An Unique and Enriching Experience

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Erasmus Student Network is the largest European student conference focusing on the theme of mobility.

This year the AGM was held in Spain, hosting a delegation of 1,000 students representing more than 500 Higher Education Institutions from 40 countries to elect a new International Board, to debate the future of the network and the broader role of internationally oriented youth in Europe.

As ESN partners, Spotahome was invited to attend this event which we of course accepted with great pleasure.

My colleagues Martina, Robert and I hopped on a train to Barcelona ready to live the experience. I personally have never been on Erasmus so this experience was definitely going to be new and exciting for me.

In Barcelona we took a bus to Platja de Aro, a picturesque town on the catalan coast which was hosting the event. As soon as we got on the bus we were immediately emerged into the ESN vibe and atmosphere (even though we were probably the oldest people on the bus by quite a few years). I felt like I had just landed in my Erasmus year abraod.

I sat listening to people from different nationalities mingle as if they had known each other forever, commemorating their experiences abroad.

As soon as we hopped off the bus, 4 days of an intense, fun, educational and varied program was about to begin.

Key Moments:

Flag Parade

The kick-off to the most anticipated event of the year for the network volunteers was on Thursday afternoon where they filled the streets of Platja d'Aro with color, flags and multiculturalism, in what is called the Flag Parade. This has now become a tradition to inaugurate the AGM.

Inspired by the Olympic games, the delegations of each country parade through the streets showing off their national flags, colors and typical party chants.

Spotahome didn't want to miss out on the fun and experience so  we brought out our flags and showed off our colours too.

Volunteers were grateful for our participation and integration to their “ceremony” and didn't hesitate to parade with our flag too

Plenaries

The programme was filled with plenary sessions every day for long hours.

During these plenaries the network  discussed various topics, shared their opinions and connected with each other.

I was very impressed by ESNers party hard /work hard attitude. Everyone was up for a good time and party but showed full dedication and concentration during the day at the long plenaries.

Spotahome took advantage of their well deserved coffee breaks to give out some freebies and talk about our service and advantages for their community.

Oh and I almost forgot our contest!! We gave out some fun challenges for ESNers to fo in their free time.

Congratulations to the winners of this contest, ESN Germany.

International Night

Friday evening we attended “International Night”.

Students travelled to Spain from their respective countries with bags packed of “typical” products.

Every country had a stand where we could try typical foods and drinks from different places.

I tried things I had never seen or tasted before. ESNers wore typical costumes, sang songs a created a great atmosphere!

Infomarket

Saturday afternoon was reserved for the already traditional Infomarket. Here is where companies and entities have the opportunity to meet a broad but very diverse audience, of volunteers.

On what other occasion could we find almost 1,000 students from all over Europe gathered in the same event ready to listen to what we have to offer.

The infomarket was followed by Spanish night where paella, sangria, tortilla and good humor where the protagonists.

Gala Dinner

All good things come to an end.
The AGM 2018 was closed with a gala dinner. Everyone wore their finest garments and were excited for the STARwards to begin.

Congratulations to ESN Poland, ESN Spain, ESN Italy and ESN Greece who won an award for most successful ESN countries and to the International board.

“ I never had the chance to be part of the Erasmus program, but I did study abroad during my time in university. I think that ESN, like the Erasmus + program itself, offers a huge opportunity to the students involved. Not only can they take advantage of living in a new country and experiencing another way of life, but ESN gives them the chance to become involved, help other students, and develop the skills necessary to become the leaders of tomorrow. I loved seeing the flag parade with all countries represented that make up the organization. Now more than ever I think it is important to have groups like ESN that celebrate what binds the European community together, and AGM Costa Brava was a great chance to see just that.”
Robert Vernachio, Partnerships Manager at Spotahome

Thank you for having us!!!!

Hopefully see  you next year!!!

Are you going on an Eramus year and looking for accomodation?

Spotahome is here to make the experience a whole lot easier!