This year marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the Erasmus program. It has been 30 years of new experiences, adventures and friendships. So let us have a look on how its participants have benefited from it.​

 

#PeopleOfErasmus

Students who decided to go for a student exchange under this programme, do agree that it has been the best time of their life. They have got to know tremendous people from many foreign countries, made international friends, visited new places while travelling, picked up foreign languages and got to see how an education system looks at foreign universities. Apart from that, they say it has been a great school of life because they had to adapt to a new, unknown place. Also, they have become more open people, tolerant, confident and inspired.

 

#VolunteeringPlus

The Erasmus programme also allows students to get involved into volunteer work which you can do in an international student organization ESN – Erasmus Student Network. It has a lot of advantages because except from getting to know to foreign students arriving to your country and helping them, you can learn practical things which you would not learn by attending your university and studying. Those are teamwork, event organization, time management, the improvement of leadership skills, problem solving and public speaking. Doing an volunteer work in ESN is the 1st step to their professional career for a lot of students as they gain skills there which are necessary to get a dream job.

 

#WhatWeBelieveIn

As the generation of the Erasmus programme, we believe in diversity, intercultural dialogue, cultural exchange, international cooperation, openness and tolerance (it means we can accept every human-being and learn from him). We are open to development, lifelong learning, breaking down barriers and discovering the undiscovered. Also, we believe in “Students helping students”, the principle on which the volunteer work in ESN is based.

To sum up, the Erasmus programme has allowed young people from almost every European country to experience something new, but something positive at the same time for 30 years. The reason of that is that it is related to the international environment and it broadens people’s minds.

 

Author: Weronika Kisiel