Aurora Student Council Makes Strong Impression at the European Students’ Union Conference 2024

The Aurora Student Council (ASC) recently showed its dedication to student advocacy and international collaboration at the European Students’ Union (ESU) Conference of Student Bodies of the European Alliances of higher education institutions.

Representing Aurora were four student leaders: Mathilde, ASC President and Andrea, ASC General Secretary, both from the Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), Sören, ASC Vice President from Copenhagen Business School, and Simona of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. Their participation highlighted the council’s commitment to working together and sharing ideas with student leaders from other European university alliances.

The ESU is an organisation of 44 National Unions of Students (NUS) from 40 countries. Since 1982, it has been standing up for students’ rights across European countries. It organized the conference to bring together student representatives from all over Europe. ESU focuses on working with key institutions like the European Union, the Bologna Follow-up Group, the Council of Europe, and UNESCO. Some of its recent projects include addressing the EU Commission’s European Degree proposal, supporting students at risk, improving Erasmus+ programmes, and promoting equal access to education.

Strong Student Representation on the European Agenda

Over 100 students from 30 alliances attended the three-day conference, which focused on common challenges and opportunities for student representation. The first two days featured speakers who explained important topics like the Bologna Process and the European Commission’s agenda for higher education. Students joined round table discussions to share their experiences and discuss solutions to common problems. Furthermore, they came up with ideas to strengthen student involvement in European university alliances.

“These kinds of conferences are incredibly empowering,” said Mathilde. “They allow us to learn from the best practices of other student councils. They also enable us to recognise our strengths and weaknesses, and work to improve them.”

Simona, Aurora student representative, agreed. “It was very enriching to gather with student representatives from different European university alliances. We exchanged experiences in addressing similar problems that impact students in different universities. This conference was just a beginning of a very important cooperation.”

The ESU Conference provided an opportunity for students to connect, exchange ideas, and work toward common goals. The Aurora Student Council’s active involvement showed their commitment to making a positive impact and building stronger partnerships across Europe.