ESN’s mission is to represent international students, but it can be done in many ways. The various activities can be divided into six ESN Causes culture, education & youth, environmental sustainability, health & well-being, skills & employability, and social inclusion.

Culture

Experiencing the way of life in diverse and unknown cultures is a strong motivator for young people to move abroad to participate in mobility programs. One of ESN’s values is unity in diversity, diversity in unity. Our members work hard to provide opportunities for cultural understanding to international and local community members and open an intercultural dialogue between them.

Environmental Sustainability

ESN stands for active citizenship, which includes actively working to solve current problems. Environmental sustainability is one of the major struggles of today’s society. When it comes to this field, our members try to raise awareness about the issue and lead by example.

Skills & Employability

On top of recognizing mobility programs as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, ESN also provides opportunities for self-development by organizing workshops and training events where volunteers can gain and develop their skills. Afterward, they use those newly acquired skills to advance their local community and create additional learning opportunities for international and exchange students.

Education & Youth

As a key volunteer student organization in European international higher education, our members provide information about mobility programs and motivate students to study abroad. This way, we ensure the maintenance of the popularity of mobility programs among upcoming generations and create future volunteers and active citizens.

Health & Well-being

Moving abroad is a significant turnaround that includes changing our everyday habits. Apart from figuring out their dietary needs, international students also spend quite a lot of time setting up their new life, which can be a source of some physical and emotional distress. Knowing this, local sections can organize sports-related events and promote healthy eating habits.

Social Inclusion

ESN believes in implementing volunteer experiences as a natural part of the mobility experience and aims to contribute to the social integration of students through volunteering activities under the SocialErasmus project. By organizing these activities, our members enable international students to contribute to the local community, therefore, feel integrated with its daily functioning. Fostering social engagement creates inclusive societies.

Cited from ESN Edinburgh