Aligned by their strong shared interest in current and future developments of internationalisation of higher education, ESN involves around 40,000 young people offering its services to around 350,000 international students every year, and GSF, through its 203 member unions from 122 countries, represents the interests of more than 200 million secondary and tertiary students from across the globe towards the international community and its institutions.
Therefore, the aim of this partnership is to support youth in terms of access to quality education, employment, representation, exchanges and student mobility, as well as improving the democratic participation of young people through intercultural dialogue and the promotion of internationalisation.
Key pillars for joint action include:
- Promotion of student mobility and internationalisation around the world, with special focus on the participation of students with fewer opportunities (disadvantaged socio-economic background, ethnic minority, students from rural areas, etc.)
- Advocacy towards governments and international organisations will be the key in order to make mobility accessible to everyone, making sure to have a solid financial support system that can guarantee the pursuit of the mobility experience without economic barriers. The main aim is to advocate for the creation and strengthening of scholarships and grants for at-risk students.
- Dissemination of publications, research studies, and background material relevant to the objectives ESN and GSF want to achieve, creating joint content and strategic statements.
- Collaboration on student and youth representation, institutionalising capacity-building activities at the global level and on internal events, will be essential to further potential future collaborations around project applications and implementation.
The GSF welcomes the Erasmus Student Network to its family, and looks forward to working together with the Erasmus Student Network to advance the cause of students across the globe.
