Republican Forum of Foreign students studying in Azerbaijan which took place on 31st May 2011 in Baku, oganized by ESN Baku ( Baku International Student Club

Recipe For 4 persons: 500g beans (preferably white ones) 500g smoked meat (sausages, pork the interior part of the back leg with bone) 100ml vegetable oil 2 onions 1 red pepper 2 carrots 2-3 tomatoes (or 400g of canned tomatoes) pickled cucumbers 1 laurel leave thyme pepper beans parsley dill salt

sag u a s d n a t d mea

oke m s h t i w s Bean

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SEE (EVEN MORE OF) EUROPE WITH 9FLATS.COM So, three months into your Erasmus experience and I bet you’ve had many incredible experiences already. Met amazing people, seen amazing places, done amazing things... I was an Erasmus student myself, and I know how great that excitement feels. Now, I’ve got a little something to share with you that’s going to make your heart beat even faster. We at 9flats.com have just partnered with ESN to help you get even more from your year abroad. Who is 9flats. com? We’re a young, dynamic website offering a whole new approach to travelling. Through us, you can rent out another person’s spare room, flat or mountain hut for your trips, anywhere in the world. The idea behind it is that you can stay anywhere you choose to, without having to book a hostel or hotel and can therefore travel like a real local. All of this is summed up in our slogan “The clever alternative to hotels”, which you may have seen around. You can even rent out your place with us while you’re away, and earn some extra holiday money.

Ah, so it’s like CouchSurfing? Kind of but not quite. 9flats offers more... Privacy: renting your own flat can be more relaxing at the end of a long day. Safety: with secure online payment (no cash) and reviews and recommendations of hosts. Convenience: detailed place descriptions, descriptive filters and integrated Google Maps make it quick and easy to choose a flat. Personality: Trendy? Artsy? Homely? Find the flat that suits you.

During the next few months we’ll be giving away nearly 4,000 travel vouchers to our Facebook fans, each worth €50!”

Insider travel tips, competitions and more You know what though? The excitement doesn’t stop there. As part of this collaboration, during the next few months we’ll be giving away nearly 4,000 travel vouchers to our Facebook fans, each worth €50!! Our first competition took place in early December and asked Erasmus students to let us know: What’s the most amazing place you’ve discovered on Erasmus? We got some really great answers from students all over Europe, from the “nicest cafe in the world” in Munich to a brewery in an old bath house in Amsterdam. You’ll find our best ones on Facebook if you’re looking for inspiration for your future Erasmus trips. If you missed this competition, don’t worry. We’re already busy planning the second one. This means there’ll soon be another chance for you to win one of our many vouchers and read more amazing insider travel tips shared by students like yourself. Best to make your way over to our Facebook page now, like us and always be the first to hear the news. I imagine that’s quite a lot to take in. But worry not, to better understand the idea behind 9flats, have a look at our ‘About’ pages on 9flats.com, and watch our cute ‘How it works’ video. Or search for us on YouTube and let our guests and hosts tell you what it’s all about. For now I’d like to wish you a fantastic Erasmus year (it may very well be the best of your life) and hope that 9flats can help you explore every furthest corner of Europe while you’re here. Katharina Regner, Erasmus co-ordinator, 9flats.com

Enter competition www.facebook.com/9flatsstudents 31

Meet the Board

Meet the Board 2011/2012

By Josefin Svensson

With big shoes to fill they were elected during the AGM in Budapest in the end of March 2011. In the beginning of July they came to Brussels for a tough and intense knowledge transfer week and the 15th it was time for them to stand on their own as the Board of Erasmus Student Network. With the support of the committees, Liaison Officers, CNR, National Boards and most importantly the sections they live ESN 24/7 working for the good of the network. During their presentations infront of the AGM they showed their dedication and motivation and Tania, Katja, Damien, Josefin and Fabian got the trust of the network for a year mandate. When you live and work for an organisation like the Board is doing for the year of their mandate it is important with dedication and a good team. „It‘s great to work with such a dedicated team and to feel the ESN spirit whereever I go“ says Tania. For such and intense experience it is important to have the support of the team. A great source of inspiration for all of the Board Members is the network. ESNers is all countries dedicate a great amount of their time and sometimes their studies or job has to suffer for the good of the network and students. It might be weird to think, but they all live and work together in the so-called capital of Europe, Brussels - a place which offers a unique enviornment close to the EU insitutions and like ESN a wide variety of people from different cultural bakgrounds. Living in the ESN house, working in the ESN office with the same people can sometimes be difficult - we fight sometimes, but most of the time we make up fast again and at the end of the day we are all friends.

Did you know that?

*The Board Members receive an average of 70 emails per day *The Board Members make an average of 3 trips abroad per month *With food, Katja is the most picky person *Damien stayed in the Board for a second year. *Fabian gives out free hugs, „I gave out countless hugs to the whole network, but I am far from done“

From the top: Fabian Bircher (Switzerland), Damien Lamy-Preto (France), Josefin Svensson (Sweden), Tania Berman (France) and Katja Krohn (Germany). Ironically enough, the house and the office are located on the metro line 5 so that everyday going to the office is litterally going to/on Erasmus.

re the Board Members work together with the secretariat. Along with the general Board tasks there are more specific parts of the jobs that are tied to each position so that each person is an expert in their field.

Part of the job is representation so it requires a lot of travelling, most of the Board Members spent half of Septem- If you want to know more about the ber month abroad. „I love travelling work of the Board, please drop an and if it wasn‘t for all the emails when email to board@esn.org or one of the you come back it would be perfect“ Board Members. says Katja. When the Board is not travelling Tania Berman (France) - President the daily work in BrusKatja Krohn (Germany) - Vice President sels as you might have Damien Lamy-Preto (France) - Treasurer guessed takes place Josefin Svensson (Sweden) - Communication Manager Fabian Bircher (Switzerland) - Web Project Administrator in the ESN office whe-

Board 2011/2012

Meet the Board

New Board - New House By Josefin Svensson The 15th of July the new board started their mandate – the same day it was already time to pack everything and start writing ESN history in the third ESN house since ESN arrived to Brussels back in 2005. The preparations and finding the house started already months earlier a job led by Damien and the former board in July it was official. On the morning of Friday the 15th of July the moving began. The guys got up early to pick up the huge van and the rest started packing and demounting all the furniture. After going to IKEA three times, driving back and forth between the old and new house with huge loads, getting chased down the street by a neighbor with an axe most things were finally at

the new location. Now it was time to actually assemble the furniture and furnish the house. Furnishing the living room proved to be a more difficult task than anticipated, as the room was actually 3 times bigger than the previous one – by placing all the couches of the the previous house and the office it looked ok, kind of. Assembling the same wardrobe twice, using all the manpower of ESN to hoist the wardrobes to the fourth floor and placing bigger pile of garbage than allowed on the street were needed before finalizing. So with some minor hiccups the job was finished over one weekend. The house, like the old house is still located on metro line 5 - leaving the irony of taking metro #5, direction ERASMUS in the morning when going to the office. The new house consists of 7 bedrooms, 4 bathroom, a HUGE living room, dining room, kitchen and a big basement and now serves as home for the 5 board members, the board secretary, space for an intern and occasionally the many guests, ESNers from all over Europe.

Want to visit?

If you are interested in being one of the many guests, please contact the secretariat (secretariat@esn.org). And don’t forget to send us postcards from your travels! Rue Major Petillon 22, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium

Photo

DO YOU WANT YOUR PHOTO HERE?

Then send your photos to:

photo@esn.org

Quiz

Fill the vertical lines (beginning with the first letter from the top and going to the bottom) with the replies from the questions 1 to 11. The horizontal marked line will give you the answer to the question

Name the future of the Erasmus Programme...!

1. What prize did ESN win for its project SocialErasmus?

7. The website template of ESN is called?

12. What kind of grant is SocialErasmus funded by

2. What is the name of the new secretary working for ESN in Brussels?

8. The newest commercial partner of ESN is?

13. Which is the only EU country not in ESN

3. The 36th country in ESN is?

9. What is the name of the administrative grant ESN International receives each year?

4. The second associate member of ESN is from which South American city? 5. What city will the SocialErasmus coordinators meeting be held? 6. What is the name of the Italian ExchangeAbility activity?

10. Which German city was host to the German National Event â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ESNters the city in December 2011? 11. Where in Spain will AGM 2012 be held?

If you solved the puzzle, please send it to us, the first answer we receive will get a price! Send it to: Erasmus Student Network Rue Hydraulique 15 B-1210, Brussels Belgium

This project has been funded with support from the European Comission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein