On Tuesday 24th of October three members of the ESN UofG board attended an event held at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh celebrating 30 years of Erasmus. It’s amazing to think that 30 years ago, in 1987, the UK was one of the founding countries that helped to set up the Erasmus exchange program. Thirty years later, and we are still seeing the benefits of this program, and now with increased funding from the European Commission, even more people will be able to experience studying or working abroad!

There were many speakers at the event, including John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and Secretary for Education, and a speech from our very own President of ESN UK, Daniel Berlinski. Daniel spoke for all of us when he talked about the important social aspects of exchange, and how it changes you for life: ‘Once Erasmus, Always Erasmus’. Alongside these speakers, we got to hear from Alan Smith, one of the founders of the Erasmus program about what it was like to start this incredible project. There was also a speech from Francesca Maltauro from the European Commission, who promised their continuing support for the Erasmus exchange program in years to come.

Overall it was a fantastic event, reminding us of how fortunate we are to have taken part in such a life-changing program, and how important it is to encourage everyone to make the most of their opportunity to work or study abroad. After hearing all of the speeches and meeting other students who had benefited from the Erasmus program, all of our board members left the event with the same wish - to go on an Erasmus exchange all over again!