Three days to share stories, tales and experiences about the programme most dedicated to knowledge, confrontation and the breaking down of borders and prejudices
Source for the Picture: https://www.erasmusdays.eu/
Communicating for three consecutive days European values, the added value of mobility and the results of Erasmus + projects to give maximum visibility to all the activities carried out. This is the “celebration” of the Erasmus Days (#ErasmusDays) 2022 that will be held between 13 and 15 October and that focus on international mobility and European citizenship. In 2021, 5670 events took place in67 countries: whether Erasmus+ beneficiaries, European actors or alumni of the programme, these Erasmus Days allow people to share their experience, organise an event or publicise their project. This is because the Erasmus Days are three days dedicated to discovering the Erasmus+ programme and exchanging with the programme’s alumni who share their experiences with those who participate. They include exhibitions, concerts, competitions, seminars, networking among partners, open days, distribution of Europass Mobility documents, digital events… All this with local events organised by and for citizens.
How does it work?
Participation is open to all beneficiaries who would like to witness their Erasmus+ experience: from schools to Cefa, from higher education institutions to vocational training and adult education organisations, from youth associations to non-profit organisations, and from local authorities to youth centres. Anyone can sign up voluntarily, but if you participate you should inform the agencies so that the activity can be publicised and promoted. How? Simply by sending an e-mail a:communication@aef-europe.be specifying the type of event (with a short description) and mentioning the planned date. The National Agencies offer promotional support to all beneficiaries who wish to do so through their communication channels: website, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. In previous editions, events have included seminars, partner meetings, photo exhibitions, concerts, flashmobs, parades, dance or radio shows, conferences, and digital activities. But, it is obvious that, if there are health restrictions for Covid-19, the initiatives could move online, with virtual events.
The activities
On social media, on 13, 14 and 15 October, it will be important to use the hashtag #erasmusdaysson in every post related to this campaign. This will help create a buzz and obtain wide media coverage. In addition, all Facebook and Instagram posts using the official hashtag will appear on the homepage of www. Erasmus days.EU platform during these three days. Great visibility, therefore, to positive testimonials through written articles, photos or videos. Thanks to Instagram and Facebook’s ‘live’ option, one can also instantly record and share a physical event that is happening, such as a concert, European choir or other, and broadcast it live via Facebook or Instagram. This ‘live’ option is also useful and important for broadcasting interviews. There is also the option of competitions and challenges and it is considered the best to ensure quick visibility of an Erasmus + event or project in a fun way. Competition can be launched, for example, for pupils and students to show through photos and texts what Erasmus+ means to them. Challenges are very fun activities that can be recorded and shared on social media, e.g. “choose a foreign language in a country participating in the #ErasmusDays and try to communicate only in that language for the whole day”. Another possibility is the recording of videos to tell about an experience abroad, present an Erasmus+ project, film a physical event, etc. Then, these videos can be shared on social networks, on a blog, on a website and maybe even on a Youtube channel for the #ErasmusDays.Each institution, then, can participate in the #ErasmusDays through its website.
As well as blogs, where one can explain in detail, with videos, photos and long texts, the results of a project and this can increase the traffic of a website. The blog can also be added to the website as a new page. Then there are online exhibitions that can also be organised online and whose documents can be shared via a link or WeTransfer. Then there are the online surveys: with tools such as Google Form, anyone can survey to find out citizens’ perceptions on European citizenship, post-Covid Europe, the impact of Covid on Erasmus+ mobility etc. and share the results on their website.
Finally, as we know, the Covid-19 crisis led to the widespread use of interactive platforms that are perfect for sharing knowledge and updating each other. For instance, through these platforms, debates and video conferences on a specific topic can be organised. And many fun events can be put on. For example, Hackathons, where a group of programmers work together on a collaborative project in competitions where different teams compete to create prototypes that innovate on a topic or improve an existing project. Or Quizzes to ask participants about the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. Or Podcasts, where each episode is treated like a blog post, dealing with a specific topic. The episode can be recorded on a computer or smartphone. Then the files must be uploaded to a podcasting host and can be shared on a website or social media.
In conclusion, the three days dedicated to Erasmus are festive and everyone can share their experience, stories and knowledge with others. So that awareness of the importance of the programme grows and from there the future of European society can continue and grow stronger.
Giulia Torbidoni – TIA
Sources:
https://www.erasmusdays.eu/