BRUSSELS, Belgium – 17th of November 2014
Press Release: 25 Years of Youth Empowering Youth - Mov'in Europe Conference and Ambassadors Programme*
ESN celebrates 25 years of Youth Empowering Youth through Mov’in Europe Conference "International Youth Mobility - Beyond the Erasmus+ programme" hosted by MEP Therese Comodini Cachia at the European Parliament on Monday, November 17th.
In the framework of the ESN Mov'in Europe project, a high-level conference was organised to discuss current issues regarding international youth learning mobility.
About the Conference
The morning session was held at the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Therese Comodini (Malta). The conference was attended by approximately 70 participants representing over 30 different countries. Youth Organisations, National Agencies and members of various European institutions were represented among the participants.
MEP Comodini addressed the participants, stressing the fact that "mobility is a key factor that empowers students, providing them with transversal skills and enhancing their employability”.
Several initiatives were introduced to and discussed with participants. The European Platform on Learning Mobility (EPLM) was presented by Davide Cappechi, programme coordinator of the EU-CoE Youth Partnership.
The EPLM is an open participatory space for exchange and cooperation between practitioners, researchers and policy makers. This platform fosters cooperation between all stakeholders involved in learning mobility in order to facilitate working towards a higher quality of mobility.
Mov'in Europe Coordinator Valentin Dupouey presented and officially launched the Mov'in Europe ambassadors, an ESN initiative aimed at providing direct information about mobility to young people in local communities through the help of ambassadors.
Finally, OBESSU was given the opportunity to present their Global Call to Action, launched on November 17th, International Students Day. OBESSU and their partners call for education systems that are free of costs and fees for students, while also remaining free of discrimination and free of fear.
All speakers unanimously agreed on the importance of learning mobility, not only as a crucial part of the formal education curriculum, but also as a strong lever for personal development and active citizenship.
Questions and Answers
Morning sessions provided food for thought for the afternoon workshop session that was held within the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Participants gathered in the University in order to collectively attempt to find a solution to some current challenges faced by international youth learning mobility.
How can we ensure better and wider accessibility to mobility? How can we turn international mobility into active citizenship? How can we ensure optimal recognition of mobility? These are some of the questions that participants were asked, all experts in the field of youth and student mobility.
More Information
The Mov’in Europe project can be followed on social media networks (facebook.com/MovinEurope) or on the website www.movineurope.esn.org .
Video report of the conference: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdrlazWwl3A
Mov’in Europe Ambassadors Programme: www.movineurope.esn.org/who-are-ambassadors
For more information, please contact: Emanuela Del Savio secretariat@esn.org (tel.: +32 2 256 742) or Valentin Dupouey, project coordinator at movineurope-coordinator@esn.org
Erasmus Student Network (ESN), a non-profit international student organisation with the mission to represent international students, thus provide opportunities for cultural understanding and self-development under the principle of Students Helping Students. ESN has 13.500 members from 460 local associations in 37 countries working on a volunteer basis in Higher Education Institutions. ESN offers its services to more than 180.000 students annually.
*The article was originally published on the ESN International's webpage and can be found at: http://www.esn.org/article/25-years-youth-empowering-youth.
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