The second edition of the biggest event of the Erasmus Generation will take place in Bucharest, from the 6th to the 9th of April, bringing together more than 900 participants from all over Europe and beyond in a conference on skills gained through international opportunities and civic engagement of young people.
The Erasmus Student Network is organising the second edition of the Erasmus Generation Meeting, the leading student event focusing on the improvement of the Erasmus+ programme and international opportunities for young people. The event is organised with the support of the Romanian Erasmus+ National Agency ANPCDEFP, and it is part of ESN’s flagship project, “Erasmus Generation in Action”, co-funded by the European Parliament. The event is hosted by the Politechnica University of Bucharest.
Under the theme “International skills for more engaged societies”, the 2023 edition will have two main pillars: skills gained through international opportunities, and civic engagement of young people. Both topics are extremely timely due to the ongoing European Year of Skills and the elections to the European Parliament, which will take place in 2024.
Beyond these two key occasions, skills development and civic engagement are at the core of international experiences for young people from all over the world. In that regard, EGM seeks to be the space in which the main protagonists of these experiences, the students, gather to learn from each other, work together and exchange directly with the institutions and stakeholders that make internationalisation and youth engagement possible on how we can improve mobility opportunities for all young people by fostering engagement and improving skills acquisition.
The event has a comprehensive programme with more than 100 sessions focusing on key topics for the Erasmus+ programme, international education and youth policies. Those include topics such as inclusive mobility and volunteering, Erasmus+ grants, sustainable travel of Erasmus+ students, and digital transformation and internationalisation at home. Other key topics in the international education agenda, such as European University Alliances or the new proposal for a Council Recommendation on Mobility for all, will also be discussed at the event with EU officials and stakeholders. The conclusions of the event will feed into ESN’s work supporting mobile learners across Europe and advocating for better mobility opportunities.
The event, organised by Erasmus Student Network Romania and supported by the European Commission, features video messages from the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, as well as the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, an alumna of the Erasmus+ programme herself.
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, expressed her support for the event and the instrumental work done by the Erasmus Student Network supporting EU policies and programmes through a written statement.
“ESN's contribution is crucial to the success of our work – be it the European Year or the Erasmus+ programme itself. And we are grateful for your incredible effort and passion. I am not sure we would be talking about an Erasmus generation without you. And that is something to be proud of.”
- Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
Erasmus Generation Meeting will open with a Flag Parade on Thursday afternoon, followed by the Opening Ceremony, which will be live-streamed on ESN’s Facebook page and the official pages of the Romanian Erasmus+ National Agency (ANPCDEFP). The opening ceremony will have keynote speeches from the Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania, Her Excellency Ms Ramona Iulia Chiriac, the Minister of Education of Romania, Her Excellency Ms Ligia Deca, the Director of the Romanian Erasmus+ National Agency, Ms Monica Calota, and the president of the European Association of International Education, Mr Piet Van Hove.
On the 7th of April, alongside the sessions which are taking place over the course of three days, there will be an 'Erasmus Generation Expo', where companies from various industries will be in contact with the participants in order to publicise job opportunities in Europe and support the employability of Europe’s youth and Erasmus+ alumni. The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) will be present at the event, facilitating a session on EU careers for participants. In addition to these companies, more than 40 countries of the Erasmus Student Network representing over 500 local associations present in more than 1000 higher education institutions will showcase the mobility and employability opportunities these provide for young people.
On Saturday, the winner of the “Erasmus Destination of the Year” award will be elected among the 5 finalists: Toulouse, Valencia, Vienna, Padova and Gent. This initiative seeks to promote mobility destinations where Universities, cities and student organisations collaborate to provide the best mobility experience to all students.
The event will be joined by representatives from the Directorate for Education and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC), the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) the European Youth Forum, the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), the European Students Union (ESU), the Coimbra Group of Universities, Global Student Forum, and other partner organisations at the European and national levels. In addition to the collaboration and involvement of the Romanian Erasmus+ National Agency (ANPCDEFP), other Erasmus+ National Agencies, such as the Portuguese and Czech, will also join the event. Several Romanian Universities from across the country will attend the event and be present at the EGM Expo.
The event is organised with the precious support of a number of partners and sponsors, including, most notably, the Responsible Party programme co-managed by ESN and Pernod Ricard, as well as YesTrips, Expedia and The Interna. This Responsible Party joint programme seeks to foster responsible behaviours and safe leisure activities among young adults, and it has been implemented for more than a decade.
The full list of sponsors can be found on EGM’s website.
Stay tuned to our channels to follow the live coverage of EGM from Thursday to Sunday afternoon.
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