ESN Germany e.V.
The Erasmus Student Network Germany, a non-profit student organisation, is the consolidation of German student organisations which take care of Erasmus and international students during their exchange in Germany. Our voluntary members, mostly students, take care of approximately 10,600 exchange students every year in around 40 sections all over Germany. Next to all the sections, ESN Germany consists of other important bodies, which we will present to you below.
Our Causes
Education & Youth
As a key volunteer student organisation in international higher education in Europe, our members provide information about mobility programmes and motivate students to study abroad. On top of that with projects like Erasmus in Schools ESN tries to promote opportunities and benefits of higher education and mobility to elementary and high school students with the help of Erasmus students and thus implement them in local society and work against prejudices.
ESN stands for active citizenship, which includes actively partaking in finding solutions for current problems. Environmental sustainability is one of the major struggles of today’s society and, when it comes to this field, our members try to raise awareness about the issue and lead by example. Connected with the SocialErasmus project ESN sections already cleaned up nearby nature.
Environmental Sustainability
Health & Wellbeing
Under this Cause ESN is making aware of healthy routines and practices, both physically and mentally. Keeping your body and your mind fit and healthy is a huge part of a fulfilled lifestyle and with projects like the Health and Well-being Week or the International Erasmus Games ESN keeps their volunteers and students active and educates them how to improve themselves.
According to the Erasmus Impact Study launched by the European Commission in 2012, 85% of students study or train abroad to enhance their employability and more than 90% of students reported an improvement in their transversal skills. With organising specific workshops and events ESN helps the students to find and improve the soft-skills of students und local youth. With their own internal programme Eduk8 members of the network can get trained in the field of non-formal education.
Skills & Employability
Social Inclusion
ESN implements the field of social inclusion by widening the participation and social engagement. ESN believes in a more diverse Erasmus+ programme, which is why our members work hard to raise awareness about mobility opportunities for students from underrepresented groups. Under the SocialErasmus project the sections of ESN are planning events around social activities in and outside the local community to help those who need support and to make them aware about integration and inclusion.
Culture; customs, values and social behavior of a particular group of people at a particular time. Experiencing the way of life in diverse and unknown cultures is a strong motivator for young people to move abroad in order to participate in mobility programmes.
Culture
The National Board
ESN Germany is represented by the National Board. Its purpose is to support the local sections in all kinds of topics, to represent them in the international level between them and ESN International, and to strengthen the German network plus the relationships between the sections and their members. Each board member of ESN Germany is elected for a mandate of one year by the sections and works on a volunteer basis. The mandate starts on the 1st of April and the elections are usually held at the end of January, which gives a time frame of almost 2 months where predecessor and successor can work closely together to hand over all important tasks and transfer the knowledge.
The National Board consists of 5 positions which are always paired with another position by their field of work, so there are 10 people in a full National Board.
The current board members are:
The National Teams
The National Teams are formed by ESN volunteers that support the board in different dedicated fields. Each team is linked to a board position. Learn more about them here.
The Regional Coordinators
Regional Coordinators are elected during Local Platforms for a mandate of one year, by the sections, and work on a voluntary basis. Their tasks include, among other things, overlooking the current status of the region and its sections, being a contact point for the Vice President and the sections and are responsible for the organization, promotion and coordination of regional events.
The current Regional Coordinators are:
The Audit Board
The Audit Board is formed by the Main Chair, the Finance Audit and the Legal Audit and is elected for a mandate of one year (starting on 1st September) by the sections and works on a voluntary basis. Its main tasks are, among other things, to audit general processes, monitor the National Board’s work, watch over the adherence to our Statutes and Standing Orders, promote compliance and check the budget. The Audit board consists of 3 to 5 people (one Main Chair, 1-2 Legal Auditors and 1-2 Financial Auditors).
The current auditors are:
The Alumni
The ESN Alumni Deutschland e.V. is an association of both former and current ESN members. They have been - and still are - a big support for all active members by sharing their experiences and knowledge as well as offering financial support when needed. Since its foundation 2010 the alumni association has grown continuously and is now one of the most active within ESN.
ESN International
The Erasmus Student Network is one of the largest student associations in Europe, being present in more than 1000 Higher Education Institutions from 42 countries and functions as an umbrella organisation for many local and national organisations across the continent. The Headquarters are based in Brussels close to the European Parliament and other important partners and stakeholders of the organisation. Led by the International Board, ESN International has a high impact on mobility programmes in the European Higher Education area, most notably the Erasmus+ programme. ESN collaborates with very important stakeholders and policymakers in this area, such as the European Commission, the European University Foundation (EUF) and the European Student’s Union (ESU).
ESN works for the creation of a more mobile and flexible education environment by supporting and developing the student exchange from different levels and providing an intercultural experience also to those students who cannot access a period abroad ("internationalisation at home").