Home › Europe Direct › Activities › Activities 2023 › 12-15.10.2023 ESN Conference "The Role of Students in the International Mobility"

12-15.10.2023 ESN Conference "The Role of Students in the International Mobility"

On Thursday October 12th at 4:30 pm, the opening conference of the SWEP South Western European Platform was held in Padua, the regional platform, that is the european meeting of the association Erasmus Student Network AISBL.

The conference, which has taken place from October 12th to 15th, was called "The role of students in the (university) mobility of the future" and was held entirely in English. The event was organised by ESN Padua with the patronage and support of Europe Direct Venezia Veneto, Europe Direct Padua of the Municipality of Padua, the University of Padua and the Cesare Pollini Conservatory of Music. The European regional platform consists of four days of training, exchange of good practices and networking among the volunteers from the 5 southern European countries involved: Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Malta.

The conference was held in the Sala dei Giganti, Palazzo Liviano, University of Padua, Piazza Capitaniato, 7, Padua (PD).
Free admission for students and the general public subject to availability.

The empowerment of young people and their role in Europe and the world, the acquisition of transversal competences and training: these are the priorities that the European Commission has set for Europe in the last two years, which we remember are focused on the enhancement of skills: 9 May 2023 - 9 May 2024 European Year of Competences.

In addition to the European meeting, the Erasmus Student Network also organises national meetings. In Italy, ESN Italia meets 4 times per year by organising a National Platform, each time in a different city, which consists in 3 days of General Assembly, a fundamental moment of confrontation between members, exchange of good practices for volunteers and decision-making on the policy lines of our Network.

Each National Platform is attended by members of the National Board of Directors, at least 2 delegates for each local ESN Italia section, and some international guests, thus involving more than 150 university students and young workers, aged between 20 and 30. This year ESN Padova has hosted the first National Platform (NP) - General Assembly of ESN Italia, with the aim of firstly representing volunteering in Italy and the South West European region, and secondly of becoming the organiser and host of two of the most important networking and training meetings.

Programme of the opening event:

16:30-17:00 Welcoming guests and participants, musical accompaniment by the Cesare Pollini Conservatory. Musicians: Giuseppe Dato (piano), Federico Lincetto (double bass), Max Verrillo (drums)
17:00-17:05 Greetings and welcome to the event by Catalina Vasian, Head of the SWEP 2023 Organising Committee
17:05-17:10 Opening speech Ayberk Yavuz, ESN AISBL Treasurer
17:10-17:15 Opening speech Sheila Esteban, SWEP Regional Coordinator - ESN AISBL
17:15-17:20 Institutional Greetings - Municipality of Padua Pietro Bean, Councillor Delegate for Youth Policies
17:20-17:25 Institutional Greetings - University of Padua Cristina Basso, Prorretrice with responsibility for International Relations
17:25-17:30 Institutional Greetings - European Commission Alessandro Giordani, DG COMM - Deputy Director at the European Commission for Communication and Information Networks in the EU Member States ; video projection
17:30-17:40 Active student participation and tools for involvement in university structures. University alliances: the ARQUS model II Alessandra Gallerano, Director of Projects and Mobility Office - University of Padua
17:40-17:50 ESN's role within the participatory mobility and university student empowerment scheme: ESNsurvey, European University Alliances and more! Ayberk Yavuz, Treasurer ESN AISBL

Moderator
Lucia Felix Prieto, President ESN Padova 2023-2024
18:00-18:30/45 Panel discussion- "Young people and student empowerment: a leading role in mobility and the university of the future"

Relators
Veronica Costa, Responsible Mobility Sector- Projects & Mobility Office, University of Padua
Irina Samson, Arqus Alliance WP4 - UNIPD Co-leader, Projects & Partnerships Unit -Projects & Mobility Office, University of Padua
Jessica Colatriano, Local Representative ESN Chieti Pescara (ESN Italia) - Gabriele d'Annunzio University, INGENIUM Alliance
Isabel Huck, Volunteer ESN Darmstadt (ESN Germany)

Moderator
Camille Odent, WEP Regional Coordinator - ESN AISBL
18:45-18:50 Closing speech by Andrea Amaranto, ESN AISBL SWEP Regional Training Coordinator
18:50-19:30 Classroom set-up and end of event

ESN stands for Erasmus Student Network, a network of non-partisan, non-denominational and non-profit associations promoting student mobility in Europe. Founded in 1989, ESN is present at European level. It currently has 511 active sections in 41 countries and more than 15,000 volunteers, of which 2,000 throughout Italy. ESN Padua is one of these local organisations, and is part of the largest national network that makes up the Erasmus Student Network, ESN Italy, composed of 53 sections. It was founded in 1992 and for over thirty years has been proposing activities not only to Erasmus students in Italy, but also to Italian students who want to undertake a study abroad, or want to get to know an international environment in the city where they study. 'Students Helping Students' is the leitmotif of the projects carried out by the association, always remaining 'united in diversity'.

Photo from the opening event of March 2023:

Photo of the event of October 2023: