International Board Diary May

May occupies a somewhat strange place within the ESN calendar, as there is the post-AGM hangover, time for some breaks and holidays for people but at the same time it was the month of the SocialErasmus week and many other key events both inside and outside of the network. So this Board report may seem jumpy and erratic, but that reflects how this month was for all those in the ESN Office.

The month started with a nice opportunity for Leo, Damien, Tania and Josefin to head along to the Microsoft innovate4good event organised in Brussels by Microsoft Europe. The event brought together young minds to share and engage about topics related to the digital age and young people’s role in it, and the development of new technologies. With the expertise of ESN’s IT committee in developing new tools and platforms we are hoping for further cooperation with Microsoft to develop such opportunities.

The highlight of the month (and year) was the much anticipated SocialErasmus Week, the pinnacle and focus point of the flagship project of ESN for this year. Over 40 events were organised by ESN sections ranging from EcoCycling to ESN Homeless Birds project. Also, to capture these great moments Michel (project coordinator) and a film crew set off on a whirlwind 7 day tour of Europe to meet sections and students involved. Keep your eyes peeled for the video which will be out soon!

Board members also were at a variety of external events throughout May. Josefin went to AEGEE’s Agora (their AGM) in Enschede to show our support as a partner, hold a workshop and to discuss new ways of cooperating with them since we have many shared aims and objectives. In addition, Katja and Tania met up with many fellow ESNers for the 25th Anniversary of Erasmus conference in Copenhagen. The event gave the chance for the Erasmus ambassadors to share the activities taking place in their countries for the celebrations of the programme and they discussed the Erasmus manifesto, in which the ambassadors express their wishes and requests for the Erasmus programme and its stakeholders. Josefin and Julio Hansoul (Liaison Officer) attended the IFISO meeting, organised by ESN in Lodz and had the chance to discuss, take part in workshops and teambuilding with members of like-minded student organisations from around Europe.

As the month drew to a close there was the important business of the Study Trip to our candidate section in St Petersburg in Russia conducted by Damien. His visit gave him the chance to see how the candidate section is working with exchange students in line with ESN principles and also to assist them in their development. We hope to see them join in the near future.

Lastly, the CNR event that many people had dreamed of, took place in breathtaking Iceland.  The Board and NRs from over 20 countries took the long and expensive trip to the land of fire and ice for the last CNR of this academic year. And it didn’t disappoint, with really fruitful and engaging discussions, an excellent workshop conducted by a guest from the European Commission (within the framework of the Digital Futures project) and some days of sightseeing and exploring Iceland’s natural wonders made it the perfect end to the current board’s mandate.

In the next month’s report we will bring you news of big changes in the ESN Office and the arrival of our future President, Emanuel and Vice-President, Kathi in Brussels…