Helping can have many synonyms, but it goes without saying that any sign of doing something good for others shapes the way people perceive the world. Contribution in extra activities results in a broadened view of volunteering.
Erasmus Student Network organizes the next edition of SID
Between 18.11-4.12.2019 Erasmus Student Network Poland took part in organising the next edition of Social Inclusion Days. ESN volunteers succeeded in enriching exchange students by creating a feeling of unique experience, which you can read about in this article: ESN Poland joins Social Inclusion Days
Mission of Social Inclusion
Social Inclusion Days (SID) are a two-week initiative for international students who, together with local communities, join activities connected with social integration to understand the many varied identities of diversity. ESN, as a non-profit organisation, spreads the idea of volunteering among young people and encourages international students to take action in society and seek solutions in resolving problems.
SID in numbers
Only the last edition engaged more than 19 100 international students and 2 400 polish volunteers. Year by year the numbers are increasing and the message we’re spreading reaches more and more people.
This time Poland managed to run around 57 inclusive events. Local sections showed their creativity and inventiveness through a wide spectrum of undertaken events. The biggest amount of initiatives was organised in Poznań (14), Warsaw (13), Wrocław (8) and Cracow (5).
The many faces of Social Inclusion
Some of the initiatives drew more attention to disability. Thus, international students visited, e.g. an invisible exhibition and in a few cities volunteers ran workshops of sign language
or challenged their senses in a blind dinner.
The most popular ones were visits in animal shelters and meetings with seniors in community centres. Already in the mood for Christmas some of the sections decided to prepare Noble Packages for children and seniors in need.
Why do we do it?
Through organizing such events we enrich local communities by giving back and putting an effort into making positive changes, either by helping the people who are a part of them or educating international students about struggles others have to cope with. Moreover, we can identify best practices in network and creates a better experience for open-mindedness and student mobility. Here, the main focus lies on prioritizing inclusion. Furthermore, such initiatives are crucial in achieving more aware citizens and laying foundations for stronger interaction between students and local communities.
