Monday, 13 April, 2020 - 10:07

In an effort to keep enriching society through international students, even in trying times, ESN has gathered activities for those who would like to give back to society from the comfort and safety of their homes.

The initiatives are divided into two categories: Global community and Local community

  • Global community has to do with all the actions one can do online to contribute to global issues;

  • Local community has to do with the actions one can do to help the people in their geographical area. 

 

Global community

For more information on each action, follow the links below:

  1. Become an online volunteer for the United Nations: https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en

  2. Lend your eyes to blind or low-vision people through the Be My Eyes App: https://www.bemyeyes.com/download 

  3. Donate your unused computational resources to help researchers fights COVID-19: https://foldingathome.org/start-folding/ 

  4. Help record audiobooks on LibriVox: https://librivox.org/pages/volunteer-for-librivox/ 

  5. Assist professional researchers on their projects through Zooniverse: https://www.zooniverse.org/get-involved

  6. Translate documents for Translators Without Borders: https://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/ 

  7. Make books accessible to people with reading barriers through BookShare: https://www.bookshare.org/cms/get-involved/volunteer 

  8. Donate to global fundraisers online and help the countries fight the Coronavirus: https://covid19responsefund.org/ 

  9. Help researchers by shifting through content on Amnesty Decoders: https://decoders.amnesty.org/ 

  10. Contribute to breaking down stereotypes by becoming a Harvard research volunteer: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

     

 

Local community

 

For more information on each action, check the tips below:

  1. Find blood donation events through the Ministry of Health in your country;

  2. Trust governmental websites and always look for credible sources on other news websites;

  3. Lots of countries around Europe offer volunteer programs designed specifically for the COVD-19 crisis. Find opportunities through governmental websites;

  4. Unlike major retailers, local businesses generally cannot sustain themselves during these financially challenging times. Purchase gift cards for future use, order take-away, and give them shoutouts on social media;

  5. Find your local ESN section on our website: https://esn.org/become-volunteer;

  6. Write a note expressing your will to help, include your telephone number, and leave it at the entrance of your building or on the doorstep of your neighbours;

  7. Follow the instructions of the government and minimize social interactions;

  8. Keep in touch with your loved ones, especially those who live alone and are prone to feeling lonely. Schedule video calls, play online games, or simply send them a nice text message;

  9. Become an online emotional support person at https://www.7cups.com/listener/become-a-volunteer-listener.php

  10. Choose your organisation of choice and promote the fundraiser on social media. Once you raise a desirable amount, donate to the organisation and thank them for their work.

 

Sharing your actions online

Inspire more people to take action by sharing your experience on social media. Use the hashtag #ErasmusAtHome and tag @esn_int on Instagram and Twitter.

See other initiatives on the #ErasmusAtHome tagboard, a virtual place for students to gather from all corners of the world and share support messages, information, short videos, and any other imaginative ideas to encourage each other and help pass the time.