I am very pleased that Norwich has been selected to host the forthcoming ESN National Boards Meeting. At a time when there seems to be rising euroscepticism in England, it is good to show that this view is not held by everyone. In addition, it will, hopefully, show the importance that the University of East Anglia places on student exchanges.

Below is a piece written by Alison Deane, the new ESN UEA Treasurer, about the event:

Whilst the ESN AGM took place in Milan in Spring, preparations were well underway back on home turf at UEA for the ESN UEA application to hold the ESN National Boards Meeting (NBM) in the Autumn of 2014.
With all incoming ESN UEA committee members on board, our finely polished application was submitted and approved by the International Board at the end of May. This means that we can announce that we have been successful in our bid to hold the bi-annual international event this October at UEA. Great news! We are delighted to have been given the go ahead as a newly formed local board to host such a prestigious event. The NBM falls at a time where ESN has been recognised by the European Commission for its work, as well as when ESN celebrates its 25th anniversary. We hope that the event will be an opportunity for participants to benefit from international integration.

What is a National Board?
ESN operates on three levels - international, national and local. The national level of ESN joins all sections (such as UEA) from one country (UK). Each country in ESN has a National Board, similar to a committee. The National Board Meeting is the opportunity for different National Board members from countries to unite and share common views. The overall mission of the collaboration of the National Boards from the different ESN countries is to facilitate social and personal integration of international exchange students who are studying or working in a foreign country.

NBM Norwich 2014
Plans are already well underway for the long weekend, which takes place between the 2nd-5th October 2014 at the start of the new academic year. The jam-packed itinerary includes the infamous Eurodinner, tasters of Norwich nightlife, cultural visits to Norwich city and notably Norwich castle, visits to local schools as well as a trip to the capital city of London, and finally not forgetting the all important plenaries that will be held on the beautiful UEA campus.
By hosting this event, ESN UEA helps to motivate not just our section, but the whole of ESN UK and show new members the potential offered by ESN at the international level, helping sections and members to feel more integrated, and a true part of ESN as a wider international body. The event will be fantastic for UEA and Norwich, and will help promote our university as an exciting and appealing exchange destination by showcasing what the city and wonderful campus has to offer. We hope that many will take the opportunity to attend and get involved - in addition to the international participants we will be looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help run the weekend soon!

News and more details on the upcoming event will be posted on our NBM Facebook page, as well as regular Twitter updates on our newly established Twitter account.