Tour de France Erasmus

ESN France is very proud to share a fantastic experience, an amazing event to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Erasmus programme, that took place all around France from the 28^th of February to the 17^th of March 2012.

 

The project consisted of two parts. First, we created a booklet informing students about Erasmus programme and its possibilities. Second, we toured France, visited our local sections and promoted mobility programmes.

 

We have written and produced 45 000 copies of a booklet about mobility programmes called Passeport Erasmus International. This booklet is aimed at French students and answers their questions about mobility programmes - Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, CREPUQ, ISEP and others. We compiled useful information on how to study and work abroad - registering to the programme, applying for a scholarship, finding an apartment, etc. It also introduces ESN and local ESN sections in France to give our French students a chance to meet international students, attend events, and join our ESN sections.

 

The godfather of this project is Cédric Klapisch, the director of L’auberge Espagnole, the famous French movie about Erasmus life in Spain.

Following the example of the celebrations by ESN AISBL for the 20^th anniversary, ESN France decided to do its own Erasmus Tour. The main aim of this tour was to promote mobility to French students. Visiting students, organizing Erasmus Days, and introducing mobility options to local students were the essentials of the tour. We also distributed the Passeport Erasmus International.

 

The team went on the road from the 28^th of February to the 17^th of March. In these three weeks on the French roads we covered more than 6000 kilometres and visited 25 cities, where celebrations involving high schools and higher education institutions took place. Even though the French ESN network consists of 22 sections, we decided to visit three other big student cities that could potentially have an ESN section in the future. We met with local associations and International Relation Offices.

 

Thanks to ESN Besançon we had a minibus that went on the road to promote mobility all around France with two permanent drivers - Florian Chapey, President of ESN France and Cindy Deronzi, National Coordinator of the event. Several guests joined us on the minibus for a day or two.

 

Due to this project, ESN received an impressive media coverage. In each city we visited, at least one article was written about the project and the network. Institutions and public organisations have discovered ESN as an association full of committed and hard working people. 

 

During the local events we introduced the Passeport Erasmus International to students. Section members chatted with students about the student life in other countries and how this experience can boost one’s CV. We held a couple of conferences and two members of the International Board came to support us in Nancy. We spoke about Erasmus programme and its history, the network, and Erasmus experiences. A lot of international lunches and dinners were cooked by international students, we ate birthday cakes and blew a lot of birthday candles. Also, parties have been organized. 

 

Apart from the successful celebrations of the 25^th anniversary of Erasmus programme, this project helped a lot in developing ESN France. We noticed how important it is to visit sections in their own city. Meeting them directly in their own environment offered us the possibility to meet many local volunteers and discover strengths and weaknesses of each section. Now, we know how strong the network is, and that we are creative and full of ideas. The French network is young and has good future ahead.

 

To promote the event we wrote and sent out press releases and press reports. Of course, we did online promotion as well. All the information was published on our website, and we were updating our Facebook and Twitter page daily. We also created a blog and updated it every day. Check the blog for more details and pictures.

 

All of this was supported by our National Agency Europe Education Formation France, the representation of the European Commission in France, Education First, and the Hypocrène Foundation.