Greece
participants
Through this event our main goal was to approach students that are interested in potentially living the Erasmus experience. We wanted to create a safe environment that would foster an open - end conversation so that they could get engaged and address any question or doubt that they might have had. We aimed to spread the idea of the Erasmus generation, introduce young students to our vision here at ESN and strip them from anything that is holding them back from going on an exchange - make them feel that they are ready for this European mobility step.
Another objective that we had was to get the section's active members more engaged with our vision, which is why we asked them to share their experience. We also wanted to give them the chance to take initiative and be active. From their testimonies it was a very motivating experience for them that not only gave them the chance to share their passion for the Erasmus+ but also develop their skills such as presentation and public speaking.
The event was kicked off by Ms. Kleopatra Nteliou, Erasmus+ Coordinator for Student and Staff Mobility at AUEB, who gave a presentation on the Erasmus+ programme, its origin, its goals and the possibilities that it has to offer to outbound students. Following up, Mr. Vitsios from the IT department of the University explained the technicalities around the Erasmus grant and online systems used. They also explained and analyzed the way the Erasmus grant is awarded and distributed. Then Ms. Amalia Lina, Erasmus+ Coordinator for the International Credit Mobility Program inducted the students to the opportunities they have within the ICM framework. After the IRO formally and thoroughly explained the Erasmus+ our section’s President, Panagiotis Oikonomidis, introduced the audience to our network - ESN, to our volunteers that took part in the event and then he finally gave a small preview on his ESN path so far. Our section’s Local Board chose four of our active members to make a multifaceted analysis and presentation of their Erasmus experience to the audience, in order to bring them closer to an actual Erasmus with real life examples - each presentation lasted around 10 minutes. Mr. Oikonomidis closed off the event by highlighting the importance of going on an exchange and how life changing it can be. What followed up was a wonderful discussion with a number of students from the audience, where our volunteers addressed any question or concern they might have had for the exchange experience.
