ESAA Magazine Edition 1

ESAA Magazine Edition 1_2017

Dear Reader, This edition of the ESAA magazine will recount stories which en capsulate the idea of doing wonderfully, previously unthinkable, and unimaginable things by the individual members. It will highlight tales from ESAA volunteers, who have been doing superb things across the globe both during and after their mobility. This issue’s main focus, however, lies in the effect that mobility has had in shaping individual ideas towards achieving certain goals which may have seemed previously impossible. In order to make it more engaging to a very diverse readership, our coverage is not only limited on the direct effects of mobility, but also its im plied effects. Our surveys (students, graduate impact) have been focusing on what experiences students and graduates can make and collect. In this issue, however, we want to focus on what the students and graduates are doing, what makes their actions so extraordinary, and which boundaries they have crossed personally and profes sionally. Basically, on how they have changed. By telling their stories we hope to positively reinforce actions that propel our members to become global change makers and also attest to the Erasmus+ programme’s many benefits. Apiyo Okwiri ESAA Board Member

ESAA EVENTS 2017 Around the world ESAA Events 2017 International Business Day The annual International Business Day hosted by Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 8 February Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Rotterdam brought talents from around the world together with com panies. The main objective was to help the inter national students to integrate into Dutch society upon arrival in Rotterdam. Room of Kindness Poznań, Poland, 11 May The main purpose of the project was to create a special room for the children in the hospital, where they can forget about their health problems and spend time creatively. Employ your Skills Zagreb, Croatia, 24 – 25 March A professional capacity event with emphasis on student projects and organisations as promoters of youth entre preneurship and future economic development. Soft me Up Jajce and Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6 – 7 May This project focused on the professional development of youths in Bosnia and Herzegovina by training communication skills, leadership, public speaking, PR, marketing, and orga nisational skills. Peace of Art Istanbul, Turkey, 6 – 30 April Peace of Art is a social art project which focuses on giving child refugees the opportunity to participate in various art Erasmus+ Promotion Event Cape Town, South Africa, 2 May workshops with their Turkish peers. It The event which took place at the Stellenbosch University aims at creating opportunities to help showcased different education modules and partnerships with refugee children discover creativity and African institutions. It attracted students as well as professionals, give them the chance to dream again who came to explore relevant opportunities. Erasmus+ alumni in their new urban environment despite were at the stands and shared their experiences with visitors the big tragedies they have faced. who were eager for the Erasmus+ experience. 6

ESAA EVENTS 2017 EMA at the EU Study Week Lipetsk, Russia, 17 March EMA Networking Event Kathmandu, Nepal, 7 April The EU study week in Russia took place in Lipetsk and EMANepal chapter organised an EMA Networking Event was full of thoughtprovoking discussions and debates. in Nepal. This networking event aimed at bringing together Erasmus+ programmes were presented and followed all the EMA members presently in Nepal and creating a by a presentation of Erasmus Mundus alumna, who platform to further strengthen the EMANepal community. shared her personal experiences on studying in Europe. Information Session on Erasmus Mundus Studies Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1 April The German Alumni Group based in Sri Lanka, in association with Erasmus Mundus South Asian Chapter, organised an infor mation session which aimed at motivating potential students and sharing practical advice with those interested in higher education abroad. EURAXESS-ASEAN Forum Quezon City, the Philippines, 25 April Several alumni of the Erasmus Mundus programme and EMA attended a forum on the theme “Strengthening Philippines EU Partnerships in Research”. The objective of this event was to introduce potential collaboration projects between researchers from the EU and the Philippines. EMA Indonesian Alumni Performance on Europe Day Jakarta, Indonesia, 7 May EMA Indonesian alumni were on the spotlight in the event dedicated to the celebration of Europe Day in Indonesia, the 40th anniversary of EUASEAN collaboration, and 30 years from Erasmus to Erasmus+. They participated in the EUASEAN Run alongside about 1000 runners from delegations and Jakarta citizens and also performed live the song they composed: Build Our Dreams. Celebrating Erasmus+, EU Training and Europe Day Kampala, Uganda, 5 – 9 May EMA members participated in a public conference or ganised by the EU Delegation in Uganda which focused on education, training, youth and sports. It also gave Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus+ students the chance to share their experiences and discuss how they helped in shaping their careers and future prospects. 7

ESAA WORKING GROUP MEETING Community Leaders ESAA Working Group Meeting Madrid, Spain, 10–12 February By Justyna Tasic, Oxana Sytnik and Ana Godonoga ESAA Working Group Members Last February, ESAA community leaders from around the Participants reflected on the present and future role of ESAA world got together in Madrid for a strategic planning meeting. in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges – i.e. pro moting social and economic inclusion by improving access Members from the four ESAA founding organisations – to international education opportunities, strengthening the Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association (EMA), employment outlook of graduates, promoting intercultural Erasmus Student Network (ESN), garagErasmus (gE) and learning as well as tolerance and respect for diversity, helping OCEANS Network – contributed to the planning of projects in the refugee crisis, and advancing environmental sustain in the working groups such as Communication, Events, Pro ability, amongst other things. In addition, building on these fessional Development, Survey & Research, and Erasmus+ fruitful brainstorming sessions, the participants submitted Promotion. high quality and relevant proposals for future projects. The working environment was very inspiring. On one side, there The main message of the meeting was shared at the be were a lot of internationallyminded and diverse professionals, ginning by the ESAA Board: "Think about the future pro and on the other side, the interior design of the coworking grammes as something you would really enjoy working on space was very unique, as you can see in the pictures. and, at the same time, something that will most contribute to the growth and development of the ESAA community". The meeting was organised as a cooperative platform of ple Everybody was aware of a potential budget and ESAA’s stra nary and team sessions. Leaders constantly exchanged cre tegic mission. Therefore, the main challenge was to com ative ideas and challenged last year’s programmes with the bine the two sides of the same coin and to make proposals questions of what can be done for improvement to further of programmes that would have the highest impact. strengthen the ESAA community. 9

30TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS For the occasion of 30th anniversary of the Erasmus+ pro- quality mobility for young people, both in the view of educa gramme, ESN Spain held an event that brought together tional and employability purposes. students from all over Europe to Barcelona, including key actors in student mobility and representatives from private During the sessions, the students had the chance to interact sector companies. They held discussions on the impact that with the public figures and learn from them directly how to the Erasmus+ programme has had on youth employment make the most of an international experience in terms of op through its 30 years of existence. portunities for future employment. A study trip to a primary school personally encouraged the children to learn about ca The first day of the event, which took place at the Pompeu reer educational opportunities, as well as the benefits of mo Fabra University, consisted of conferences, roundtable meet bility. The children as well as the international students had a ings and workshops where assistants could learn about the great time together, sharing their experiences, knowledge and Erasmus+ opportunities and how it could benefit them in pro traditions. In the afternoon, over one thousand students got fessional fields. together under the “Arc de Triomf” with the flags and colours of their home countries to disseminate the aims of the event, There is a need to make the corporate world aware of the promote mobility and the European feeling with a big parade current situation for students, as well as to raise awareness on of flags. This was the perfect way to celebrate the 30th anniver the importance of the quality mobility. As most students in sary of the Erasmus+ programme, and it also engaged several the academic environment lack professional experience, the citizens of Barcelona attracted by the event’s festive atmos organising committee focused on this topic in particular while phere. The flag parade led all the participants to an organised combining it with the Erasmus+ programme. job fair, where young job seekers had the chance to meet local and international companies who wanted to show them cur Representatives from various national agencies in Spain, Eu rent job openings on the labour market for recent graduates. rope Direct Barcelona, the Spanish National Youth Council, policy makers, the rectorate body of the four public universi To conclude, I have to say that the event was successful for ties in Barcelona, the president of ESN AISBL, representatives both the organisers and participants, and every participant from garagErasmus, former Erasmus+ students who are now was able to draw benefits from it. We hope to continue our successful professionals, companies interested in internation cooperation with ESAA in future projects and events so that al backgrounds, amongst a number of other personalities, we can keep promoting quality mobility and professional pro shared their points of view and discussed the importance of files amongst students. 11

INTERVIEW WITH TOM WAMBEKE Tom Wambeke “ We learn as much as we can from other disciplines …” Working at the UN adds a multicultural component to your How is DELTA "breaking boundaries" in education & training? daily activities. When designing a training course, what Breaking is a big word! I would rather say: “gradually explor methods or techniques do you use to encourage partici- ing the next frontier of learning and trying to embed incre pants from all over the world to feel confident sharing their mental innovations in everything what we do”! We learn as experiences? much as we can from other disciplines because that is an Diversity is a key driver in our overall design process because important engine for innovation. For example, learning from we really believe it adds value to the learning process. It is, of architects has given us a completely different view of the re course, easier said than done because working in multicul lationship between learning and the physical environment. tural and multilingual contexts is complex – taking all the dif We have elaborated a concept called learnscapes and our ferent nuances into account is a continuous balancing act new learning lab is a direct result of that. between all kinds of different meanings and interpretations. In the approach that we adopt, tools such as ‘empathy maps’ The Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association works with and ‘learning journeys’ are excellent in capturing the com volunteers from all over the world. Could you please share plexity of the context and enable us to extract ideas for our your insights on how to make the most out of a multicul- instructional storyboarding. tural working group and that the projects benefit from the expertise of its members? Have an open and constructive attitude and activate your listening mode to the maximum. That is an important entry point for understanding the complexities of working in mul ticultural environment. As a learning innovation specialist, I like a lot to use participatory methods to conduct conver sations in which you can learn a lot from your peers. We have gathered over 60 methods that could help you in that: http://compass.itcilo.org All pictures " Studio999": "DELTA learning lab" (password: delta) https://vimeo.com/202369573 12

“ Diversity is a key driver in our overall design process because we really believe it adds value to the learning process.” Tom Wambeke Programme Manager, DELTA, Sustainable Learning Solutions International Training Centre (ILO, United Nations) Tom Wambeke, Belgium, graduated in Educational Sciences and holds a master in Cultural Management. He is currently finalis ing an Executive Business LEAD degree in Innovation at Stanford University. Before joining the International Training Centre of the ILO, he was assistant professor at the University of Leuven and inno vation coach at Open Higher Education. He is currently Pro gramme Manager of DELTA which specialises in providing sus tainable learning solutions with the objective to generate impact and organisational change. There, he leads a unit with a double mandate: to strengthen the centre's inhouse capacity to apply stateoftheart learning and methods in knowledgesharing and technology, as well as to pro vide (e)learning services to external partners on a global scale. In this context, he works closely together with UN agencies, develop ment banks, international organisations, governments and NGO's. As a certified international facilitator (IAF), he is actively involved in strategy facilitation, participatory knowledge sharing, net worked learning and ICT4Development. He combines this with a passion for complex adaptive thinking, foresight analysis and futures exploration. 13

BREAKING BOUNDARIES Both universities remarked on how historic this is! One of the best things that have ever happened to me in my academic life was participating in Erasmus+ pro gramme. Nevertheless, I could not have maximised the Erasmus+ study abroad opportunity had it not been for my contact with some Erasmus+ Students from different European universities who took part in study exchanges at my depart ment (African and European Cultural Relations) at the University of Pretoria in 2015. “ The Erasmus+ programme has widened my academic outlook, inter-continental networking, capacity building and poten- tial development. ” The Erasmus+ programme has widened my academic outlook, intercontinental networking, capacity building and potential development. The programme has ex posed me to the significance of crosscultural understanding of human relations in other hemispheres. It opened me up to the mindset and behaviour patterns of European societies and systemic operations within the European community. Furthermore, the Erasmus+ programme has presented me the platforms I need to develop the skills and capacities important for me to meet the growing need of intercultural mediators – whether in multilateral and bilateral diplomatic relations of African and European countries as well as in governmental, nongovernmen tal and businessoriented institutions in both continents. In another dimension, the Erasmus+ study programme has equally exposed to the role of language in 15

BREAKING BOUNDARIES communication, human relations, and capacity building, also in a professional environment. Under the programme, I have been able to develop my German language skill and proficiency to a certain level, although I am still working on my German. It has allowed me to comprehend the significance of understand ing other people’s cultures and how this enhances good human relations and the influence of cultural diversities in our globalised world. More importantly, as a student in a new environment, I have been able to observe my environment and to acclimatize accordingly. I have increased my study time, participated actively in class discussions, seminar presentations and group engagements at my host uni versity. It did not come as any surprise when I did so excellently well in my exams. During my Erasmus+ study period, I had to choose modules that were relevant to my main academic studies and research. Amongst other noncredit seminars, these included European Union Transformation, Academic Writing for Master’s Stu dents, Terrorism Studies, and Intensive German Language Course. In these courses students’ regular participation was graded, inclass presentation was compulsory and graded, essay writing was graded and students were given the opportunity to write more than one essay for additional credits. All of this gave me addition al insight and exposure to the European academic system and structure. I took note of students’ commitment to classes and prompt attendance, which was highly motivating for me. It is interesting to notice that some of the classes I attended at Konstanz University were interdisciplinary in nature and the lecturers provided an academic environment that created platforms for unique ideas from students and open discussions towards excellent academic dialogue and performance. environment and to acclimatize “ I have been able to observe my accordingly. ” In addition, I was able to maximise valueadding opportunities for personal develop ment myself within and outside of my host institution. One of the steps I took in this direction was to join Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association (ESAA) through its umbrella association garagErasmus Foundation with its headquarters in Italy. ESAA is the coordinating association of other Erasmus+ student associations such as ga ragErasmus Foundation, EMA, OCEANS and ESN. It reports directly to the European Commission in Brussels and all its activities are fully funded by the European Commis sion. ESAA organises highly competitive development programmes for its members, which included Credit Mobility Strand soft skills training. Not long ago, I was selected as the only candidate from Germany and SubSaharan Africa to participate in a 3day professional development training for 22 exceptional and outstanding Erasmus+ stu dents and alumni from different regions of the world. The training aimed at exposing the participants to the awareness of values in different cultures, to sensitise them with the understanding of cultural differences in the workplace and to equip them with strategies for successful communication. This training gave me the chance to display my skills and connected me with a large number of Erasmus+ colleagues from differ ent parts of the globe. My report on this meeting was published by ESAA. 16

BREAKING BOUNDARIES Of course, I enjoyed also European cuisine and meals. Most of the time I cooked for myself and sometimes I ate at the university canteen. Oh, my goodness, I really enjoyed those meals! It is also worth noting that I also enjoyed the weather in Ger many. Although it was very cold during winter, I took responsibility and kept myself warm, ate hot food and drank lots of coffee! I was fortunate to see snow in a way I had never seen it before even to sometimes play in it. I even took some snow pho tos! I also travelled by ferry and boat to some places – thanks to Lake Konstanz for this opportunity! In addition, I was able to write two minibooks during my Erasmus+ period in Germany. In appreciation for the Erasmus+ Community for the privilege it gave me as the first Nigerian student at the University of Pretoria and Konstanz Uni versity to participate in Erasmus+, I dedicated these books to them in their 30th an niversary year. The books are titled: (1.) “How to Fulfil Your Destiny” and (2.) “You Too Can Succeed”. Based on the mutual relationships I have built with my colleagues in Europe, the first book has now been translated into Italian and Romanian. a way I had never seen it before “ I was fortunate to see snow in ” even to sometimes play in it. 18 Links: LaMiaFotograﬁa, Rechts: TWEITH/Shutterstock.com

BREAKING BOUNDARIES Big thanks to my Erasmus+ colleagues, Linda Brus cia (Italian) and Cosmin Dan (Romanian) for doing this for me! The German, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew and Finnish versions of the book are on the way. Two of my European friends from Spain and Po land are currently translating one of my books ti tled, “Factors That Will Secure Your Future” from English into Spanish and Polish. During my Erasmus+ period, I was able to visit the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, as a conference participant from Germany. The confer ence I attended focused on “Addressing Radical Ideologies and Violent Extremism: The Role of Research”. Via this conference, I was able to gain a deeper insight into the causes of radicalisation and terrorist attacks in Europe as well as the channels on the continent through which radicalisation and extremism occur. Similarly, I was privileged, amongst other colleagues from Konstanz University to visit the Council of Europe Parliamentary Sessions in Strasbourg, France. The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation; amongst other things, it promotes human rights, the rule of law and democracy in Europe. It was a huge privilege to watch the Parliamentary Assembly sessions of the council on human rights issues in Europe and engaging Harald Berwanger, (the German Representative to the European Union on European Parliament matters) on some of the pressing challenges confronting the EU was very historic for me. I was able to visit Salzburg in Austria, where I met and motivated a 22 yearold Cameroonian refugee to maximise his refugee status and add value to his life. The following week, the young man was admitted as a fulltime student at Salzburg University, Austria. I was so happy to hear this! Finally, participating in the 2016/2017 Erasmus+ programme at Konstanz University helped me to develop relevant crosscultural relations, the competence and skills required for master’s students in the field of AfricanEuropean Cultural Relations. It enabled me to build a dimension of capacity needed to meet the growing need of intercultural mediators in multilateral and bilateral diplomatic relations of coun tries in Africa and Europe as well as in governmental, nongovernmental and busi nessoriented institutions in both continents. I am very grateful to the Erasmus+ Community for the opportunity to participate in the 2016/2017 study abroad pro gramme. Long live Erasmus+! Long live the European Union! Long live University of Pretoria and Konstanz University in partnership! Many thanks! 19

ESN – WE ARE ONE United in diversity: we are ONE By Lucie Vachova, Sabina Achim This year, 800 people from the biggest student organisa- larger public. The panel discussion with representatives from tion in Europe, thirsty for any small detail on upcoming and the European Commission, ESN, and other European youth ongoing projects within ESN, travelled to one place to join organisations, took us from strangers to friends and through the Annual General Meeting (AGM). This year we are cele- three decades of Erasmus+ mobility. brating the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus+ programme in a city that used to be divided between East and West, when The colourful Flag Parade brought hundreds of students the programme itself started to exist; a city that shaped the to the streets of Berlin. With our flags, as superhero capes history of Europe for decades and now it is shining under and painted cheeks, we faced the big boulevards. There the joyful, colourful spirit of this event: yes, Berlin! was a ludic atmosphere: we danced, we laughed, walked under the big flags. The air was filled with excitement and The AGM is the biggest ESN event where people from 40 Eu we shared the most beautiful feeling: that we are a part of ropean countries gather to share best practices, new ideas, something big. and decide on how the network should develop. However, it is not only about voting and plenaries, but mostly about We had arrived in Berlin as individuals, but we soon became us – dedicated people who believe in change and share a ONE. This is the power of our network – beyond political common goal: UNITY in diversity. beliefs, historical backgrounds, or physical traits, initially strangers – we are now friends. United in diversity, we are the A special moment in the AGM was the Mobility Fair, an event new European generation who understands that mobility is promoting mobility and study opportunities across Europe, a lifestyle, we are those who will make a change and be an where we had the chance to present our universities to the inspiration for future generations. We are ONE! 22

ESN – MOV’IN EUROPE Mov’in Europe: promoting mobility as a lifestyle By Audre Chudinskaite There are a large number of people who would like to em- bark in a mobility experience, but as surprising as it might seem, many lack the right information to be able to do so. The idea to centralise information on mobility programmes’ at a single source and to talk openly about the issues peo- ple often face during mobility is how Movin’ Europe — an Erasmus Student Network project — came to life. Mov’in Europe is an international project aimed at bringing mobility issues onto the political agenda and at providing bet ter information on mobility opportunities for young people, students and graduates. The implementation of the project occurs on all levels of ESN through the development of inno vative and engaging digital campaigns, facetoface activities across the network and the Ambassadors Programme. Since its launch in 2014, the project has come a long way. The Mov’in Europe community now counts around 150 active members who promote mobility through organising activities across Europe for information and motivation and spreading the “Mobility is a lifestyle” message everywhere they go. During these three years of project existence, events organ ised by ESN sections such as Mobility Days, Flag Parades, Infomarkets and many more have attracted and informed hundreds of thousands of people. ESN volunteers not only in troduce themselves to a wide variety of programmes on study, work and foreign travel, but also share personal experiences and answer participants’ questions. Since the very beginning, the Ambassadors’ Programme has been of interest to many young people. Mov’in Europe Ambassadors are the people who did their exchange abroad and actively contribute to en gaging others and sharing survival tips after returning home. The growing involvement of ESN sections and Ambassadors gives hope that one day Mov’in Europe will become the primary source to look for information about international mobility. 23

EMA – LIVING BEYOND BORDERS Adaptability, flexibility and living beyond borders By Sarah Haider Becoming a part of the Erasmus Mundus family is certain- ly a life-changing opportunity for many students. This is because the programmes not only help students achieve academic excellence, but also enrich their cross-cultural experiences. Two EMA members, Soumya Swayamjyoti and Giulia Barbanente, recently shared their stories of cultural exchange as one moved from Europe to India and the other from India to Europe. Here are a few excerpts from their stories: What were your first impressions? Giulia: India welcomed me with the warmest (and most humid) days I had ever experienced. Mumbai was a city of extremes – I saw expensively dressed people inside glamor ous shopping malls while people outside were struggling in poverty. Swayam: There is more to Barcelona than the clichéd term ‘party capital of Europe’. Barcelona has its own spirit; friendly people, football, flamenco and tapas in the evening. What were your first-hand cultural experiences? Giulia: During my third week in Mumbai, a friend of mine took me to an Indian wedding. My friend’s cousin greeted me warmly and gave me some fancy Indian clothes from her boutique to wear to the wedding as a present. That wedding taught me a lot about family values, traditions and friendship Swayam: I found vegetarianism and abstaining from alcohol in India. quite difficult. The language barrier was a big problem at the Swayam: During the second week of my stay in Barcelona, beginning, too. one of my flat mates took me to ‘La Merce’ – the September festival. The city surprised me with its openness for homosex What are your current engagements? ual relationships and society’s liberal attitude towards them. Giulia: I am currently enrolled in an Erasmus Mundus PhD What challenges did you experience? Hamburg. Giulia: I am a vegetarian so I didn’t face any problems, but my Swayam: I am currently working as a postdoctoral research friends had trouble finding nonvegetarian food. It was also associate at the school of engineering, at Brown Universi not easy obtaining a visa and I felt uncomfortable attracting ty, which is one of the Ivy League universities in the United undue attention as a foreigner. States. programme in European Law and Economics and living in 24 joyfull/Shutterstock.com

EMA – GA IN BRUSSELS EMA General Assembly in Brussels By Sarah Haider As per tradition, the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) re- dates, Pavan Sriram was unanimously elected as the new cently celebrated its General Assembly (GA) held on 25 – 27 president of the association, whereas Lucia Loposova was May 2017 at the Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universi- chosen as the new vicepresident. The day ended with the teit Brussel – VUB) in Belgium. The much-awaited event, muchanticipated Gala Dinner held at Jeux D'Hiver – a styl currently in its 11th year, gathered together around 100 ac- ish, modern bar and restaurant in Brussels. On 27 May, par tive EMA members from various countries across the world. ticipants joined different teams and discussed the teams’ past and future activities. The participants arrived in Brussels on the evening of Thurs day, 25 May and had the opportunity to informally meet and Formation of EMA’s new Steering Committee (SC) greet each other. On Friday, 26 May the GA formally started Together with the election of the President and the with an opening speech by Apiyo Okwiri, the current pres VicePresident, EMA also formed the Steering Committee ident of the EMA. Following her speech, Bodil Agasøster for the year 20172019. The elected members include Teer from the European Commission and Prof. Dr. Sonja Snack oumanee Nadan for leading the Professional Development en from VUB addressed the audience and sent a warm wel Team; Oxana Sytnik for the Communications Service Team; coming message. Amir Kamran for the Community Development Team; and Shiella Balbutin for serving as the new Regional Chapters After the speeches, a panel discussion on EMA’s history and Coordinator. Last but not least, Bailey Harrington was elect future took place. The discussion was based on various ac ed as the new Internal Affairs Coordinator. tivities of EMA and also shed light on Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association (ESAA) and its related bodies, including The Finale the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the OCEANS Network, With the election of the new Steering Committee, EMA’s garagErasmus (gE) and the Marie Curie Alumni Association. General Assembly ended with a lot of positivity and a prom During the first day, members got a chance to vote for ising future. The SC showed their dedication in taking EMA the new EMA president and vicepresident and also voted forward in the best possible way and members who recent for the statute amendments proposed by EMA members. ly joined EMA expressed their desire to continue working After a tough competition between the contesting candi for the association. 25

OCEANS – WORKSHOP KOREA Public speaking workshop in Korea By Sunhee Kim, Rosa Utset, Jungyoon Han On 13 May 2017, ESAA and OCEANS hosted a public speak- conducted by Mr. Sokeel Park, a renowned public speaker ing workshop in South Korea targeting current ESAA mem- who had given a speech at TED, and followed by a peer dis bers (both alumni and students) and prospective ESAA cussion on what skills make a good public speech. There was members. This workshop was organised as an initiative of also enough time to practice what he had learnt. Participants the OYOE (Organise Your Own Event) in Seoul to promote were challenged to prepare a fiveminute public speech about ESAA outside of the European Union and to increase the their Erasmus+ experience. All the presentations were record awareness of ESAA membership. Furthermore, the event ed and participants had the opportunity to receive and give was envisioned to improve capacity building for ESAA feedback to each other. It was very enlightening and inspiring members in key skills and to train the young professionals to hear how Erasmus+ has shaped other people’s lives! in good communication practice. The EU Ambassador to South Korea, Dr. Michael Reiterer, The theme of this workshop was on public speaking, which is closed the training session with a short speech about the role a soft skill that many Asian students have difficulties with but of the EU delegations worldwide and particularly in South Ko also one particular attribute which is often required during the rea. It was a good speech and Sunhee Kim, one of the or course of one’s career. 15 participants (including 6 OCEANS ganisers, asked for some tips in public speaking. Dr. Reiter did members and 2 EMA members) and 3 organisers (all OCEANS) not hesitate to share his personal experiences with the par first met at Urban Garden, a restaurant in Seoul, for the open ticipants and give some advice. At the end of the event, the ing session which included the introduction to ESAA and result of the voting for the best speakers was announced by OCEANS. This was also an opportunity for the participants to the ambassador; three participants, Narae Shin, Soyoun Park, break the ice, get to know each other and motivate one an and Yekta Demirci were voted as the best speakers and ap other to attend the event. plauded by the others. After wrapping up the workshop, the participants took part in a dinner reception at Seven Springs, a After lunch, the participants headed to the event venue, the buffet restaurant near the EU Delegation and used the chance EU Delegation to South Korea. The deputy Ambassador, Dr. for networking with each other. Everyone was satisfied with Joélle Hivonnet welcomed ESAA Talk participants with a warm the workshop, saying they would love to participate in other speech. The event continued with a onehour training session ESAA events in Korea again the next time! 26

OCEANS – YOUNG LEADERS OCEANS at the EU-US Young Leaders Seminar By Scott Darby, Maja Isakiewicz The event brought together 50 young leaders from the Eu- ropean Union and the United States of America – 25 ESAA students and alumni and 25 Fulbright-Schuman scholars. The main focus of the conference was migration and its wider implications on our respective societies. This mostly revolved around looking at the facts on migration and its legal and eco nomic aspects. The event occurred on 2 – 4 April 2017 and took place in Brussels, Belgium. The OCEANS Network was represented by Alin Horj, Ecem Oskay, Maja Isakiewicz and Scott Darby. The speakers attending the seminar, including the represent atives of the EU and the US institutions, talked about migra tion in a wider context, especially in regard to the arrival of refugees on both continents. They brought many positive steps to the participants’ attention that were being made in creating a positive impact on migration. This was exempli fied by numerous programmes and initiatives undertaken by NGOs, educational institutions and governments that address some shortterm negative phenomena related to migration. The note was taken, however, that if the present negative impacts are not managed properly, a negative cycle The outcome of the conference was a definitive feeling that will continue and may end up in isolating certain communi more needs to be done for the newly arrived migrants in the ties and lead to pessimism being passed down through the early stages of their journey to help them integrate quickly, generations (such as in poor and marginalised neighbour and to educate local communities on intercultural dialogue. hoods in Paris and Brussels). The key conclusions and a summary of the first EUUS Semi More discussion followed in smaller groups, focusing on such nar for Young Leaders will be put in a postconference publi issues as education, gender equality, healthcare, and the in cation which will be presented to different stakeholders within tegration of migrants in the local communities. The overall the EU and US institutions. conclusion was that migrants can play a hugely positive role in most societies by bringing in new jobs, knowledge, skills, as well as foods, culture, traditions, and energy that com bined with a mindset to improve and excel can change the prosperity of entire cities, even regions. After all, the USA was built by waves of immigrants and succeeded. 27

GARAGERASMUS – LEARN, MEET, TRAVEL, AND GROW Opportunities to learn, meet, travel, and grow By Velimir Tasic It is good for your career if you have studied abroad and sional from a project or activities perspective, and vice versa. done volunteering work before the age of 25. Why? Just be However, what matters most is that it is your choice, and the curious and open-minded, and let me explain: organisation you are active in appreciates your contribution. On the other hand, studying abroad is even more important as it creates opportunities that otherwise would probably not be available for you. For instance, the chance to live in a foreign city with colleagues from different countries and to learn new languages, as well as to come into contact with different cultures and much more … garagErasmus can help you explore various possibilities for studying abroad and provide professional volunteering pos sibilities – and these accompanied by excellent opportunities for professional growth and mentorship programmes. Just join the garagErasmus online network and offline chapters, and you will get a chance to meet a curious community of young people who are passionate about studying abroad and developing themselves professionally even further. We live busy lives and it can be hard to find time to volun Firstly, you will open yourself endless opportunities to learn, teer and study abroad, but the benefits of volunteering and meet, travel, and grow. Nowadays, technology and mobile firstworld social skills have become very crucial. Young peo ple are always looking for their own ways to explore the world. Sure, you will ask ‘uncle Google’ for some advice on different topics that are challenging you at the moment, but do not forget that almost 100 % of the interesting and useful advice on the Internet are still written by humans. Hmm, social skills. Let us continue with a few points about volunteering, study abroad, and social skills between the lines. Volunteer, Volun teering, Volunteerism – as usual, the definitions are diverse and puzzling. Organisations which offer opportunities for volunteering have diverse missions and purposes. Therefore, in a very broad sense, I see all organisations as either profes sional or humanitarian. It is important to comment that vol unteering in humanitarian organisations can be also profes 28

GARAGERASMUS – LEARN, MEET, TRAVEL, AND GROW m o c . k c o t s r e t t u h S / g n z r u m a i l a K : s t h c e R , k a j y L j e z a B l , c i l e t s a K j e t a M : s k n L i studying abroad are enormous to you, your family, and your Therefore, look for synergies and positive experiences. I community. The right match can help you to find new friends, was lucky to have had the chance to see and explore the reach out to the community, learn new skills, explore new cul world much more than my parents – thanks to volunteering, tures, learn new languages, advance your career, and so on. studying abroad, the Internet, and hard work. When I com pare myself to my childhood friends, I am more curious and The places where we grow up shape our views on the world, openminded than most of them, always looking for syner which are also influenced by our families, our social status , gies and positive perspectives. I am still under 30. I started and family relationships. Curiosity is added to this by the way volunteering more than 10 years ago and since then visited we think and which habits we have. Looking therefore from a over 20 countries on three continents, and I have lived in global perspective, we should all feel very lucky to have had over five countries longer than only a few months. Thanks to the opportunity to attend school and at least once lived in a volunteering, studying abroad, curiosity, openmindedness, different city from where we spent our childhoods. synergies and the positive perspectives. Volunteering and studying abroad are these days much eas Modern technology seems to bring almost everything closer ier than it was in the past. In fact, with the first programme to us, making things much easier to learn and explore more beginning when many are still at elementary school, people than ever before, but that is no reason to stay at home on the start today at a much younger age than their parents may computer. Get around, feel the wind and explore the world have. This means they see the world differently from their of endless opportunities to learn, meet, travel, and grow. The parents, too. There is no point looking at their problems, as comfort zone is one of our biggest enemies. Volunteering our own problems in our generation will probably be very and studying abroad are two experiences that definitely chal different. Although they might look similar at first glance, the lenge our comfort zones while bringing some lifechanging reasons behind the challenges are always individual. Espe benefits. They prepare us for tomorrow much better than cially when it comes to technology. For example, those who many other experiences. were introduced to the Internet at an early age are very lucky! They have had the chance to learn almost anything; an op In summary, join the garagErasmus and meet the professionals portunity that was not available for most of our parents. The that are open to change and always happy to help; share their same goes for volunteering and study abroad programmes; lifechanging experiences in foreign study and professional vol they were not always available (or at least, much less availa unteering: http://app.wetipp.com/garagerasmus/subscriptions ble) to our parents than to us. 29

Ekaterina Matveeva At just 25, Ekaterina Matveeva has completed her BA and MA, in cluding Erasmus Mundus “Crossways”, mastered eight languages, become the first female memory athlete with Russian roots, been featured on TV shows, named UK Business Woman of the Year by GradFactor. What is more, she got her TEDx talk out there, two published books, and will soon be hosting her own channel. Her company was listed in the Top 20 of the world’s hottest startups in 2015 by CNBC, and was recognised as one of 200 world’s growing startups by WebSummit 2016. Let’s find out a bit more about how it all started and where it’s going … Amolingua ESAA Success Story By Ekaterina Matveeva I had the idea of starting my own school when I was a teen- use cultural intelligence in international negotiations and ager and a few years later, at my final Mundus destination I how to memorise lots of information quickly. began working hard on to make it come true. The first steps were made in 2014, followed by testing in an incubator and Turning my mind from a linguist to a manager and a leader, fig accelerator in 2015; according to CNBC reaching the Top uring out how to build my team, addressing the market, testing 20 in the world for the start-ups in 2015; winning GradFac- the service that we provide, and allowing our service to evolve tor’s award UK Business Woman 2015; and in 2016 finally naturally were my biggest challenges. And creating a product launching Amolingua, which made it amongst WebSum- from our service: a platform and upcoming smart TV channel. mit’s Top 200 growing start-ups in 2016. Now we’re finalising our work on the platform, developing In a nutshell, Amolingua is instant onetoone language our unique video and audio materials that will allow students tutoring. It works on the principle of total immersion rec to access them both: materials for selfstudy and work with reated online in your daily routine. Students can connect their curators on subscription basis and lesson packages with with their team of tutors for conversational 1to1 lessons tutors for onetime purchase. As we are both busy teach via video apps, complete tasks and communicate with their ing, the platform should go live this autumn time. Stay tuned! team via messenger, and track their progress using our cus Until today, we have taught over 400 people, expanded our tom video app. team to around 100 tutors who are capable of teaching 35 languages. In total, more than 130 people are working on We are not just about grammar and vocabulary. We also train this project. The next step is to reach our goal in creating a people how to speak in public in foreign languages, how to more connected, multilingual world. 30