Volunteering is vital to the sport movement. There are many benefits of giving up spare time for sport, such as skills, friendships and for more vulnerable people it can create a stronger sense of belonging. Due to clear links between sport, volunteering and education, there are many schemes that deserve to be supported by Erasmus+ Sport.
Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport has announced new focal points for tackling challenges to school education. On 30 May, the European Commission published ‘School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life’, which details 3 areas where action is needed to ensure a good education for Europe’s younger generation.
Too many young Europeans, aged 18 to 24, are ‘Early School Leavers’: they either dropped out of school before completing compulsory schooling or they did not achieve an equivalent qualification to an upper secondary education. Thankfully, there are some great Erasmus+ projects that can provide you with ideas and resources to fight early school leaving. Discover them, as well as the political drive behind them.
Climate change, protection of biodiversity, development of renewable energies, and fair trade are all topics the young generations need and want to learn about. Erasmus+ projects contribute to this endeavour, providing education about environment issues and sustainable economy. This wide selection of Erasmus+ projects reflect the creativity of teachers and the engagement of many schools to educate young citizens towards a greener and more sustainable tomorrow.
Green skills are more and more in demand on the labour market, and those who acquire them increase their employability substantially, while also helping to protect the planet. Many Erasmus+ projects are contributing to both of these efforts, through VET schools and employers. Many different aspects of environmental protection - such as renewable energy, eco-building or green transports - and many different professions are involved.
Instead of throwing bottles in a landfill, Erasmus Mundus scholarship-winner and graduate Tateh Lehbib Braica has found an innovative way to build homes for refugees. Costing less than a mud hut, the Saharawi engineer creates shelters with the hope of easing the suffering of those who had to flee their homes.
With the global population set to reach almost 10 billion people by the middle of this century, making the best use of our finite resources and solving the challenges of over-population are high priority issues.
Much still needs to be done to preserve the Earth’s precious resources and higher education Institutions are at the forefront of this work. From encouraging staff and students to recycle to providing cleaner forms of transport, action is being taken to reduce their impact on the environment. Their next challenge is encouraging others to follow the same steps. Be one of them!
Does Erasmus+ improve skills and the chances of finding a job? How can we measure the impact of Erasmus+ on institutions? These are all questions tackled in the second Erasmus+ Impact Study in the field of higher education. Following the success of the first, a new study has been launched to discover the benefits of the mobility programme.
On 30 May, the Commission published a strategy paper known as 'Communication', setting out its perspective on how higher education needs to adapt to a changing world and help shape the Europe of the future. The new strategy identifies four main priority areas, and proposes specific EU-level activities to complement the work done by national authorities and by higher education institutions.
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for: the new Erasmus+ application is now available to download! The app allows participants to easily track their progress before, during and after their mobility; to share and vote for their preferred tips to help others integrate into the local community; and to improve their language skills.
A blend of Slack, Facebook and LinkedIn has been created to encourage the Erasmus+ generation and key actors to have their say about the future of Europe and Erasmus+. Unveiled last month, the Erasmus+ Generation Online Meeting Point gives young people and Erasmus+ stakeholders a space to meet, debate, propose topics, identify problems and put forward solutions to collectively shape and build the future of the programme.
In line with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable development Goals, the Erasmus+ programme contributes to a greener, equitable and fair society. Ensuring that Europe can continue to grow and improve in a viable way is crucial for our future. This is why Erasmus+ supports education, training and volunteering for a sustainable economy.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme and to celebrate its success, a celebratory event was held in Strasbourg on June the 13th. Among debates on the future of the programme, an awards ceremony and an interactive exhibition, consensus for a larger budget was reached at the heart of the European Parliament's plenary session.
Sport and sport clubs hold an important place in our society. Being a member of a club, interacting with people, participating in the life of a club – all these things can create important social benefits and may help encourage active citizenship.
Join your hands together for Europe! As part of the 2017 European Youth Week and as a way to encourage young people to join the European Solidarity Corps, we invited everyone across Europe to stand up and unite their hands in human chains to show their solidarity and commitment to continue building an inclusive and diverse EU. You could do it before, during, or after European Youth week from 1 to 7 May.
How do you encourage young people to become more active citizens? In the past, young Europeans participated in society by voting in elections or getting involved in community activities. These aren’t the only options. For the European Youth Week 2017, we found 33 people who changed the lives and mind-set of thousands by doing something truly meaningful. Supported by Erasmus+, they encourage more young people to get engaged, make their voices heard and move the walls.
This month hundreds of workshops, information stands, round tables, bike tours, hikes, concerts, festivals, games and pick-nicks took place to celebrate European Youth Week 2017. We met inspiring former and current Erasmus+ participants in Brussels, discussed what should be the future of the EU Youth Strategy, informed about Erasmus+ mobility opportunities and joined hands for Europe and solidarity. Most of all, European Youth Week put young people and their achievements in the spotlight! Let's continue to shape it, move it, be it!
‘Don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’. Following the advice of John F. Kennedy, many citizens around Europe are actively seeking to improve society. To support their efforts, a number of Erasmus+ projects are equipping adult learners with tools to raise awareness and be even more active and efficient.
Young or old, very experienced or an avid learner; we all have something to contribute to society and to others. Erasmus+ projects know this and bring people together to share both their knowledge and form new friendships.
