The Causes of ESN are areas in which ESN carries out its activities at the local level.

They are a literal transfer of what we believe, our mission and goals as an organization for actions, which are undertaken by sections and which become the source of further opportunities, inspirations, partnerships and cooperation. ESN focuses on operations in six areas:

Education & Youth

ESN primarily utilizes non-formal education, which supports non-academic education in order to combat stereotypes and prepare us socially for being active members of society. ESN is an organization that deals with education at every level of activity. The local level is primarily the education of volunteers in the subject of organization, development of soft skills, but also the development of international students, for example through the implementation of the Erasmus In Schools project, in this case, we also educate local communities together with exchange students.

The national level offers endless development opportunities, starting with ESN UPGRADE, ending with the appointment of specific functions - coordinators, members of the Board or the Audit Commission. Education Officers deal with everything related to exchanges, cooperating with several local Education Officers who have direct contact with their universities. The international level organizes countless conferences, conventions, but also applies for grants or prepares materials that we later use in the education of our members at other levels.

Through cooperation with institutional partners, units such as the European Commission, universities, kindergartens and schools, we not only "teach" education. ESN is a key representative of the youth, we participate in processes that set the direction of activities of many projects and initiatives. We create guidelines, provide feedback and set strategies. We deal with everything - starting from preparation, through actions and collecting applications, in order to create further foundations for development.

Projects and programs implemented under Education & Youth:

  • ExchangeAbility -  https://exchangeability.eu/

  • Mov’in Europe -  https://movineurope.esn.org/

  • SocialErasmus - https://www.isnleiden.com/social-erasmus and https://socialerasmus.esn.org/

  • Eduk8 - https://eduk8.esn.org/ and https://www.esn.org/eduk8

 

Culture

Culture is a vast concept comprised of the ideas, customs, and social behaviours of a particular people or society. At ESN we try to promote culture through various activities, organizing meetings for international students, visiting local restaurants, theaters, hosting film nights. We also learn new languages, exchange beliefs & promote cities & universities in which we learn. 

The European Union declared 2018 the European Year of Cultural Heritage. The objective of EYCH is cooperation for the protection, preservation, re-use, development and promotion of European heritage. And also to show the cultural heritage in all its diversity, material and not as the output of past generations, which strongly affects our present.

Specifically to our section, we host the annual Cultural Festival - an opportunity for the members of our community to exchange and educate on various elements of their cultures; from their cuisine and traditional dress to their music and customs. 

ESN's Mov'in Europe program is also involved in cultural promotion - https://www.esn.pl/en/movin-europe and https://movineurope.esn.org/

 

Skills & Employability

This cause is centered around the skills crucial in finding a job and maintaining it. It is also awareness and ability to set clear, realistic goals in a career, in order to be fulfilled within your profession.

How is it that volunteers from our organization work, study and, in addition, spend all their free time in ESN? Each of us develops in the organization both individually and as a group. We shape the skills of resource management, especially effectively managing one's time. We work in a dynamic, young team with a diverse cultural and social background and if that sounds like a job description, that's because it is!

Our organization sets the same work requirements as many companies. As a result, our members are better prepared to undertake full-time positions. Additionally, they are aware of their competencies and are therefore not afraid to discuss their requirements with their employers. ESN shapes the skills necessary to take up key positions in companies or to undertake challenges such as running your own business.

It's easy, ESN teaches us a lot, it's time to share it with the rest of the world.

The ESN program implemented as part of Skills & Employability:

  • Eduk8 - https://eduk8.esn.org/ and https://www.esn.org/eduk8

 

Social Inclusion

➤ What is inclusion?

Inclusion is the practice or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, encompassing the concepts of 'connecting' and 'intended for everyone'.

➤ What is the purpose of Social Inclusion?

ESN strives for mobility, based on equality and on the needs of each individual. To achieve this goal, ESN has developed its own programs and projects on this subject, raising awareness of international students and providing them with equal opportunities to develop into more active citizens. Projects and programs implemented as part of Social Inclusion:

  • SocialErasmus - https://www.isnleiden.com/social-erasmus and https://socialerasmus.esn.org

  • SocialErasmus+ http://uni-foundation.eu/european-university-foundation/projects/socialerasmus

  • ExchangeAbility - https://exchangeability.eu/  

  • MappED! - https://mapped.eu/

We also celebrate Social Inclusion Days, during which we integrate international students with local communities and work towards a better, more sustainable world. We also strive to ensure that all conventions and activities at the national level are adapted to the goals of sustainable development and accessible to everyone.

 

Health & Wellbeing

This cause is centered around promoting ways in which to decrease harmful moods and elevate levels of life satisfaction in our communities. It is derived from positive psychology, which as part of the discipline of psychology focuses on the issues related to human qualities and their improvement potential. The sense of well-being is directly related to the concept of optimism, which is an important personal resource that affects health, well-being, and life success.

This motif includes sporting activities, healthy eating and being informed about healthy lifestyles. In other words - everything that affects our well-being positively.

Sports activities and a proper diet are extremely important for international students. By changing their place of residence they are often forced to completely change their eating habits, the new country may not offer the products known to them, and the life between university and travels is not conducive to the regeneration of strength. 

Balance, between private life and ESN is another problem. H&W's activities are aimed not only at removing the negative effects of work in the organization or student exchanges, but educating ourselves about potential threats. By increasing our knowledge in the subject, we automatically come up with ingenious ideas for implementing this cause in our community.

Projects and programs implemented as part of Health & Well-being:

  • International Erasmus Games - https://www.facebook.com/InternationalErasmusGames/

  • Responsible Party - https://www.esn.org/responsible-party 

 

Environmental Sustainability

Sustainable development of the Earth is a development that satisfies the basic needs of all people and preserves, protects and restores the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem, without threatening to meet the needs of future generations and without exceeding the long-term limits of Earth's ecosystem capacity.

ESN has been dealing with the subject of the environment for more than 10 years. During conventions, you may have noticed some solutions that reduce the amount of waste produced. Sections decide to buy segregation bins for their offices, and trainers re-use their materials. Digitization of our projects and activities also has an impact on the reduction of the number of printed documents.

Projects and programs implemented under Environmental Sustainability:

  • SocialErasmus - https://socialerasmus.esn.org/