From September 27th to October 2nd, 2024, ESN Portugal was actively represented at two significant ESN international events: ErasmusUpgrade Brussels 2024 and ECEM Training.These events gathered ESN volunteers working in education, advocacy, and community engagement, furthering ESN's mission to enhance mobility opportunities for students across Europe.

ErasmusUpgrade Brussels 2024

At ErasmusUpgrade Brussels 2024, Hélder Simões (President of ESN Portugal), Sofia Alves (Secretary of ESN Portugal), and Matilde Antunes (President of ESN Aveiro) actively participated alongside 40+ international ESN volunteers. This event focuses on fostering knowledge exchange within ESN’s Education Community and aims to promote more inclusive student mobility by discussing ways for national organisations, local sections, and ESN International to improve the Erasmus+ programme.

Sofia Alves led a session on alternative mobility programmes such as the Taith programme (Wales), the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), and the Turing programme (UK), aiming to expand students' access to various mobility options beyond Erasmus+.

Participants developed skills in policy, advocacy, representation, and leadership while exploring ESN's role in global mobility. The event stressed synergies between advocacy and engagement to enhance the quality of student mobility.

A notable highlight was the Flag Parade on September 30th, where participants marched through Brussels from Parc du Cinquantenaire to the European Parliament, celebrating the Erasmus+ programme's impact and the unity in diversity.

ECEM Project Training

Simultaneously, Pedro Almeida (President of ESN Coimbra) and ESN Lisboa volunteers Inês José and Francisca Caruso attended the "Connecting Communities through Engaged Volunteers" training event. Supported by the ECEM Project, this training aimed to equip student representatives with skills to identify and address local community needs through impactful volunteering.

From September 28th to 30th, participants joined sessions discussing student mobilization for civic engagement, strategizing for community involvement, and developing volunteer-driven projects.

ECEM Final Conference

On October 1st, the ECEM Project hosted a final conference to explore how student participation in civic initiatives can foster societal change. Hélder Simões served as a reporter for a session, highlighting the value of providing students with a platform to direct engagement activities in their communities.

Key conference themes included fostering civic responsibility through mobility, using student-led community engagement to address social challenges, and promoting collaboration between universities, ESN sections, and stakeholders to build inclusive communities. The Erasmus+ programme was showcased as a powerful tool for active citizenship and social development, inspiring attendees to implement new strategies in their local sections.

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