Dear Rector/Dear Mrs Vice-Rector, Dear colleagues,

Dear students, Dear ladies and gentlemen,

The Greek “State Scholarships Foundation” (IKY), one of the most historical organizations in the country, was founded in 1951 aiming to offer young scientists grants for post-graduate studies, in Greece and abroad. In the 68-year presence of IKY, hundreds of thousands of scholars have been funded for their studies. Since 1987, IKY bears the responsibility of administration, co-ordination, implementation, and dissemination of European Union Programmes for Education (1987 Erasmus, 1990 Lingua, 1995-1999 Socrates I, 2000-2006 Socrates II-Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013, Erasmus+ 2014-2020).

 

The Erasmus Programme was created in the 80’s as a vehicle for the internationalization of the European Higher Education institutions, aiming at creating a common European identity and responding to the needs of the European society. Nevertheless, European Union finds itself, nowadays, in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment. The euphoria of the EU enlargement period, when a significant number of countries, mainly from the former Eastern Bloc, became EU members, has recently been succeeded by a period of Euro-skepticism.

At the beginnings of the creation of the European Union, it was necessary for the decision-makers of that time to strengthen the sense of belonging among citizens of the first Member States, as a part of a long-term plan for the creation of "United Europe". Looking back, after more than 30 years of continuous implementation, the Erasmus Program launched in 1987 as a small student exchange program, has been the most successful EU initiative. As a social phenomenon, it has created the famous "Erasmus generation". Members of this generation are not only University students who have participated in mobility schemes, but also university professors and administrative staff, as well as participants in other relevant programs for school education, vocational education and training, adult education and youth.

 

Let's look at some figures. The popular ERASMUS program has given so far the opportunity to more than 4 million students across the European Union to move abroad for a study or traineeship period. In what concerns Greece, during the period 1987-2017, 71.405 Higher Education students, participated in the Programme.

The "Erasmus generation", is proud for both its national and European identity. According to studies at both European and international level, Erasmus appears to have contributed to the creation of the idea of European citizenship. Indeed, at a time when extremism seems to be the new strong trend in Europe and beyond, intercultural skills acquired by participants in European mobility programs are not negligible. Getting in contact with other cultural environments has helped students become more aware about other cultures and consequently, they have learned to respect diversity. It has allowed the opening of educational institutions to Europe and the world. It has given opportunities for students, and trainees from disadvantaged social groups to travel out of their country for the first time, gave incentives to lower-performing students to try harder and allowed them to find out that they can do it. It has helped to change students’ stereotypes and attitudes towards what we regard as "foreign".

Surprisingly, the "Erasmus generation" currently watches certain EU countries literally raising walls and today's decision-makers demanding the effective guarding of EU borders against war refugees, who are sometimes treated as "invaders". At the same time, many EU citizens worry that they will lose their national identity with this massive influx of refugees and immigrants. They do not seem, however, to realize that we are in a great danger of becoming less and less Europeans.

The European values of a tolerant, civilized, and open Europe, a Europe that seems to be a victim of its own good reputation, as a safe place of growth and prosperity for hundreds of thousands of people, need to be restored.

-What can the "Erasmus generation" do about it?

We must remember that among Higher Education students only 5% has participated in the Erasmus+ Programme. You are among the privileged ones because you had access to this unique mind-widening opportunity.

-How this change that you have experienced at personal level may influence others? --How can the new Programme Generation address challenges of academic and social integration of both refugees, migrants and European citizens groups that are not sufficiently included in the current Erasmus+ Programme?

-How can we tackle urgent societal and environmental challenges at EU level?

I understand that you have gathered here to discuss about ESN internal procedures and of course have fun in Thessaloniki. I invite you to go beyond that. Become the leaders you can be. Discuss what is important; avoid futile repetitions of the same old things. Look for concrete ideas and tangible results. Let the “Erasmus Generation” show us the way to a renewed European Union, which we desperately need.

 

I imagine that many of you, you are familiar with the painting of Rubens of Zeus as he grubs as a bull, a young lady, with the name Europe. Indeed, if you look on the other side of the gulf which surround us, you will see the top of Mountain Olympus, where the ancient Greeks believed that was the residence of Zeus, the husband of Evropi (Europe) the kidnapper of her, to whom we owe the name.

 

Recently, A symbol of universal value, like the Notre Dame, has been almost destroyed. The pain for the loss has been not only French but all Humanity, especially the Europeans, we are all in deep pain. Since we leave in a new Era where the National is Continental, and the Continental is national, as well.

 

You belong to a new generation, where the meaning of boarders is totally different from other times. You are closer to the idea that the founders of United Europe had in mind: they dreamed of a Europe without borders. A Europe where the free movement of commodities should accompany the free movement of people, of ideas, of elements of civilization and culture. A Europe of solidarity, collaboration, sympathy.

Unfortunately, during the last several years we are experiencing the new ideology of the domination of Economism.

The idea, that everything is economy. It has replaced the idea of a United Europe that was built upon humanitarian values. I invite you to think about on how the idea that everything is monetarism prevailed so fast in recent years in the Diocese of enlightenment and cultural values: i.e. Europe. We must wonder about how the ideology of racism and fascism in such large extents took in so short time throughout the old continent. How have we built walls so fast on the continent of Democracy and solidarity? Altogether, I believe that what we call Education has to become Literate, Paedia again, in order to rebuilt our original values .

 

 

Another situation your generation is facing-up, is the possible withdrawal of Britain from the family of the EEC. This sad situation, together with others, I believe is to a major degree, the result of misinformation. The spreading-out of fake news. Which has influenced more the youngster Britons. British and European youngsers must learn how to appreciate each other. But most of all, they need to learn how to sieve and evaluate the information. How to distinguish the scientific truth and scientific creations from gossip and misinformation.

It seems that we live in a new era where the development of new technologies, social media, and a situation of globalization, have favored the faster proliferation of misinformation from the information itself. The miss-Knowledge to sound knowledge. The new instruments are conducive to manipulation of information and its’ transformation into Para- information.

There are numerous examples of such instances:

We experienced recently a situation where the notion that we Portuguese, Italians or Irish, Greeks and Spaniards, we are all PIGS. The idea traveled and dominated so fast. And in a short time, we experienced the reverse path. Within three years we became PIGS and good people again. We Greeks, in one year we were declared as the kings of laziness and, later-on, we were recognized as the people who work more than everyone, again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Η Θεσσαλονίκη σε ρυθμό Erasmus με 1000 διεθνείς φοιτητές

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Εκπρόσωποι του πιο επιτυχημένου προγράμματος της ΕΕ συνεδριάζουν για πρώτη φορά στη χώρα μας

Της Λεμονιάς Βασβάνη

 

Στην πόλη μας βρίσκονται αυτές τις μέρες περισσότεροι από 1000 φοιτητές από όλο τον κόσμο για να συζητήσουν για το μέλλον του προγράμματος Erasmus και τον αντίκτυπό του στους φοιτητές που συμμετέχουν περισσότερα από 30 χρόνια πλέον.

Αφορμή; Η Ετήσια Γενική Συνέλευση του Δικτύου Φοιτητών Erasmus (Erasmus Student Network - ESN) της Ελλάδος που άρχισε την Πέμπτη και θα ολοκληρωθεί σήμερα.

Τα μέλη του Δικτύου ΕSN Greece στοχεύουν στον εμπλουτισμό της κοινωνίας μέσω των διεθνών φοιτητών. Με γνώμονα αυτό, έλαβαν την πρωτοβουλία να οργανώσουν το μεγαλύτερο συνέδριο της γενιάς του Erasmus, προσκαλώντας στη Θεσσαλονίκη 1000 διεθνείς φοιτητές. «Είμαστε ιδιαίτερα υπερήφανοι που καλωσορίζουμε τους Ευρωπαίους φοιτητές. Η εκπαίδευση στην Ευρώπη αλλάζει και το Erasmus είναι βασικός πυλώνας. Είναι αναζωογονητικό να βλέπεις τη νέα γενιά να παίρνει ενεργό μέρος στη διαμόρφωση αυτών των αλλαγών και στηρίζουμε έμπρακτα την προσπάθεια τους», δήλωσε ο Υπουργός Παιδείας, Έρευνας και Θρησκευμάτων, κ. Γαβρόγλου.

Οι φοιτητές έκαναν αισθητή την παρουσία τους ήδη από την πρώτη μέρα της συνέλευσης με το Flag Parade, παρελαύνοντας στην παραλία της Θεσσαλονίκης και διασχίζοντας την πόλη με τα χρώματα της χώρας τους, υπογραμμίζοντας με αυτό τον τρόπο όλα αυτά που μας ενώνουν ως Ευρωπαίους.

Σημειώστε πως η Γενική Συνέλευση είναι παράλληλα μία ευκαιρία εξωστρέφειας και για τους φοιτητές των ελληνικών Ανώτατων Εκπαιδευτικών Ιδρυμάτων καθώς, στο πλαίσιο του συνεδρίου, θα πραγματοποιηθεί Mobility Fair σήμερα Κυριακή 21 Απριλίου στις 11:30, στον προαύλιο χώρο του Δημαρχείου Θεσσαλονίκης. Στο Mobility Fair, οι φοιτητές που θα παρευρεθούν θα ενημερωθούν για σπουδές στο εξωτερικό, προγράμματα ανταλλαγής και πρακτικής άσκησης, εκπαιδευτικά σεμινάρια και εθελοντική εργασία από τους εκπροσώπους-φοιτητές 900 ευρωπαϊκών Πανεπιστημίων. Μεταξύ άλλων εκεί θα παρουσιαστεί και το #pressEU_NextGen, η επικοινωνιακή καμπάνια του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου για τις επικείμενες εκλογές.