Dear Network,

It’s that time of the year again when we sit among our loved ones (ideally by a fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa!) and look back on what the previous year has brought. For us, it has been truly special and we look back at everything we have achieved together for the enrichment of society through international students with pride and gratitude.

In 2018, ESN:

  • Celebrated its 29th birthday while continuing the review of the structure and the branding of our organisation, engaging ESNers in the biggest consultations on the future of our Network.
  • Introduced the Causes of ESN: a new approach to our activity in order to maximise our social impact and help present our activities in a clearer way
  • Commemorated the European Year of Cultural Heritage through hundreds of activities organised by you, a travel contest Mobility Is My Lifestyle and digital campaigns. ESN was the only youth organisation in its Stakeholders’ Committee!
  • Doubled the success of the Mobility Is My Lifestyle contest, allowing 2 winners to travel across Europe and discover European cultural heritage.
  • Published the #ErasmusUpgrade Manifesto which contains 13 recommendations to improve the successor of the Erasmus+ Programme and is available in 10 languages & prepared an official reaction to the proposal by the European Commission.
  • Gathered over 2.500 signatures under the petition for a more social Erasmus+ which encourages social integration & intercultural awareness through volunteering. Make sure to sign it!
  • Launched the Inclusive Mobility Alliance, bringing together many youth, higher education, and disability-related organisations to make mobility more accessible.
  • Empowered over 10 thousand international students during more than 500 events to volunteer for their local communities during two weeks of the Social Inclusion Days. And then we did it all over again!
  • Expanded the reach of services offered by ESN volunteers to VET learners in a pilot project and participated in the EU Vocational Skills Week in Vienna with 6 pioneer associations
  • Organised #ErasmusUpgrade, the biggest education conference and the first Citizens’ Dialogue in ESN, involving the Commissioner Tibor Navracsics along with decision-makers from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in a debate about active citizenship.
  • Joined forces to launch the Online Learning Agreement for Traineeships and the Erasmus Without Paper Network as well as continuously digitalise the Erasmus+ programme through the Erasmus+ App
  • Worked towards quality and transparent internships on ErasmusIntern.org, including the Digital Opportunity Traineeships and through the CAPQI project
  • Concluded 7 grant projects related to employability and digitalisation, and received 7 new grant projects in fields of active citizenship, media literacy, social inclusion and education.
  • Extended the partnership with Pernod Ricard for the 9th year of the Responsible Party programme and organised the first Health and Well-being conference, discussing the well-being of international students with European stakeholders.
  • Kicked off the second year of partnership with Ryanair enabling over 150.000 students to travel more easily and affordably
  • Released the new ESNcard.org platform, offering valuable discounts to all ESNcard holders with a new responsive design
  • Reached 400.000 likes on Facebook, 12.000 followers on Instagram and 18.000 on Twitter
  • Has been awarded Silver for the Overall Best European Association at the 2018 European Association Awards, ranked 2nd on the list of best employers in Brussels and was shortlisted as one of the three best associations in the PIEoneer Awards 2018.

None of this would be possible if not for your engagement and dedication. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! By working together, we are able to achieve the most remarkable things - #WeAreOne!

We would like to wish you happy holidays, filled with joy, happiness and well-deserved rest. Take care of your physical and mental health and get ready for all the exciting things the upcoming year will bring!

Yours,

The International Board and Secretariat