ESN Magazine - Express 9

IN THIS ISSUE:

- SOCIALERASMUS - YOUTH RIGHTS - ESN COMMITTEES 9th edition September 2010

ESN COUNTRIES

:

ESN MACEDONIA ESN ITALY

PROJECTS & PARTNERS

Colofon

TITEL

Editors in Chief Tajana Nikolic Marco La Rosa

Editorial Team:

Eva Ntovolou Justina Adamiec Agnieszka Silenko Ewa Kurek Juan Colino Katerina Pechova Ana Frangova Tania Berman Anton Bubal Iga Nowak Martina Sinal Marketa Tokova Nikolas Spanoudakis Alice Bottaro Letizia Milanese Daphne Scherer Valentina Settomini Adriano Corso Marco Felluca Carlo Bitetto Igor Kalinic Mara Papaccio Giuseppe Sammartano Laura Bovolenta Foundation 112 Adriana Pérez Encinas Patrick Fiquet Laura Perelló Sandra Fernandez Matjaž Dolenc European Youth Forum (YFJ) Veeli Oeselg Joachim Wyssling Emre Emirlioglu Christoph Bachmann Hendrik Schraa Mathias Kissig Rania Chantzopoulou Marco La Rosa Ania Burtan Madara Apsalone Peter Koekoek

EDITORIAL

by: Eva Ntovolou

They told me that nobody reads the editorial… And this made writing it even more challenging for me. I always read the editorials, it helps me see things from another perspective, sometimes I agree, sometimes I don’t but…. doesn’t this always happen in life?

Yesterday, I received a thank you card from a group of Art students (from all over the world) to whom we presented ESN in the middle of July. They were in Brussels for a week, visiting all kinds of associations, learning about what they do and how they work. So ESN was also invited to hold a presentation for them about our member sections, our structure, our values and goals.

You know what they told us after the presentation? I am quoting exactly “Thank you, we were all so tired with the tight schedule we have here in Brussels, but the presentation of your association woke us up again!”

It is funny because while I was going through the articles of this issue, I felt exactly the same thing! ESN Sections in Action! From all over Europe, different cultures, different backgrounds, different activities, all united in our diversity, all IN ACTION to provide the best for our students and the network.

Someone would say this is easy, we know how to have a good time and that’s enough. I would say it is a lot more than just having a good time and we don’t even realise it. Local, national and international projects, various services for our students, cultural activities, support to the network, provision of academic information, the adventure of ESN! I will quote here a phrase from Marco Fallucca who wrote an article about ESN Genova. “….always trusting adventure, believing in cultural exchange and discovering new worlds and new ways of being, always scanning the horizon towards future destinations and adventures….”

Go on…take a look for yourselves and find out what is going on in the other ESN countries! We hope that you have had nice, relaxing summer holidays and that you have recharged your batteries for the upcoming academic year!

Oh, and if you have read this please send an e-mail to president@esn.org , I am really curious to find out if people read editorials…. Enjoy!

Language editors:

Leo Smith Adriana Perez Encinas Maria Kalaentzi Matjaz Dolenc James Warren

Design and Illustrations: Marco La Rosa Rania Chantzopoulou Marc Janson

Photo

Alexandra Efstathiou Christophe Andrey Grzesiek Michalak Giorgio Bassetti Katja Krohn Katerina Papoutsi Rania Chantzopoulou Marco La Rosa

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If you want to write an article, please send it to:

express@esn.org

ESN International Rue Hydraulique 15 B-1210 Brussels, Belgium

The theme of the next issue:

Time Travels

TABLE OF CONTENTS SOCIALERASMUS: CATCH NEW VISION!

3

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

14

EUROPEAN CAMPUS

15

SHOW YOUR COUNTRY! 8 ESN MACEDONIA ESN FON UNIVERSITY ESN SKOPJE

9 9

18 ESN ITALIA ESN CATANIA GEG - ESN GENOVA ESN MILANO STATALE AEP - ESN PADOVA ESN - ASSI PARMA ESN RIMINI STEP - ESN PAVIA

20 20 21 21 22 23 23

EXCHANGE YOUR LANGUAGE! GREEK: ΙΘΑΚΗ ENGLISH: ITHACA SLOVENIAN: MOBILNOST! ENGLISH: MOBILITY!

16 17 26 27

SECTIONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT ESN PILSEN ESN UAM ESN GENT

7 25 25

33

ESN REGIONAL PLATFORMS 2010 YOUTH RIGHTS FOR YOUNG EUROPEANS YEAR OF YOUTH DIALOGUE AND UNDERSTANDING

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35

28 29 29

QUIZ

30 30 31 31 32

COLUMN

RECIPE

6 7 12 13 24 24

SPECIAL!

INERNATIONAL EDUCATION NETWORK & EVENTS FINANCES IT COMMUNICATION

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LET’S TOUR DE CRACOW ESN VALLADOLID - BLOOD DONATION DRAMA GROUP A TURKISH AND A BULGARIAN IN POLAND WHEN THE STAGE WAS A DREAM ALUMNI MEETING HELSINKI

PHOTOS

ESN COMMITTEES

EVENTS & ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

PROJECTS & PARTNERS

CATCH NEW VISION!

Reach higher! Go further! Go Social! by: Justyna Adamiec

Experience, exchange, Erasmus, Erasmus Student Network.

These are the words, which members of ESN use very often, but what doesn’t it actually mean nowadays to experience exchange, to experience Erasmus? How much it is connected to the main idea of the establishers of Erasmus Program? How much of Erasmus idea does the Erasmus Student Network offer to exchange students?

These are the questions, which were asked in Poland, when ESN was standing on the crossroads of the 20th Anniversary of the Erasmus Program in Poland in 2008. As a result of the answers SocialErasmus idea was brought up by Justyna Adamiec & Magdalena Pawelczyk. Since then, SocialErasmus has been changing the ESN’s vision in Poland and the PolishErasmusExperience.

SocialErasmus: Reach higher! Go further! Go Social!

But what actually is SocialErasmus? It is the idea to complete a stay abroad with the original values of the Erasmus Program, which are supposed to be an opportunity to get to know new cultures and education systems as well as to make new unforgettable friendships, but also it should be a kind of inspiration for a future life.

What is more, the vision of SocialErasmus should give a chance to experience something new, to get a new perspective, which would be beyond ones abilities, if it would not be for Erasmus Program.

Education, Charity, Ecology …in those directions SocialErasmus has expanded in Poland; Eu-

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ropean classes ”Europe at school”, charity – International Santa Claus and ecology – Erasmus Forest. These are the main actions of SocialErasmus in Poland.

Shortly what are they about: The goal of “Europe at school” is to give a chance to get to know Europe and European people, their traditions and customs existing as well as to overcome stereotypes through classes at elementary schools, high schools and meetings in kindergartens. “Europe at school” is the possibility for exchange students to get into contact with local society and promote their homelands. On the other hand, for school children the action creates the first opportunity for direct contact with other cultures and promote exchanges already in high school.

The other action of SocialErasmus is International Santa Claus.

The goal of this event is to make chances for children from children’s homes equal in getting access to learning foreign languages. On 6th of December exchange students, become International Santa Clauses and give gifts to children in a form of didactic language materials. The activity brings smiles and happiness to children, but above all, the activity gives them the tools to learn other European languages.

And last, but not least “Erasmus Forest” the eco project in which frames the first “Erasmus Forest” in Europe has been planted by exchange students and over 10 000 trees all over Poland .

These are the fields, which we have been working in Poland, but the options are endless, they are up to your creativity.

PROJECTS & PARTNERS

STEP BY STEP TO SOCIALERASMUS

by:

1. Decide, which action You want to conduct.

2. Contact your National Coordinator, National Representative or us – we will help you to answer the questions and solve problems.

3. Put the information about your action on SocialErasmus website on Facebook 4. After the action, update the Facebook profile with the pictures and send the completed form with a short description and photos to NC, NR or IC. 5. he feedback will be shown as news on SocialErasmus official website and promote your section all over Europe

STEP BY STEP TO “EUROPE AT SCHOOL” 1. Find a school and contact the director – if you have problems contact your NC or the IC.

Yes You Can!!!

Since 2010 SocialErasmus has become an international Erasmus Student Network project, which means that each of You can build the brand of it in your own country, give a chance of adding a new dimension to ESN and prove to be a new quality Erasmus experience for exchange students. The shape of the project is in your hands! Shape it as You wish - using Polish experience or creating something new in its frames!

2. Send the school details to the national coordinator 3. Find Erasmus or ESN’rs interested in the project.

4. Make a schedule of the class and choose a date with the director, teacher.

5. Conduct the class – don’t forget to take photos!

6. Update the Facebook profile with the pictures and send the completed form with a short description and photos to NC, NR or IC. 7. Share your experience with others and promote the results!

More info? sn.org www.socialerasmus.e ok! or find us on Facebo

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ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

LET’S TOUR DE CRACOW

We do our best to make your stay in Cracow unforgettable! by: Agnieszka Silenko & Ewa Kurek ESN UEK Kraków “Tour de Cracow” is an innovative idea of ESN UEK Cracow section designed to show the city and area to the Erasmus Students, who arrive for the exchange both to Poland and other European countries. In response to numerous requests from other local sections of Polish cities and abroad, ESN at the Cracow University of Economics creates a comprehensive tourism-entertainment offer which fulfills the requirements of international students and lets them feel the magic atmosphere of Cracow.

The main goal of this project is to provide Erasmus Students who visit Cracow with all necessary services to meet the individual needs of each group like accommodation, food and transport. We offer the possibility of living in comfortable and very good located hostels in the center of the city. Therefore visitors won’t waste time or money on municipal transport. Instead of that they can spend more time admiring our magnificent city.

Naturally we would like our guests to taste our traditional Polish cuisine so they will eat in local restaurants Polish specialities such as pierogi (shaped parcels filled with various tasty fillings), gołąbki (cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice in tomato sauce) and so on.

Everybody knows that Cracow is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is impossible to describe or even list all the tourist attractions in Cracow, but each visitor will discover his own “magical” Cracow. While some will follow the footsteps of Polish kings and queens, others will be interested in sites linked with pope John Paul II. Some will be fascinated by the worldwide unique underground corridors of the Wieliczka salt mine, others will wander around the Kazimierz Jewish district and many will be enchanted walking around the Market Square, the second largest in Europe after St. Mark’s Square in Venice. Benefiting from its geographical location, Cracow, aiming to become a meeting place of many cultures and nations, has successfully claimed its position as a Central European metropolis - a city of culture, art and science. During the sightseeing an English-speaking guide is the best way to get to know Polish culture and history of the city. There is also a possibility to hire a guide speaking in other languages.

We can also organize trips to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka or to Auschwitz museum. The historic Salt Mine in Wieliczka is the only site in the world where mining has continued since the Middle Ages. Lying on nine levels, its original excavations (longitudinal, traverses, chambers, lakes, as well as lesser and major shafts) stretch for the total of 300 kilometers: reaching the depth of 327 meters they

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illustrate all the stages of the development of the mining technology over time. Auschwitz, which is situated about 60 kilometers from Cracow, is a legible and unambiguous symbol that touches upon the fullness of human heart. It is no accident that more and more people visit the former camp every year.

However, Cracow is not only about history and culture, it is as well about partying. That’s because many young people live and study in Cracow. It has outstanding atmosphere as well as a thriving and immersing night life and can offer many various entertainment options. All this in conjunction with its vibrant atmosphere, friendly and open people.

Uniqueness of our offer is that we can provide all of the abovementioned attractions for a small price. We take care of the whole arrangement so that exchange students could have fun without any worries and overpayment.

Hope to see You in our beautiful city, PALLOMERI !!!

ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

ESN VALLADOLID - BLOOD DONATION

Social Erasmus strikes again!

by: Juan Colino ESN Spain In order to celebrate ESN Spain Ibiza 2010 event which will take place from May 12th to 16th, ESN Valladolid has used its influence among Erasmus students here in Valladolid to make a massive blood donation collaborating with the Blood Donors Brotherhood of Valladolid.

On 4th May at 1 pm took place the information meeting at the main hall of the “Filosofía y Letras” Faculty of Valladolid University.

This was about the ESN Trip to Ibiza for the participants which was also used by the Blood Donor Brotherhood of Valladolid to give an informative speech about blood donation in Spain in order to get as many people involved in the blood donation event on May 5th at 6 pm in the facilities the Brotherhood has in the city.

We used our Facebook group, website and all the other means we could to reach the Erasmus students and we manage to gather a few dozens!

SECTION IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ESN PILSEN by: Katerina Pechova ESN PILSEN ESN Pilsen discovered The Section in the spotlight at the National Platform in February. After some time thinking about taking part in it we decided to enter the competition.

ESN Pilsen team has members like a big family. We still have some “fossils” :) in our team.

Each term at least one new member comes. When I’ve written that we’re like a big family I’ve meant it literally.

We like each other but from time to time it’s necessary to clean the atmosphere and say our opinions and discuss everything. Then we can work more effectively and with greater enthusiasm.

We try to organize different activities and events during term. Usually at the beginning there takes place an Orientation week (buddy meeting, exploring the city, sight-seeing, visit of the famous brewery and interactive technical museum Techmania, the university).

Each month we prepare an

interesting trip and this term we took international students abroad in Germany. We also arrange some sport events (skating on artificial ice, football and visits to ice-hockey and football matches).

Eurodinner is unmissable.

Talking about local students we co-operate with other student organizations. We organize the Fair of Student organizations, present our work and possibilities to join us. We also arranged a Student Ball in style of 60’s for 700 students in cooperation with them.

We organize a Buddy weekend that is specially just for ESN (any other organization doesn’t have something like that). We take buddies and active students away from the university for weekend and enjoy a nice time there.

It’s not just about fun. It’s a medley of workshops, sport activities and teambuilding.

IN THE

We’re really proud that our member is a member of national board. His position is the Knowledge Manager.

It’s the first time that someone from our section has been elected for such a high position.

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN MACEDONIA After visiting our country, people say it’s love at first sight, and it’s called ‘’the land of sun’’ and ‘’timeless’’ for a reason.

Through the megalithic observatory Kokino, older than 3800 years and the Bay of bones- one of the first inhabited places in Europe, you can see the start of the civilization in this area.

The journey continues through the numerous ruins of the antique cities, as Stobi and Heraklea, that are standing like witnesses of a developed nation with really developed culture even in the antique period. Continuing through the medieval and the modern years, you can find picturesque, colorful and interesting cities through all the country, such as Bitola, that used to be the country’s capital during the Ottomans’ occupation.

We mustn’t forget Ohrid, the cradle of culture and now UNESCO’s protected town, with its 365 churches along the Ohrid lake, where also the Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the famous University of St. Kliment, one of the oldest Universities in the world.

PASSPORT capital: Skopje language: Macedonian area: 25.713 km2 population: 2,2 million government: Parliamentary Republic EU accession: Candidate since 2005

But the journey doesn’t end here, of course. There are so much more interesting places to visit, in order to discover and feel the natural beauties of this central Balkan country.

The amazing waterfalls of Smolare and Koleshino, the magical caves that are looking like a SF movie scene, the beauties of the mountains, that offer so much opportunities for different types of sports- from hiking and skiing to paragliding and extreme mountain biking.

Then we go back to the centre of fun- Skopje, the capital city, established 2000 years ago, now hometown of one third of the country, with modern lifestyle and outstanding nightlife, that you’ll never be bored- no matter in what period you’re visiting it. People say this city has a soul- and they’re completely right. With its mix of cultures, it really gives this specific sum of different lifestyles- so far, but still so united and close to each other. It’s the ultimate mixture that gives the ultimate fun.

You can find everything in Macedonia- from the mysterious tranquility to the wildest and the most crowded places and events. So visit the land of sun- and you won’t regret it. We are looking forward to it!!!

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

110% ESNERS Once upon a time, not so long ago, at the AGM 2007, that took place in Prague, one of the decisions was that ESN Macedonia is now part of the big happy ESN family. Then, our journey began. We had so many things to do, so many events to organize, so many students to explain what ESN is, so many plans and wishes for the future...

Today, looking back at these days, we are happy and proud to say that most of our wishes and dreams became true. We spreaded the network on a national level, so now we’re 5 sections that are working actively, we’re working with the exchange students in our country and we’re looking forward for the next semester and the increase of the international and exchange students that are coming to our Universities.

It took some time to explain to the Macedonian students about ESN, but now, we have plenty of new and creative members and ESN is quite a recognized students’ network in our country. The members are taking part in ESN’s international projects, events and activities and also are working on other national and local projects. Organizing the events, especially the international ones took some time, and required a lot of effort of all the people that were organizing it, and we truly hope that this dedication and involvement will continue for all the events that we’re planning to organize

by: Ana Frangova ESN Macedonia in the future. What is very important, is that ESN is very successful and recognized in our country, even though we don’t have Erasmus incoming students.

Our country is quite new in the Erasmus programme and so far, we have only outgoing students, but this was never an obstacle for us and our work, on the contrary-we still work with the exchange students from other mobility programmes in Europe and achieve the same success and gain the same interest for the ESN as any other country with lots of Erasmus students.

And what are we planning for our future? Spreading the network in the country, more sections and more ESNers that will be working for more and more exchange students that are coming to our universities. Also, we’re looking forward to the first incoming Erasmus students, that are supposed to come this semester and make their stay the best time they had in their life, and make sure they will never forget their experiences here. Speaking about unforgettable experiences... we would also like to organize more and more international events, so all of you, my dear ESNers can have the time of your life, and many, many opportunities to spread the ESN love.

We’re looking forward hosting you here, very very soon!!!!!

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN FON UNIVERSITY by: Ana Frangova

Even though it’s quite new section, ESN FON University for a very short time established itself as one of the most active sections in ESN Macedonia. Accepted as an official section at the First Macedonian National Platform in February 2010, even before our official membership we started organizing events- such as the First National Platform. After that, we started local events, info days and events in collaboration with the Students Union of our University, that also gives us very big support.

The local students are showing a big interest in ESN, and also for the exchange programmes that this University offers, and are very enthusiastic about the future work with the exchange students.

Their support is really big, and we respect that a lot.

We strongly believe that we’ll have a big increase of incoming students the next semester and we’ll have even more and even better local and national events, and who knows- maybe also some international events.

We love you all!

ESN SKOPJE by: Ana Frangova The ESN story in Macedonia began with ESN Skopje: ESN Skopje is the very first Section, approved by the Annual General Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic in 2007.

A bunch of very motivated and crazy members are actively working and make this section an unique one. Why do I say this? Because we’re “special” and don’t work as a part of a university, but lead by our ideas and striving to turn them into reality. Proof for this is the two international events: 20 in Europe one in Macedonia - The CNR Meeting in Skopje, February, 2009 and Be Creative, Be Innovative, Be Active! - a bilateral project between ESN Macedonia and ESN Slovenia, supported by the Macedonian National Agency.

And yes, we do take care of our members and we are constantly organizing trainings, workshops, ESN Quizzes, parties, and now we are working on the ESN project ExchangeAbility.

One more thing – our newest member is Makedonka – our new mascot and you can meet her very soon, at some of the international events, or if you come visit us.

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RECEIPE

QUICHE LORRAINE

mmmmmh.... Delicieuse!

by: Tania Berman

Ingredients * 200 grams of bacon or fresh diced bacon * 4 fresh eggs * 250g cream * 250ml semi-skimmed milk * 100g grated Emmental (cheese) * Salt and pepper * Puff pastry

Preparation: In a large bowl, combine 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks. Incorporate the milk and the cream. Mix vigorously with two forks or with a kitchen mixer.

Add the salt and the pepper, as well as 50grams of Emmental and mix again.

During the meantime, fry the bacon in a skillet; over-grilled bacon is better but don’t let it burn.

Put the dough in a dish of 3 to 5 cm high and fold the edges of the dough.

Distribute the bacon on the base. You can also add the juice of the bacon; it will taste better.

Spread the sauce on it. On the top, add the remaining 50g of Emmental.

Put the whole dish in the oven for 20 minutes at the temperature of 225°C. Let it cool 5 minutes before serving.

It will taste really great and typically you serve it with a green salad and a white wine like a Pinot gris.

Bon ! t i t é p p A 11

ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

DRAMA GROUP

...because Cracow is a magical city! by: Anton Bubel ESN UJ Krakow Cracow is a magical city. It is a place where science, entertainment and art coexist together. It is perfect when those who visit the city, especially young people, get to know fully all the aspects of Cracowian life. However some of them are often neglected. Exchange students are especially susceptible to neglect cultural activities in favour of partying. The role of science in exchange life is even more insignificant, but this article is not about that.

The southern capital of Poland has much to offer for those willing to meet its cultural side. There are many concerts, exhibitions, shows, events such as the night of museums or the month of photography, meetings with artists, festivals and of course theatrical performances going on in Cracow. Theatre has a fullness of life here, nevertheless, is probably the most neglected form of art by Erasmus students. This is what I decided to change.

Why are theatrical performances not so popular among Erasmus students as, for example, musical concerts? The answer is not too complicated: excluding the opinion about general lack of interest to theatre, there is a language barrier on the way to understanding the play which is almost absolutely unnoticed in case of musical performances. Finding a theatre which plays in English in Cracow is not so easy.

Besides what has already been mentioned, it is worth adding that just watching is usually not as attractive as personal participation in creation of art. This impression at least arises from my own experiences. I decided to try something what can be an unforgettable form of artistic intercourse for exchange students and an interesting experience for me. The idea resulted in a project called Drama Group.

Having very little experience in directing, but a lot of experience in acting, I decided to pass on my acting skills to others and to develop my directing ones through a project within Erasmus Student Network Jagiellonian University.

The Drama Group project is directed at students who come to Jag-

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iellonian University as participants of the Erasmus program. Project’s fundamental aim is to integrate students using art. The part in this activity can be taken by both those who already have some acting experience and those who want to try themselves on stage for the first time.

The project consists of gathering those willing to take part in rehearsals and performing a play. The whole project is in English.

According to the number of people interested, a script is chosen.

Next the rehearsals take place. During the rehearsal period, the organization of some workshops related to theatre, for example, diction or pantomime, is possible. Performing the play a couple of times is the culmination of the project.

Besides the actual text repetitions and exercising particular scenes the rehearsals are often a lot of fun and a great opportunity to meet people, who aren’t likely to be met in other circumstances.

During the preparation, everyone taking part can make some suggestions and presents his or her own visions of both the whole performance and its particular parts.

It is worth to add that rehearsals are not always one hundred percent full of fun and joy. Performing a play requires memorizing lines, regular repetitions and overcoming situations which seem to be not impossible. For 24/7-partying Erasmus students it is a real big deal. However, when everyone in the group realizes the importance of it, cooperation becomes a real pleasure.

We have already spent almost two months together. At the moment of writing this article the group reached twelve members from different countries, who are all actively getting ready to perform the play in the end of May and the beginning of June. I’m sure the time we spend together will remain in memory of all participants.

ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

A TURKISH AND A BULGARIAN EXPERIENCING POLAND DURO ANATOMIST & MILAN MILANOW by: Iga Nowak ESN UMCS Lublin Lublin. This year’s 65th anniversary of the MCS University indicates 65 years of work of university employees with their students. During that time nearly 150 thousand students graduated from our university, three thousand people earned their PhDs and more than 640 - habilitations. Within ten departments there are 39 faculties and over 120 specialties.

Lublin is currently a candidate for the title of the European Capital of Culture 2016 (and I especially keep my fingers crossed for it). Our city is the largest education center in Eastern Poland. No wonder they call it a student city or the Oxford of the East. :) Approximately 100 thousand young people study in Lublin, half of whom at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University. There are five public universities in Lublin (UMCS, Lublin Catholic University, Medical University, Polish-Ukrainian European University, University of Life Sciences, Lublin University of Technology) and ten private colleges. UMCS cooperates with many foreign universities therefore many Erasmus students come here every year. Some of them choose Lublin because of their colleagues who have been here before and say there is no better place to spend your Erasmus than Lublin. Others choose the city driven by the desire to learn more about the culture and customs characteristic for the Eastern part of Poland: a place which constitutes the border between the European Union and Eastern Europe; a place where the Catholic influences intertwine with the Orthodox ones; a place where the rich history of this part of Europe is very noticeable (European Union Lublin, the Constitutional Court, the German concentration camp in Lublin, commonly called Majdanek).

I asked two Erasmus students what they think about the time spent on exchange in Lublin.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT POLISH STUDENTS? D.A.I think Polish students are trying to do many things at the same time, for example, studying two different subjects. But they have limited knowledge about history or another cultures.

M.M. I think, that the polish students are not only diligent in their studies, but also open minded and warm to foreigners.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT LIVING IN LUBLIN? IS IT A GOOD CITY FOR ERASMUS? M.M. Lublin is maybe the best place for Erasmuses in Poland.

Because what do you have here? - Five universities, in which more than eighty thousand students are studying , overall population, that makes these students a great young mass, a lot of different places for rest & recreation and of course - incredibly beautiful old town. And the only things that are not present here are stress and long distances of the big cities.

dishes (I just love żurek), the language, which is both intriguing and difficult and also it sounds beautiful.

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPISE FOR YOU IN POLAND ?

M.M. What surprised me? That the words for “yes” and “no” are the opposite of the bulgarian (laughing) D.A.Your language :) It is too difficult for me to learn. I thought that I could learn te Polish language before I came to Poland but I failed :) The second thing which surprised me was Polish girls :) They are both beautiful and friendly.

THANK YOU!

D.A.Lublin is enough to live for erasmus students. It is cheap and it has many restaurants and also clubs. I had great time in Lublin. I can live there ;) THE BEST THING ABOUT POLISH CULTURE? D.A.Polish people are really friendly. I love Polish people, you are not like other Europeans.

For example you are different from German or English people. I think the best thing in Polish culture is friendship. I didn’t have enough opportunity to try many Polish meals. That is why I have no idea about your traditional foods.

M.M. It’s hard to say, because your culture is complicated (in a good way) and very developed.

Let’s say, that you have a lot of the best things (smiling) - the traditional dances, music and

SUMSARE 13

PROJECTS & PARTNERS

HOW TO ESTABLISH A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL? by: Martin Šinal ESN Czech Republic There are several ways how to share knowledge among ESNer’s. Everybody knows regional platforms (CEP, NEP), National Platforms and some of you maybe heard about National Boards Meetings. All of these meetings are effective and of course support one of the basic aims of ESN (sharing knowledge), but are short term and involve only a few active section members. Before we look closer at some long term solutions of knowledge management, It would be better to explain what is that know-how we are about to share.

Firstly, we can share general best practices – section structure, how to motivate, how to organize section events, communication tools etc. Secondly, it is possible to share events best practices – actually it is just more specific general knowledge and it’s about sharing of contacts, locations, tips and tricks from events etc. (i.e. general knowledge – how to organize a trip, specific knowledge – how to organize a ski trip or a bike trip).

Let’s focus on some long term solutions. As a location where it is possible to store and share our knowledge we can choose the internet. It means that some online information system is needed.

Like a platform, where the IS of ESN CZ is running, our IT Responsible Pavlina Sladkova, pavlina.sladkova@esn-cz.cz chose a platform called “dokuwiki” – it’s like Wikipedia, but easier :). In case that country is not so much developed to install a maintenance system based on dokuwiki, there is an alternative provided by google: google sites. Only a gmail account is needed to establish new IS (but the Google variant doesn’t offer so many advantages like a dokuwiki). IS at national level could have a lot of other goals: • To have all relevant information (i.e. contacts, statues, corporate identity, minutes from NPs, information about sections, partners, section delegates etc.) at one place • To create a knowledge base with the best practices from the various areas (leadership, feedbacks, all possible events etc.)

• And information system (IS) must be user friendly and easy to service We have a structure, we have users, we have an IT Responsible etc. but where is the data? Who will fill that structure with valuable knowledge? The question is easy, but try to think about the answer :) Two types of knowledge are described in two paragraphs above.

General knowledge is possible to write down once and it is possible to use it today, in one month or in two years... it’s general knowledge, it’s timeless. Holders of this knowledge are NB members, alumni or experienced section members. So one part of the question is answered - a part of knowledge would be written down by NB members, alumni etc.

Sharing the second part of knowledge (tips and tricks from various sections events, contacts, locations...) via a knowledge base ensures that the knowledge base is always updated (dynamic) and attractive for section members. But who is the holder of knowledge and information that ensures the attractiveness of knowledge base? Sections of course and have the sections implemented any process for storing and sharing their knowledge? No! So it means, that the sections should implement specific internal process (i.e. to recognise-store-safe-use and update knowledge) to ensure effective information management within the section and then the section could share its knowledge within the network.

To improve information management in sections the information system for sections has been developed. This IS has several aims

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and could be provided at the same platform like IS at national level.

If you want to see IS in real, check http://esn-cz.cz/section_wiki But don’t forget – to create information systems, structures and set some objectives is one thing. But to teach people how to use them and to maximize their potential is much more challenging ... that’s what the knowledge management is really about :) Good luck with exploring knowledge management and if you find something useful, share it!

Try the Event Report Is the best way how to save know-how at local and also at national level and how to share it.

The main point is to fill in the prepared form right after the event.

The completed form says who organized the event, what was nec-

essary to prepare, schedule of the event, budget, pros and cons of the event and suggestions for better organization in the future.

The emails, articles, feedbacks, posters and almost everything related with the event should be attached to the report: it’s ready to be used again.

PROJECTS & PARTNERS

EUROPEAN CAMPUS

HELP YOUR UNIVERSITY TO BE SEEN!

Better information for students from all over the world

You have just finished your Bachelor and you are planning to continue your Master abroad – to develop your language skills, to expand your horizons, to challenge yourself and to enrol in a university which has a really good reputation in your field. Great plan! But where to start? How to find all the applicable universities? How to compare them?

Finding comparable information on the internet is sometimes a heroic quest without too much success in the end. However, the solution is there already – European Campus! An online platform where you can find Master programmes from all over Europe, providing you with the most important information on their Master programme to help you choose THE ONE! Background of the project Provision of the information is often referred to as one of the main obstacles to mobility, which is certified by many international projects and surveys on mobility. ESNSurvey, being one of them, revealed that students were not satisfied with provision of information at the home and host universities – they rated it as 3 (measured on the scale from 1 – very unsatisfied to 5 - very satisfied). Other projects also prove that information provision from local university’s websites is weak (difficult to find, often only in the local language, and the needs of the visiting students are not reflected at all).

Therefore, Erasmus Student Network, together with the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA) and Youth Agora, has launched European Campus. Project the main goal of which is to develop a Mobility Information Platform that provides students from all over the world with the necessary information to access all opportunities of personal growth offered by a study experience in the European Higher Education Area.

European Campus – what is it all about?

The idea of the project is based on the fact that students nowadays not only decide according to the quality of the university, but they also want to know more about the city itself, the student life, the experience and personal stories from students who have already been studying at that particular university.

Check the European Campus at europeancampus.eu Learn more about the project at project.europeancampus.eu

•

•

»» Adaptable to the needs of universities – corporate identity and colours, links to university websites etc.

Collection of individual stories of students, professors or coordinators who have participated in the programme New media (such as movies, social networks etc.) are easy to enable in the template and offer additional exposure to the Masters programme

Information from all the Master templates are automatically fetched to the central website – the European Campus. This online platform collects and presents information in a coherent, fast and automated way using innovative technologies. Students are thus given a Europeanwide search facility for master programmes, where they can search based on their study field, city and country.

INSTALL CUSTOMISE EASY USE INTERACTIVE EUROPEAN CAMPUS

EUROPEANCAMPUS.EU

The European Campus is not only an excellent tool for students who want to study abroad but also for the ESN sections. With the Masters template being based on the same system as Satellite, they can easily become a technical support for the international relation offices and strengthen the mutual cooperation.

Share your experience – the story competition is open You can however become involved in the European Campus yourself – share your experience from your own study abroad period, help others decide about their own international experience and win an iPod. The competition is open until the end of August 2010.

Share your story at competition.europeancampus.eu Check the European Campus at europeancampus.eu and learn more about the project at project.europeancampus.eu.

In order to support universities to provide all the information required by students, a Master template was developed by Youth Agora. The template is easy to update and offers the possibility to provide both formal and non-formal information in an attractive, user-friendly & dynamic way: • Master at Glance »» Support in selecting information according to the needs of student »» Programme details, application requirements, tuition fees, visa arrangements, etc.

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TRANSLATION

When you set out on your journey to... Λίγες σκέψεις και μια πρόσκληση… by: Nikolas Spanoudakis ESN Ioannina

Σα βγεις στο πηγαιμό για την Ιθάκη, να εύχεσαι ναναι μακρύς ο δρόμος γεμάτος περιπέτειες, γεμάτος γνώσεις

Κάποιος θα περίμενε οι παραπάνω στίχοι να αποτελούν κομμάτι της Ιλιάδας ή της Οδύσσειας, αλλά φοβάμαι πως θα σας απογοητεύσω. Οι στίχοι αυτοί αποτελούν κομμάτι του εξαίσου ποιήματος «Ιθάκη». Ωραία, θα μπορούσε να προσθέσει κάποιος άλλος, και τι σχέση έχουν όλα αυτά με το ESN; Θα εξηγήσω αμέσως αλλά επιτρέψτε μου πρώτα να σας συστηθώ.

Παρ’ όλα αυτά είχα την τύχη να γνωρίσω ωραίους ανθρώπους και να συναναστραφώ μαζί τους. Είχα την τύχη δρώντας για το ESN να εξελιχτώ και να γνωρίσω καινούριες αξίες. Έμαθα να ανέχομαι τη διαφορετικότητα, να σέβομαι τις ιδιαιτερότητες του άλλου, έμαθα να είμαι πιο ανοιχτός για γνωριμίες και για συνεργασίες, ήρθα σε επαφή με νοοτροπίες ξένες προς την ελληνική και άλλαξα τον τρόπο σκέψης μου. Έκανα ταξίδια και απέκτησα πολύτιμες εμπειρίες. Ουδέποτε κατάλαβα ποιος είναι ο προορισμός, ποια είναι η Ιθάκη. Αυτό είναι ένα ερώτημα που παραμένει αναπάντητο και που ενίοτε ζητάει επίμονα απάντηση. Ευτυχώς η περιπλάνηση στους κόλπους του ESN είναι τόσο διασκεδαστική που πάντα απολαμβάνω την αναζήτηση της απάντησης. Προφανώς το παρόν άρθρο δεν είναι ένας επίλογος μιας πορείας αλλά μια στιγμή ενός στοχασμού. Αρά ποιο θα είναι το επόμενο βήμα; Σκέφτομαι να δηλώσω συμμετοχή στο section guide project. Δεν ξέρω αν επιλεγώ μα ένα είναι σίγουρο. Θέλω ένα οδηγό που να μπορεί να δίνει λύσεις στα προβλήματα των συλλόγων. Θέλω ένα οδηγό που να αφουγκράζεται, να αντικατοπτρίζει και να απαντά στις ανάγκες των συλλόγων. Θέλω να δημιουργήσουμε ένα εργαλείο στα χέρια κάθε ESNer. Συνεπώς η συνεισφορά σου αναγνώστη μου μπορεί να είναι καθοριστική. Προσωπικά θα ήθελα, όταν έρθει η ώρα, να εκφράσεις όλες τις αγωνίες σου που είναι σχετικές με την καθημερινότητα στο σύλλογό σου. Γιατί εσύ δίνεις στο ESN τη δύναμή του και άπαντες έχουμε την ανάγκη τη βοήθειά σου για να διατηρήσουμε το ESN in action!

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Ο Σεφέρης (ένας άλλος Έλληνας ποιητής) λέει ότι «οι ήρωες προχωρούν στα σκοτεινά». Ωστόσο δεν αισθάνομαι καθόλου ήρωας και γι’ αυτό χρειάζομαι τη δική σου λάμψη (ή καλύτερα συμμετοχή) για να κάνουμε το ESN ένα δίκτυο μεγαλειώδες. Είσαι έτοιμος να μας βοηθήσεις;

TRANSLATION

Το όνομά μου είναι Νικόλας Σπανουδάκης και είμαι μέλος του ESN Ioannina. Ξέρετε το ταξίδι μου μέχρι τώρα στο ESN φαντάζει μια μεγάλη περιπέτεια. Μέχρι τώρα είδα το σύλλογο μου να ορθώνεται και να μεγαλώνει όπως επίσης είδα το ESN Greece να γεννιέται και να γίνεται ένα δίκτυο δυνατό. Ωστόσο αμφότερες οι πορείες ήταν ανηφορικές, γεμάτες κόπο και ο δρόμος ήταν πράγματι μακρύς.

(Ιθάκη, Κ.Π. Καβάφης)

TRANSLATION

...ITHACA! Few thoughts and an invitation by: Nikolas Spanouda1 ESN Ioannina

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, Wish the road to be long, Full of adventure, full of knowledge.

(Ithaca, Konstantinos Kavafis, Greek poet)

Somebody would expect the above verses to be part of Iliad or Odyssey but I’m afraid I will disappoint you. These verses are part of the wonderful poem “Ithaca”. Nice, but as someone would ask, what’s the connection between this poem and ESN? I’ll explain to you immediately but first, let me introduce myself.

My name is Nikolas Spanoudakis and I’m member of ESN Ioannina. You know, my journey in ESN looks like a big adventure so far. Till now I have seen my section standing on its feet and growing bigger and I have also seen ESN Greece coming into the world and becoming a strong network. However both paths were uphill, required plenty of efforts and the way was quite long indeed.

which is capable of providing solutions to the problems of the sections. I want a guide which can hark, reflect and answer to the needs of the sections. I want us to create a useful tool in the hands of every ESNer. Consequently your contribution, my reader, can be determinative. Personally I would like you, when the time comes, to express all your anxieties relevant to your everyday life in your section. This is because you give ESN its power and we all need your help to keep ESN in action!

Seferis (another Greek poet) says “the heroes move in the dark”.

However I don’t feel like a hero and this is why I need your shining (or better your participation) to make ESN a glorious network. Are you ready to help us?

TRANSLATION

Despite difficulties I had the chance to know nice people and associate with them. I had the chance, acting for ESN, to develop several skills and to become familiar with new values. I learnt to tolerate the diversity, to respect the particularities of the others, I learnt to be more open for acquaintances and collaborations, I came in touch with mentalities different from the Greek one and I changed my way of thinking. I traveled and I gained valuable experience.

Never have I understood what is the destination, what is Ithaca. This is a question that remains unanswered and sometimes asks insistently for an answer. Fortunately the itinerancy in ESN’s bosom is so amusing that I always enjoy the search of the answer.

Obviously the present article is not an epilogue of a way but a moment of contemplation. So what is the next step?

I am thinking of joining the section guide project. I don’t know if I’ll be chosen but I know something for sure. I want a guide

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ITALIA by: Alice Bottaro & Letizia Milanese ESN Genova Italy is situated in the South of Europe, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and borders onto France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

The Italian Peninsula has a shape that perfectly resembles a ‘boot’, crowned at the north of the Alps, which defines its outline.

It is also known as ‘The Beautiful Country’ thanks to its mild climate and the many artistic and natural beauties that it has to offer.

The Italian State has within its borders, two autonomous and independent States: the Vatican City and San Marino.

Italy has had an extraordinary historical importance in Europe; it is the place in which the Roman Empire was born, which has remained the unquestioned centre of Western civilisation for centuries. If one had to summarise Italy in a single world, it could be: variety.

A country rich in mountains, but surrounded by the sea, a thousand year old history that has enabled each part of the country to experience a period of great significance, creating some of the most beauti-

18

ful historical towns in the world. A curiosity and a desire to enjoy life that has created typical dishes even in the smallest and most isolated towns.

The Italian people, aware of this enormous cultural richness that derives from their history tend to maintain and take advantage of such diversity. Even today, travelling across Italy represents a continuous discovery of different places, cultures and traditions. From a naturalistic point of view, Italy is a varied country; the majority of its land is hilly, which ensures lively strolls, but even the mountains and plains do not fail.

Being a peninsula with two adjacent islands, it is abundant in coast lines and offers the most varied types of waterfronts and beaches; from rocks rising straight from the sea with profound backdrops, to the long beaches with extremely low backdrops.

The capital of Italy is Rome, otherwise known as Caput Mundi (The Capital of the World) taken from Latin or La Città

PASSPORT capital: Rome language: Italian area: 301.338 km2 population: 60,4 million government: Parliamentary Republic EU accession: 25th March 1957

Eterna (The Eternal City) from Italian. It is a charming city that is fascinating and full of history. One can still find many wellpreserved remains that date back to the Roman period, as well as splendid palaces and truly magnificent churches that belong to all of the historical periods in Italian art.

In Italy, besides Rome, there are cities of art amongst some of the most famous in the world; Venice, Florence, Naples, Milan are all but a few.

SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN ITALIA by: Daphne Scherer & Valentina Settomini ESN Italy Almost 20 years ago, the first Italian ESN Section, Parma, was born. Three years later, in 1994, ESN Italia was officially founded by the members of the 7 oldest Italian sections (Siena, Parma, Pavia, Milano, Trento, Bologna, Genova). Our history is full of events, heroes, myths and, of course, Pallomeri spirit. Today, we have 40 sections covering all the national territory, including the two main islands! ESN Italia has now become a recognized organization in Italy and inaugurated the national office in Rome in February 2009. ESN Italia is also in the Forum Nazionale Giovani, Italian member of the European Youth Forum.

Thanks to the work of the National Board and the local sections, new ambitious projects were developed on a national level in the past few years. In 2009, a van with the ESN Logo travelled within 20 Italian cities, thanks to a project called Erasmus on the Road. At every stop of the Van, an event was organized by the host section with the goal of promoting ESN, but also the mobility of young people and strengthening the relationships with universities and institutional partners.

Recently, a dream came true: the ESN Italia Guidebook! It contains practical information for prospective exchange and international students, and includes information on ESN sections in Italy, experiences of former exchange students with Italian culture and traditions, a description of the city, but also information about the university and its facilities.

Fun and culture have always been crucial for ESN Italy. First of all, every year in May, one of the Italian ESN sections organizes what has become the biggest Erasmus event of the year: the ESN Italy’s “Evento Nazionale” (National Event)! Almost 2000 Erasmus students, coming from all over Europe, meet in a touristic village for 4 days of sun, sea, music, fun and cultural exchange.

Secondly, another important meeting is the ICE (Incontro Culturale Erasmus), an event held each November in Rome. It represents the Erasmus Cultural Meeting, as almost all the Italian sections gather in Rome with a great number of exchange students. In 2010 it will be in its third edition.

In 2010 a new project was launched, called Welcome Days. Since every year in September and October ESN Sections organize different kinds of events and initiatives for welcoming the incoming students, it has been planned to gather these activities in a common framework under the patronage of several institutional partners.

The main goals for the future are to make ESN Italy more and more recognized as an important and effective network and to develop new sections in some important cities where ESN is not yet present.

You can find the “ESN Italia Guidebook” online! www.esnroma3.com/it/guida

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN CATANIA by: Adriano Corso ESN Catania ESN Catania is a young association, active since early 2008, which has about 170 members and sees its numbers continuing to grow. This young age is not a weakness, but rather an impulse testing and will continue to improve. Not by chance this section is to organize the 2010 national event, giving all the Erasmus in Italy the opportunity to meet, have fun and visit some of the mythical land of Sicily, the crossroads of different cultures and traditions.

ESN Catania tries to bring the Erasmus to discover the hidden and traditional Sicilian culture, organizing trips to villages that maintain their strong traditions or the most famous towns on the coast.

The strength of Catania, a city in constant turmoil, there remains the nightlife, which offers local and parties of all types. ESN tries to offer something more, however, often organizing theme parties with the other Sicilian sections to allow Erasmus and Sicilians to spend some time together.

Catania is one crazy and diverse city and ESN offers the possibility to discover it in all its

aspects and finally part of you completely.

In addition to fun, ESN Catania thinks obviously about practical and cultural aspects, relying on the students of mentors to steer them in the university world, helping them find a house, organizing film forums and allowing Erasmus to tell their experiences through university radio stations.

With this, the ESN Erasmus experience in Catania is becoming richer and more fun.

This young association hopes for the future to create more new and exciting projects to increase its contribution to the network at a national level to improve and enhance the stay of young foreigners looking for a new world.

GEG-ESN GENOVA: APERITIVO DI BABELE by: Marco Fallucca GEG - ESN Genova The Aperitivo di Babele is a night that both foreign and Genoese students will certainly never forget. On Tuesday the 20th of April, GEG ESN Genova, in cooperation with the Municipality of Genova (in particular, the Genova Musei Association) and with “La banda di Piazza Caricamento”, a highly successful meeting held in a wonderful old Palace - Castello d’Albertis, now Museum of World Cultures - was organised between local and foreign students who live in Genova.

More than 150 students had the opportunity to meet in this wonderful location with the aim of cultural and language exchange, with the various “language tables” set up by GEG - ESN Genova, and an aperitivo buffet with delicatessen from all over the World. In addition, several guided tours were organized inside the museum to discover different world cultures, but also learn about the sensational adventures of Captain Enrico Alberto d’Albertis (Genova 1846-1932), a great navigator, writer, and philanthropist, who taught us that cultural exchange and meeting of different peoples are the most important and fundamental experiences of each single inhabitant in the world, despite the difficulties due to different languages. Considering the turnout of people at the event and also the participation of other Genoese citizens, and despite the time gap between him and us, it would appear that his message was taken in.

The music of the etnopunk group of “La banda di Piazza Caricamento”, conducted by Davide Ferrari, was a delightful background and gave us a beautiful time of amusement and meditation with multi-ethnic music, as an artistic symbol of coexistence and non-violence, of creativity, and cultural metamorphosis. The band members themselves have different origins: Russia, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Brazil, Senegal, and Chile.

They have entertained us with their rhythms, and we all danced like when Captain Enrico would sail and make discoveries around the world for his city, Genova, “La Superba”. “…Oh giovani italiani, che avete salute, tempo e denaro, viaggiate viaggiate viaggiate senza aspettare l’età della prudenza forzata, degli acciacchi e del rimpianto. Abbandonate il vostro paese durante le umide, le fredde uggiose giornate di novembre e dicembre, rincorrete il sole che vi fugge, riafferratelo, che a tanto equivale un viaggio…”

The Captain used these words in his writings, and we - both European and non European citizens - want to follow his advice, always trusting adventure, believing in cultural exchange, and discovering new worlds and new ways of being, always scanning the horizon - just like the statue of Christopher Columbus one can admire on one of the castle’s terraces - towards future destinations and adventures…

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN MILANO STATALE by: Carlo Bitetto ESN Milano Statale ESN Milano Statale has always played a leading role in the history of the association, being a co-founder of the Italian network. It belongs to one of the most prestigious universities in Italy, recognized at International level: the Università degli Studi di Milano. Since its establishment, in 1994, the section life has been characterized by remarkable achievements: two presidents of ESN International coming from ESN Statale and the October 2008 SWEP hosted in Milan.

The objective of the Milano Statale team is surprisingly simple: “Erasmus students (about 250 a year) have to go back to their respective countries describing the period in Milan as the most exciting of their life!”. This the motto that inspires active members while organizing the many activities offered to international students and to the Italian students involved in exchange programs.

The active members of Statale compete with each other in the so called animal contest, which is won by those who take part in the largest number of events organized by the section; it is a way to motivate Esners to spend more time with Erasmus students.

The strong point of the section is a tradition that goes back in history and has become a real must in the last years: the tram party.

Moreover, since last year, Milano Statale has been associated with Crazy Countdown: before going back home at Christmas, Erasmus from all over Italy flock to Milan to celebrate (no matter if in advance!) the New Year’s Eve, a magical night planned by the crazy minds of Statale.

The Crazy Countdown 2010, with the presence of about 1000 participants promises to repeat its extraordinary success in this year’s edition, coinciding with the Council of National Delegates, an event that will see representatives from the 34 countries of the network under the Madonnina.

AEP-ESN PADOVA.... SPRITZ TIME!

by: Igor Kalinic AEP - ESN Padova

Associazione Erasmus Padova was officially founded in 1992 and joined ESN two years later by becoming thus AEP-ESN Padova. Padova is a mid-sized city in the Northeast Italy, strategically situated only 30km from Venice and a stone’s throw from the Alps and the best skiresorts. The city of Padova offers an exceptional students life; the University (one of the oldest in the World, founded in 1222!) hosts 64.000 students and the city itself is one of the most important in the region. Historically, Padova was founded by the Romans and still today maintains the fascinating atmosphere typical of old Italian cities. Wednesday is the students’ night and thousands of students fill central ancient squares and modern bars drinking “Spritz”, our typical (and cheap!) drink based on white wine... come and try it :) AEP-ESN Padova is a very active section; we organize around 70 activities per semester, starting from the typical national parties (which include free buffet), tandem nights, bar crawls, bowling, karaoke, trips in Italy (e.g. Verona, Bologna, Venice) but also to our lovely sLOVEnia, in collaboration with ESN Maribor, Ljubljana, Primorska. We offer sport and cultural activities such as rafting, ski trips, paint ball, brewery visits, ice skating, dance and photography courses and many others. During the Carnival of Venice, we host more than 1500 Erasmus students from different ESN Italian sections by concluding the event with a huge mask party. Of course, we can’t miss the wonderful ESNow trip (4 days of skiing organized by ESN Trento in amazing Alps ski resorts) and the Italian National Event, this year hosted by ESN Catania (a 5 days event for more than 1800 participants from all the Italian ESN sections). Our final main event is the Boat Party: a 12 hours trip with 250 erasmus in the Venice Lagoon including the visit to three of the main islands. On the two-floors boat we offer open bar, food for all the trip long and a dj set.

Currently, we count on 40 active members and every year we have 800 members. AEP-ESN Padova is very active also on the national and international level. Several members of our section were part of the National Board, including a President. In the last five years, four members of the International Board were from Padova, including the current year. We provide our support to the ESN Committees with five members. Finally, in November we are organizing the SWEP regional platform!

So… what are you waiting for?! Book your tickets and come to visit us! We’ll be more than happy to show you our wonderful city and section :)

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN-ASSI PARMA: EUROPE IN PARMA! by: Mara Papaccio ESN ASSI Parma In the Italian region of Emilia Romagna there is a city called Parma... maybe not everyone knows it, but this is the home of the European Food Safety Authority! You may ask yourself what this has to do with ESN, but the answer is very simple: the E.F.S.A. asked our section to collaborate with them in the organisation of the Festival of Europe and we immediately seized this opportunity!

The festival took place from Sunday 9th May until Sunday 16th May and we participated in five different events. On Sunday, under a cloudy sky, we had a unique bicycle ride through the city with a very special guest... a six-seat tandem! This funny lilac device attracted the attention of every passer-by and of the local press, meaning that we managed to get all eyes on us throughout the whole festival.

The second and third events, called “Speak Europe” and “EuroChat”, offered the chance of practicing foreign languages with our Erasmus students to a group of secondary school students and to every citizen. The final events were two special aperitifs called “Parla come mangi” and “Trova il tuo Erasmus”; they were particularly appreciated because they combined the pleasures of the table with a fine cultural exchange. In the first case, the Erasmus students and some other foreigners read some passages in their own mother tongue, choosing authors they particularly love: from the classics of European literature like Goethe’s “Faust” to the more modern Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” to the unfortunately not too known East European poets and authors like Rumenian Eminescu and Lithuanian Skema. “Find your Erasmus student”, the second aperitif, consisted of creating a space where Italian students, who are going to live the Erasmus experience next year, could meet foreign students coming from the Universities or cities where they will spend their exchange period.

The whole festival was a success, the local press wrote a lot about our section and our city heard once again the name of ESN!

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SHOW YOUR COUNTRY

ESN RIMINI by: Giuseppe Sammartano ESN Rimini Rimini is a city on the Italian North-East coast, not far (100 km) from Bologna. Rimini is famous for its long beaches and for the high number of pubs and discos and it’s considered one of the Italian capitals of fun. During the winter, students spend their free time in the city center, where it’s possible find many pubs and a couple of clubs. The city symbol is a Roman arch, which is the oldest whole Roman arch in the world.

ESN Rimini was founded in 2005 and since its birth it has been the landmark for all international students studying in Rimini. The founder and first president of the section was Domenico Melpignano, who was assisted by 4 other people. One of the most important activities organized

by ESN Rimini was the CNR that took place in September 2008.

At the moment, ESN Rimini Team consists of 5 members and the current president is Giuseppe Sammartano. All the ESN Rimini team members are full of Pallomeri spirit and enthusiasm and, although there is a small amount of students, new activities are always invented and organized.

The section regular activities include: providing help to international students to find an accommodation, organizing guided tours of the city, informing Erasmus about the most important events on the territory, organizing parties and trips all over Italy. The most appreciated activities are a guided tour of the city with a small electric train in September for the Welcome Day, the weekly “benzinaio (petrol station attendant) party” and a day at the amusement park “Mirabilandia” in May. Year after year the section tries to improve its work, always offering a new and better service to the international students coming in Rimini.

The next step for ESN Rimini is to host a National Platform next year.

STEP - ESN PAVIA

by: Laura Bovolenta STEP - ESN Pavia

ESN Pavia is a relatively small section near Milan, with 150 Exchange Students and around 8 active members. Even so, this year we proved that also small sections can organize great events.

To open the year 2010 we organised our first EURODINNER: a big event with 200 participants from 7 different ESN sections. It was a great success thanks to all Exchange students who showed there cooking skills and made us taste food from all over Europe and the world!

Perfect ESN Style!!

Of course we also offer ESN trips, but it’s not always easy for a small section. In February for our Carnival trip we took 52 Exchange students to the famous Venice Carnival, then to the awesome Carnival Party organized by ESN Padova and also to visit Verona . In April we went to Naples, and planned the whole trip together with ESN Bologna. And to get to the Italian National Event in May ESN Genoa helped us arranging the transportation. Thanks to the ESN Network we went on a lot of CRAZY ESN TRIPS! At the end of April we decided to introduce a bit of summer with a BEACH PARTY, aka BUCKET PARTY. For each participant we had a Hawaiian Lei and just for the night you could get your favourite drink in a beach bucket! It was a very colourful party in the garden of a discotheque, and we were happy to host ESNers from Milan and Piemonte Orientale.

Last but not least we rocked Pavia with the 1st Pub Golfing Tournament: 200 people divided in 50 teams invaded 12 pubs for a challenge to the last sip! Thanks to the pubs cooperation we could give participants a t-shirt as scorecard and many prizes! The great success of this event was made possible by the new partnership with students residences in Pavia, a great OC indeed! The game was won by the ESN Politecnico Milano Team, and it was amazing to see among players the President, Treasurer and Former President of ESN Italia and even the Vice President of ESN Catania!

Now don’t be shy and come party with us in Pavia!!

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ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

WHEN GOING DOWN THE STAIRS TO THE STAGE WAS A DREAM…

by: Adriana Pérez Encinas

Several months ago I started to write an essay about “NR feelings”.

When I was writing, I was not thinking about love. Also I guess that by that by that time I wasn´t in love, apart from being in love with ESN of course. Today, when I read the text again, trying to write more the CNR, I had to change the title into: When going down the stairs to the stage was a dream…

I am one of the oldest NRs in the CNR and hence I am able to write an article for the magazine without any fear. Yes, I have a lot of experience and I´m also rather old... BUT how could I think about it one year ago when I went to my first CNR in Porto I was quieter than a fly!! (Does this expression exist in your language? If not, I am sure that you have understand me because we are multilingual, mostly at night and especially with some SJC exercises ;) As you might know the CNR is always taking care of the network, day and night!

Coming back to the title…I was really thinking that people who come to stage at AGM are kind of heroes, superwomen/men, let´s say brave people! For me it was a challenge to do it, but eventually everyone succeeded! After a couple of months I did it too and that does not mean just to go down some steps to get to the stage… that means to go up in the CNR, that it ´s a part of being NR and to

grow up also inside of this small circle. Thanks god that during this splendid year I found a lot of nice people.

The objective of this text is to say thank you to all of you for your effort during the meetings, CNRs, long trips, massive parties and games and all these “small things” we do in order to improve the ESN network, to encourage our sections to keep strengthen (Matthias, how was it?) the network and to make ESN bigger and bigger all around the world. Thank you NRs, thank you because we are making a difference and every single one of us is also different! Who else would understand these words out of contest? Super juice committee, amendment, proposal, exchange student = 0 points, in the butt, etc.

That´s why today, a still sunny evening in Madrid with my pen and my inspiration I would like to dedicate you some words: Be ESNer, be active, fight for the student´s rights with a smart thought, participate in international projects, go around Europe, conquer your neighbors with some country delights, show them your country and bring back home the best CNR smile and a bunch of good friends!!

Thank you for your attention, Adriana Pérez Encinas

ALUMNI MEETING HELSINKI by: Patrick Fiquet ESN Alumni How do you prevent aging? The answer is simple, you join ESN! And if you cannot participate actively in ESN anymore since you left the city or since you are working, what do you do then? The answer is even more simple, you join ESN Alumni.

ESN Alumni is great for everybody who cannot anymore participate in the active ESN work. And in order to keep up the spirit, Alumni meet regularly. This time the Alumni meeting took place in Finland from the 10th-13th of June. Former ESN Helsinki section members invited the Alumni network and 9 former active ESN members joined the numerous Finish Alumni in many fun activities. Starting out with a city tour, a typical finish Sauna evening, a visit of the Helsinki carnival and of course the traditional Eurodinner followed by a wild disco night and a scandinavian Sitz party on the next evening (with some of us ending up in a private Karaoke night until 7 am).

The meeting also included an official afternoon with votes, workshops and discussions. This included the election of the new board (Patrick Fiquet as coordinator, Vojtech Oplestil as vice-coordinator and Andim Doldurucu as regular board member).

Since the meeting was very small and informal this gave perfect chance to better get to know the other Alumni and everybody is looking forward to seeing each other again and to welcoming on board all other Alumni at the next Alumni meeting that will take place in Dresden, Germany from 7-10th October.

For sure, the Alumni meeting in Dresden will great, but the basic lesson of life we have already learned in Helsinki: With ESN Alumni, even growing old is a pleasure!

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ERASMUS EXPERIENCES

ESN UAM Madrid! Madrid! Madrid! by: Adriana Pérez Encinas, Laura Perelló ESN UAM Today the ESN UAM section brought its academic year to a close with an international picnic and a foam party as a farewell to the exchange students. There were many sad faces and, at the same time, many grateful looks for the work carried out throughout the year.

ESN UAM is not a new section and there are people that even after ten years are still linked to it, most of them in their hearts and many others still taking part in its activities or helping to organize them. In our penultimate meeting of the year, which took place in mid-June, various things were approved and agreed upon, one of them, which we would like to highlight, being the approval of granting the exchange students 2 ECTS credits for the voluntary attendance of the Spanish language course that Sagrario Lomas has been teaching for over ten years. Sagrario is a founding member of our section and even today you can see in her the eternal spirit of our most important premise: students helping students. Also in our penultimate meeting, we approved the donation of 1.000 Euro to two NGOs that were founded by volunteers at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Thanks to organizing parties for collection, today we can donate this amount in order to help children with fewer resources to have a better education and improve their quality of life.

I have been a part of ESN UAM for four years, and for three of those years have been president of an association that I dare say is one of the most active, supportive, participative and with more initiative not only at a local, but also national and often international level.

Finally, we would like to publicly thank each and every one of our members for their effort, for their unconditional support and commitment to the Erasmus students. And, of course, for their incredible ESN spirit. You can all be sure that we will keep working hard and setting new goals for our section, we can’t wait for the new academic year to start so we can welcome the new exchange students and show them what Erasmus and ESN is all about, i.e. enjoying the best year of their lives!

IN THE

SECTION IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ESN GENT Gent! Gent! Gent!

by: ESN Gent

Ghent is a wonderful city in Belgium that has a lot to offer. You can walk around and enjoy the historical monument in the medieval centre, or have a famous Belgian beer in one of the 300 bars. In other words, a great place to do your Erasmus!

The University of Ghent receives about 700 exchange students every year. ESN Gent helps them to have the time of their lives by organizing all kinds of activities. Like most ESN sections, we offer them a welcome week full of events so they would get to know the city and their fellow Erasmus students. This can be a cultural activity like going to the cultural centre Vooruit to see an upcoming band, visit a brewery or a chocolate factory to see the source of the Belgian ‘wealth’, a sports activity like BeerBowling (no sports without beer, right?) or a trip to another Belgian city guided by one of our lovely ESN members.

The most typical activities we organize are the ESN Cantus and our weekend in the Ardennes (the southern part of Belgium). The ESN Cantus is the first activity none of the Erasmus students should miss. It is a great opportunity for them to get to know the Belgian student traditions, cause a cantus is the most important part of it. It’s all about drinking and singing, but it’s definitely way better than it sounds :) Unfortunately, we can’t give too many details about our weekend in the Ardennes, cause what happens in the Ardennes, stays in the Ardennes... but we can tell you we sure have a lot of fun ;) However, next year, ESN Gent will have a whole new board, so the current board would like to wish them the best of luck for next year. We hope they’ll keep spreading the ESN love the way it should and we are sure they’ll entertain the future Erasmus students like ESN Gent has been doing for the past 20 years.

So... who wants to get lucky in Ghent? :)

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TRANSLATION

MOBILNOST! ENI SEM , ENI TJA… by: Matjaz Dolenc V naravi nas mladih je, da odkrivamo novo, raziskujemo, da se želimo naučiti čim več novega in da nas vleče v ta širni in nepoznani svet. Sveti Avguštin je rekel, da je Svet knjiga, in da so tisti, ki ne potujejo, prebrali le eno stran. Na srečo živimo v svetu, ki je naklonjen potovanjem, še posebno pri mladih, o čemer pričajo številna mednarodna društva, organizacije, programi, poletne šole, hostli, popusti za vlak na daljše razdalje itd. povsod po svetu.

V Mariboru obstaja veliko mednarodnih društev in organizacij, ki vsaka po svoje skrbijo za izmenjave študentov po Evropi, nekatere pa tudi izven nje. Tako ESN skrbi za vse študente, ki pridejo na študijsko izmenjavo za en ali dva semestra; BEST prireja delavnice, kulturne izmenjave, motivacijske vikende, tekmovanje inženirjev itd. predvsem za študente s področja tehnike; AEGEE je odprt za vso študentsko populacijo ne glede na smer študija; AIESEC omogoča mednarodne izmenjave, izobraževanje članov na raznih konferencah ter omogoča tudi štiri vrste prakse; ekonomsko, tehniško, razvojno in izobraževalno; ELSA je Evropsko združenje študentov prava, ki jih zanima druženje in obštudijska dejavnost, nudi mednarodne izmenjave, predavanja, mednarodna tekmovanja v pisanju esejev, brezplačne oglede institucij (letos so si recimo ogledali zapor Dob); Društvo študentov medicine Maribor, ki v mednarodnem smislu organizira mednarodne poletne izmenjave, ki so namenjene praktičnemu delu v laboratorijih ali na oddelkih; EESTEC je organizacija, ki združuje študente Evrope na področju elektrotehnike, računalništva in drugih tehničnih ved. Študentom omogočajo obiskovanje raznih enotedenskih delavnice in izmenjav (ki so brezplačne, navadno morate kriti le potne stroške) po 40 evropskih mestih; EGEA Maribor združuje študente geografije in tudi turizma ter kmetijstva, ki bi radi razširili svoje teoretično znanje s prakso. Društvo za študente organizira izmenjave, kjer se dve entiteti (mesti) povežeta in organizirata ekskurzije in delavnice ter se druga drugi predstavita iz naravno- in družbeno-geografskega vidika, IAESTE zagotavlja študentom naravoslovja (matematike, fizike, kemije, računalništva…) opravljanje strokovne prakse z njihovega področja v tujini, prav tako pa tudi domačim podjetjem nudijo motivirane praktikante iz drugih držav.

Za Mariborske študente se dvakrat letno pripravi tudi projekt Kako v tujino, kjer se predstavijo vsa mednarodna društva in možnosti tovrstnih potovanj, ki jih lahko izkoristijo v času študija.

SLOVENIAN

26

SLO

TRANSLATION

MOBILITY! TO AND FROM... by: Matjaz Dolenc It is in the nature of the youth to discover new things, explore, the eagerness of learning as mush as possible and that we feel the urge to go into this wide and unknown world. St. Augustine said The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. Luckily we live in a world which is favorable to traveling, especially for young people. Numerous international associations, organizations, programs, hostels, train discounts on longer distances etc. bear witness to that.

In Maribor we have a lot of international associations and organizations that take care of international exchanges, each in their own way. Thus ESN takes care of all the students that come for a student exchange for a semester or two; BEST organizes workshops, cultural exchanges, motivation weekends, and engineer competitions etc. for the students of technology mostly; AEGEE is open for the whole student population irrespective of the studies; AIESEC enables international exchanges, educating of members on several conferences and it also enables four kinds of practices: economical, technical, development and educational; ELSA is The European Law Student’s Association, which offers international exchanges, lectures, international competitions in writing of essays, free visits of institutions (for example, this year they visited prison Dob); Association of the Students of Medicine, which organize international summer exchanges, meant for practical work in laboratories and sections; EESTEC is an organization, that unites the students in the field of electrical engineering and other technical sciences.

The students can attend several one week workshops and exchanges (which are usually free) around 40 European cities; EGEA Maribor unites the students of Geography, Tourism and Agriculture that wish to combine their theoretical knowledge with practical; IAESTE assures the students of natural sciences (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer science‌) performing of professional practice from their field abroad, likewise they offer home companies motivated students from other countries.

For the students of the University of Maribor we prepare twice a year a project How to go abroad, where all the international associations present themselves and the possibilities of such traveling, that students can take advantage of.

OVENIA

English

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REGIONAL PLATFORMS

2010

Regional PlatformS SEEP, Veliko Tarnovo

S for Smiles, E for Enthusiasm, E for Entertainment, P for Progress.

Simply... SEEP! Get to know ESN, Bulgaria and the SEEP countries better! There is lot to be discovered, a lot of lessons to be taught and a lot of new friends to be found!

Anything else? Professional Trainings, Networking, ESN spirit and love, a great OC and perfect location... endless and unforgettable parties!

Where? Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria When? 4-7 November Price? 90,- euro

CEP, Bratislava Bratislava is going to host the next Central European Platform of ESN! A wonderful city for a wonderful event!

Four days of fun, sessions, workshops seasoned with networking opportunities... in the heart of Europe!

We will stay in a hostel located in the city center, you’ll have the occasion to taste tipycal dishes from Slovakia.

Where? Bratislava, Slovakia When? 21-24 October Price? 90,- euro CEP.ESN.SK

SEEP2010.ESNBG.ORG

NEP, Turku WEP, Groningen The official kick off takes place on Thursday November 18th. The program of the event includes plenary sessions, workshops, cultural activities, comedy, a pub crawl, an international theme party and of course the famous Eurodinner! Included in the participation fee there are 4 nights accommodation, all breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Where? Groningen, The Netherlands When? 18-21 November Price? 90,- euro WWW.WEP.ESN-GRONINGEN.NL

Can you think of a better way to spend the scariest weekend of the year, than with stimulating plenaries, great scenery, good company and even better parties?

We can’t and that’s why we warmly welcome you to join us to NEP Turku 2010! Come and make this event the most memorable ESN event of the decade!

Where? Turku, Finland When? 28-31 October Price? 80,- euro NEP2010.ESNFINLAND.EU

SWEP, Padova

Seat of one of the oldest European universities (1222), Padova is a merry place with an impressive ratio between students (over 60’000).

Guided by the prestigious ESN Padova crew (4 Board Members in the last 5 years!) you will experience 5 days and 4 nights of meetings, fun and culture, including an active workshop in Venice.

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Where? Padova, Italy When? 25-29 November Price? 90,- euro WWW.SWEP2010.EU

PROJECTS & PARTNERS

YOUTH RIGHTS FOR YOUNG EUROPEANS

by: European Youth Forum (YFJ)

Youth rights has been on the agenda of the youth movement for over a hundred years. From faith-based youth organisations, to the student movement and party political youth organisations, there has always been interest in advocating for more freedoms and political rights for young people.

The European Youth Forum first brought the issue of youth rights to the highest possible level with a Charter on Youth Rights in 1992. The idea was warmly welcomed at the time by visionary European Commission President Jacques Delors. In the EU, the recognition of youth rights took a giant leap forward with the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 as the treaty includes a much welcomed article on the rights of young people (art. 165). In its work, the European Youth Forum is committed to a rights-based youth policy. In 2009 it has launched a process that aims for the adoption of a European Convention on the Rights of Young People, within the Council of Europe framework.

Youth is a transition period, a time filled with new responsibilities and duties. Sadly, these new responsibilities are now not met with the corresponding rights that are enjoyed by adults. The question of legally recognising the rights of young people gained renewed momentum when the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a motion asking for a report on the possible benefits of a European convention on the rights of young people.

As a response to this, the European Youth Forum decided to launch a report and investigate the situation of young people across Europe. The report shows that young people feel there is a mismatch between rights and responsibilities at the moment. It is as if young people today are required to pay for the future without having the political rights to influence the decisions.

Download the full report on www.youthforum.org

YEAR OF YOUTH DIALOGUE AND UNDERSTANDING

YO! MAG

Since 1980, the Youth Opinion magazine has communicated what young people in youth organisations around Europe think.

The rebranding of the magazine in April 2010 saw the publication proudly entering its fourth decade!

by: European Youth Forum (YFJ)

In resolution 64/134, the United Nations proclaimed that 12th August 2010 – 11th August 2011 would be the International Year of Youth to focus on dialogue and mutual understanding. The year was kickstarted by the International Day of Youth and aims to advance the full and effective participation of young people in all aspects of society, whilst promoting dialogue and understanding between generations and the ideals of peace and respect for human rights.

The three main pillars of the UN’s Year of Youth have been identified as; to create awareness of youth issues, to mobilise and engage young people and to connect and build bridges. The progress achieved in these thematic priorities during the UN year of Youth will not solely focus on laying the foundations for further work in the field of youth development, but will also look at ways to implement the World Programme of Action for Youth and work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Several international events within the framework of the UN’s International Year of Youth have already taken place, notably the World Youth Conference in Mexico, which the European Youth Forum and many of its member organisations actively participated in. In this International Year of Youth, the European Youth Forum stresses that full and effective participation of young people can only be guaranteed by a rights based approach to youth policy. The European Youth Forum therefore encourages European stakeholders to grasp the International Year of Youth as an opportunity to learn from global examples of good practice to continue to work towards such a rights based approach to meet young people’s needs.

Starting as flagship publication for the Youth Forum of the European Communities, YO! Mag has served the European Youth Forum for the past 14 years. With the new format of the magazine, the European Youth Forum will continue to aim at delivering the most original coverage of the voices of young people in Europe, to act as a reference point for the debate around public policies affecting young people and to follow the organisations cross-cutting approach to youth policy.

FREE / gRaTUIT

YOUTH OPINION - #.01

/ 2010

A new energy for Europe / Une nouvelle energie pour l’Europe In thIs IssUE: to the The ultimate guide framework for European field youth cooperation in the

DAns cE nUmEro: européen Le guide du cadre le domaine de coopération dans de la jeunesse

Download it! www.youthforum.org

European Youth Forum at-a-Glance The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is an independent, democratic, youth-led platform, representing 98 National Youth Councils and International Youth Organisations from across Europe. The YFJ works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives, by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations towards the European Institutions, the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

Since April, 24th 2010, ESN is a full member of the European Youth Forum.

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ESN COMMITTEES DAPHNE SCHERER MADARA APSALONE EVA NTOVOLOU MARKETA TOKOVA IGOR KALINIC IRENE FORZONI RASMUS ÅBERG EMANUELA ASCOLI MARIYA DINEVA ANA FRANGOVA JULIA FELLINGER JOHN HUSTAIX TAJANA NIKOLIC ADRIANA PEREZ ANTONIO AVIGLIANO JURGITA BATAITYTE WALTER BONIFAZI LILIYA BUYUKLIYSKA ÓSCAR CABRAL ANTONIO DEL SOLE SARA DI PIETRANTONIO CARLA FILETTI TONY FILONI S A N T A JASTREBOVA RADIM BJÖRN JURDIC MARIA PRAHL SERKAN ONAR VALENTINA SETTOMINI ANDRZEJ SOCHACKI ANKE VAN ESPEN ELINA VEŠTERE JULIA YVONNE WEBER ABELA RIZVANSKA JELENA BRANKOVIC DOMINIKA SKOTKOVA ARIANE SIEVERS SIMONE DALLE NOGARE HÅKAN BERG DANIEL MERCURIO MESUT TÜRKMEN MARGE TAIVERE NORA LEONARDI SANNE DE VIET SZYMON SZMAK KARLA MARYSOL GARCIA CORRINA SCHAFFER STEFAN FIEDRICH EREN DICLE MESUT TÜRKMEN LEO SMITH NIKOLAS SPANOUDAKIS

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE The International Education Committee was designed last summer with the mission of making ESN an expert and opinion leader in international higher education, by addressing various issues concerning student mobility and international higher education in Europe, initiating new and using existing forms of representation and educating ESN members about educational policies.

The Committee gathers many experienced and motivated members from all ESN levels, working in four project teams: Education Policy, PRIME 2010, ESNSurvey and Competence Development. The Committee is also actively collaborating with the ESN liaison offices to the European Youth Forum and the Council of Europe.

In its first year, the International Education Committee has contributed to the ESN reaction to EC Green Pa-

per on Mobility of Young International Education People and to the Committee brainstorming on the BM Responsible: Eva Ntovolou future of the Erasmus Programme, and it has Chair: Madara Apsalone (Latvia) worked on consultations V-Chair: Daphne Scherer (Italy) concerning the educaV-Chair: Rasmus Åberg (Sweden) tion dimension of the Contact: education@esn.org EU 2020 strategy. The Committee’s PRIME Team has helped the International Board with the PRIME 2010 grant application and the policy team has been working on several position papers, dealing with Bologna Process, Quality of Mobility, Erasmus Mundus and the Importance of Mobility.

NETWORK EVENTS COMMITTEE

The Network & Events Committee is aiming to strengthen ESN through network development and knowledge management. The network is the core of ESN and therefore we have to take good care of it :) The Committee aims to support the whole network by strengthening the cooperation within it, but is also involved in the future development by seeking for and looking after potential and new member countries. In addition, it takes care of the Section in Spotlight contest and the annual Section Questionnaire.

The Committee helps the different Organising Committees in the network to prepare the different meetings and events through the year in order to secure that the content is interesting, and that it brings high quality fun for participants!

The small team recently had a fresh start, as new Vice-Chairs were elected.

Christoph Bachmann (Germany/Spain) is the Vice-Chair responsible for Network and Emre Emirlioglu (Sweden) the Vice-Chair responsible for Events. The Committee has around 15 active members from the whole ESN, who will come together in the summer in Osqvik, Sweden for a Committee meeting. At the meeting, the internal future strategy and works of our Committee will be discussed. And of course, with this meeting we Network&Events want to strengthen our team and get to know each other better.

Committee BM Responsible: Joachim Wyssling

We are still searching for active ESN members who are interested to get involved in preparing various kinds of ESN meetings (like the Regional Platforms) or helping to develop the Network on a new level! As member of the Committee, you’ve to opportunity to get directly involved in the preparations of our events and develop your communication and management skills, take part and develop evaluation and feedback systems and contribute to the network development and shape its future structure.

Chair: Klemen Vovsek (Slovenia) V-Chair: Christoph Bachmann (Germany) V-Chair: Emre Emirlioglu (Sweden)

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ESN COMMITTEES

FINANCES COMMITTEE Even in a non-governmental powerful organization like ESN, where profit is not our priority nor our focus, money does make our ‘world go round’. This puts extra weight on our new committee established at CNR Warsaw that deals with two problems: how to manage the money we have and how to find new resources so we can continue the work of ESN? This is pretty much our responsibility, and puts our work into perspective, always with the pallomeri spirit!

Who are we?

We are a bunch of lovely and sexy people who love numbers and giving opinion and we are constantly expanding and growing!

What do we do?

2 words: accounting and finance

Finance Committee

do we do with the in- BM Responsible: Damien Lamy-Preto formation we get out Chair: Erdeniz Ünvan (Turkey) of it?

V-Chair: Victoria Jiménez (Spain) Finance is using the information we get Financial Auditors: Jelte Dijkstra, Dimi for a greater cause: Tsaggari, Kadi Kenk the good future of Contact: finance@esn.org ESN!!

If we see a problem in the auditing, like a deficit, we consult by saying “You guys are spending too much money, cut back!”. However, once you cut back and the income doesn’t increase you are still left with the deficit. What we do then is use our superpowers to raise funds by contacting sponsors and companies.

Accounting is a posh way of saying information! We look at invoices, financial sheets and detailed descriptions of income and outgoings and then see if all correspond to each other. If we find something suspicious, we check again and again and again. This is the Auditing part which takes place 3 times a year. But what

So to sum up, we work closely with the treasurer of the IB in order to assist and consult on money matters and let ESNers know what’s going on!

Back in the days, ESN had a simple website and some mailing lists to inform the network about future events and current projects. But times are changing and so did the demands for our communication tools. Nowadays, ESN has its own modern website, ESN Galaxy for connecting all ESN members, ESN Satellite, a special website template for sections, additional websites concerning a wide angle of ESN projects. Add to this a large number of mailing lists, a server and you have enough work to keep four Web Projects Administrators busy for the whole day!

cluding a fresh design and more features.

This is where the IT committee enters the stage. Coordinated by the WPA and our chair, we help ESN in maintaining its IT services and thinking about future developments.

2010 started quite promising when we successfully moved to a new and more powerful server. Before the AGM, we released the new IT Committee website of ESN BM Responsible: and the HelpRania Chantzopoulou center and the new Galaxy was Chair: Hendrik Schraa (The Netherlands) almost ready in-

No matter what you’ve heard we are fun and cool, so come and engaged yourself with our awesomeness!

When the Germans were forced to leave the stage of the 2010 World Cup in South-Africa, our German server couldn’t handle the loss, and ran into a hard drive failure, immediate ceasing any services it was offering to you. A lot of anxious calling, some skilled tech guys at the hosting company and several days later, we found ourselves reviving the hard drive, and were able to secure approx. 97 percent of all its information before it totally flunked.

All in all we managed to put all our services online again (be it with some downtime unfortunately) and even made some enhancements for future safeguarding.

Now, we can focus again on the final release of the new Galaxy and the other ongoing projects.

And for these ongoing projects, we can always use additional help to make it better then planned for! If you think it would be nice to participate in an international team of IT ladies and gentlemen and further develop your IT or graphical designer skills, consider joining us!

Contact: webteam@esn.org

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ESN COMMITTEES

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE Subtitle

Starting with a bit of theory, the Communication Committee (ComCom) is an advisory Communication and administrative body that helps ESN in the field of Communication.

Committee by: Our aim is to improve internal and external communication in ESN on both national and international levels.

After the fruitful CoMeet (September 2010): the meeting of all committees, new positions and new structure of ComCom appeared. Do you want to know more? contact us!

Communication Committee BM Responsible: Marco La Rosa Chair: Ania Burtan (Poland) V-Chair: Tania Berman (France) V-Chair: Eylül Cavaç (Turkey) Contact: communication@esn.org

ComCom @ CoMeet 2010, Prague

Current open positions (ComCom and in cooperation with other committees): 1. ESN PR Material 2. Co-responsible for the eXpress magazine 3. Corporate Identity Team 4. ESN Social Media Team: Youtube Channel 5. ESN Social Media Team: Video making 6. Graphic Designer 7. Designer for the History Book 8. Communication officer for the Galaxy (IT Committee) 9. Writer of basic communication tools and methods (Section Guide Project) (NEC Committee) 10. Communication Officer for the Section Guide (NEC Committee) 11. Communication Officer for the Social Erasmus project (NEC Committee) 12. Sponsor Booklet communication officer (Finance Committee) 13. Promoter of the ESN partnerships (Finance Committee) 14. Esncard.org Communication Officer (Finance Committee) 15. Communication Officer for the Policy Papers (International Education Committee)

Did you know that...?

3 DIGITS TO REMEMBER IN CASE OF EMERGENCY IN THE EU: 1-1-2 Imagine you are in an emergency abroad and you can’t remember the national emergency number(s) to dial. Don’t panic, wherever you are in the European Union, you can call the European emergency number 112 to contact all emergency services - ambulance, fire-fighters and police.

But make sure to call 112 only in case of real threat to life, health, safety, environment or property and when emergency services rapid assistance is needed.

You can use 112 from fixed phones, including payphones, or mobile phones. It is always free of charge and it functions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can reach the European emergency number 112 in all Member States of the European Union and in Croatia, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Turkey, Switzerland and Vatican. The list is non-exhaustive and several additional European and non European countries are implementing 112. www.112foundation.eu

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Car accident, heart attack, fire One emergency number all over the EU

Visit www.my112.eu for more information!

An initiative of the 112 Foundation

PETER’S COLUMN

BRUSSELS THE ANNUAL EXODUS by: Peter Koekoek

It is not only the ESN International Board that leaves the European capital every summer. In the beginning of July, the EU district in Brussels is witness to a massive exodus of truly biblical proportions. Four-lane avenues that are usually teeming with traffic turn into deserted streets, with nothing more than tumble weed and one or two forlorn interns passing by. This epic exodus of EU worker bees marks the start of the summer holiday, which is taken rather literally in Brussels. Many Commission and Parliament bureaucrats will leave town for at least six weeks, and all at the same time. The EU district is left behind empty, bearing more resemblance to a ghost town in the American West than a glorious capital of 500 million European citizens.

With the annual exodus going on outside, the 21st President of ESN, Marketa Torkova, is sitting at her desk in the Rectangular Office of the ESN European headquarters at Rue Hydraulique. The ESN office is just a couple of minutes away from Madou Tower, one of the European Commission’s main buildings, and Marketa is watching the empty streets with a feeling of melancholy. The president sighs; this is the end of a year, of an era. Like every year, the incumbent International Board will soon take over. Marketa, and her fellow board members Troels, Veeli, Marc, Tajana and Secretary in General Simone are about to exchange their status of ESN superstars for one of mere mortals back in their home countries.

Marketa is sighing at the desk where her twenty predecessors have sighed before. President Torkova looks around her office; the entire board is working to ensure a smooth transition of the administration, some typing away at their computers, others packing up boxes with stacks of paper. This is it; she knows that according to tradition, this is the moment she is supposed to open the little presidential drawer containing the note left by the first president of the International Board. Soon, she will be part of the select group of ESN officials privy to the content of the mysterious goodbye message. Slowly, she slides open the drawer and lifts out a yellowish piece of paper. “Haha,” she cries, “I’ve never heard of such nonsense!”

Half an hour later, Marketa and her team arrive at the location specified by the note, a small strip of grass right next to the now deserted Berlaymont building, the main office of the European Commission. “Unbelievable,” exclaims Treasurer Troels, “it’s actually here!” Before they know it the five board members are tumbling down a tiny rabbit hole, that had been partly hidden by a bush of ferns. With a light plunge, but after at least 5 minutes of falling, the ESN international team lands in a small room. The board scrambles to their feet, too shocked by what just happened to panic. When Web Project Administrator Marc looks up, an old man wearing an outlandish glitter costume, enormous grey sideburns and slicked back hair looks him straight in the eye, and says with a deep, sultry voice “Welcome to Retirement Island!”

Marketa and her board members are in awe. “Yeah, yeah, it’s me, Elvis Presley, the King, whatever, I have reception duty today. If y’all could please follow me?” The board, President Torkova leading the way, follows the King through a short hallway into the hot open air. What they see defies all their imagination. They are standing on the top of a hill, and oversee an enormous, tropical island. Beautiful white beaches, tropical wilderness and at the heart of it an enormous city, which appears to be made entirely out of emerald. “Emerald City,” Explains Elvis, “that’s where we’re going.” With exotic birds freely roaming the skies overhead, Elvis and the ESN board start following a yellow brick road, downhill towards Emerald City.

While they are walking towards the city, Elvis starts to explain the situation to them: “I’m sure you’ve heard of the story about a secret island where all supposedly dead celebrities live out their lives in peace and quiet, well, that’s a true story.” “But what are we doing here??” asks Vice-President Veeli. “Well,” starts Elvis, “I’m sure you’ve heard about the exceptional position employees from the EU institutions are in.

Their salary is rather luscious, and they get a lot of time off, but that’s not all!” The King continues to explain how twenty years ago, the Union for EU employees worked out a deal with the prime minister of Retirement Island, the Right Honorable John Lennon: EU staff are the only non-supposedly-dead-celebrities with full access to Retirement Island and its wonderful beaches, in return for the protection of the secret island nation by the European Union.

“And how come the ESN board is allowed to come here?” asks External Relations’ manager Tajana. Elvis patiently explains: “The first president of ESN happened to be well connected and was able to negotiate the same deal for the ESN International Board.” Marketa suddenly looks up from her desk, thinking: an insane fantasy it is. “Guys,” she says, “what people say is absolutely true, hanging around in Brussels for too long will drive you absolutely barking mad, it’s about time we left.” The 21st president and her team exit the building and split up to go back to the beautiful European heartlands of the Czech Republic, Holland, Italy, Estonia, Croatia and Denmark, leaving Eva Ntovolou, the new president, and her team behind in the Rectangular Office. Sitting down at the presidential desk, Eva feels the pressure of her 21 predecessors on her shoulders, a crazy, wild European ride it will be!

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Photos by:

Alexandra Efstathiou Christophe Andrey Grzesiek Michalak Giorgio Bassetti Katja Krohn Katerina Papoutsi Rania Chantzopoulou Marco La Rosa

DO YOU WANT YOUR PHOTO HERE? Then send your photos to:

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photo@esn.org

QUIZ

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 13. The horizontal marked line will give you the name of the newest ESN International project which was originally born in ESN Poland.

2

If you solved the puzzle, please send it to us, the first answer we receive will get a price!

6

Send it to: Erasmus Student Network Rue Hydraulique 15 B-1210, Brussels Belgium

11 7 5

1

12

3

13

9 8

4

10

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

In which city is Central European Platform (CE) going to take place in 2010?

In which city is South Eastern European Platform (SWEP) going to take place in 2010?

What is the name of the official ESN International card which most of the section use as membership or discount card?

Which ESN country has the biggest number of sections?

In which city is South Western European Platform (SWEP) going to take place in 2010?

What is the name of the project which has the main aim of making ESN an organization accessible for students with disabilities?

7. In which city is Western European Platform (WEP) going to take place in 2010?

8. In which city is Northern European Platform (NEP) going to take place in 2010?

9. What is the name of last country that entered in the ESN network?

10. What is the name of the country winner of the World Football Championship in South Africa?

11. What is the name of the initiative which will be adopted in September by the European Commission promoting the mobility of students and trainees in order to improve the employment situation of young people?

12. Which is the present European country holding the presidency of the European Union?

13. What is the name of ESN International Secretary?

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. 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.

www.esn.org