ESN Latvia

ESN Latvia is part of a European wide student organization Erasmus Student Network. It is build on “students helping students” principle that works for the creation of a mobile and flexible education environment by supporting and developing student exchange and providing an intercultural experience also to those students who cannot access a period abroad.

ESN Riga - the only official ESN representative institution in Latvia - was established and registered as a legal entity in 2003 and is mainly collaborating with the University of Latvia. Since 2007 ESN Riga is also cooperating with international departments of other universities in Latvia. ESN Riga is also actively collaborating with the National Academic Programme Agency of Latvia (ACA organization in Latvia ) and since October 2008 is a full member of the National Youth Council of Latvia (LJP)

History of ESN Riga

Latvia became the 25th country of ESN in 2003, when an active Latvian business student Gints Turlajs, who had just returned from studies in Denmark, went to Council of National Representatives meeting in Vilnius to present his newly established ESN section candidate. Thus Gints Turlajs became also the first National Representative (NR) of Latvia. ESN Riga, by then and still the only ESN section in Latvia, was legally registered some month later, initially as ESN Latvia and was renamed as ESN Riga only in 2005. ESN Riga merged with a similar exchange student focused organization EsiLU from the University of Latvia and by next year it not only had a lot of local activities for students, but also took an active role in ESN International.

In the end of 2004 Natlaja Tocelovska – another ESN Riga leader – took over the position of NR. Soon afterwards she organized the International Board meeting in Riga. Latvia was represented by 5 people delegation in the following AGM Gdansk and consequently Natalja Tocelovska was elected treasurer of ESN International. During Natalja’s term as a treasurer in Brussels, ESN Riga activist Inese Grate was NR of Latvia, but Natlaja still managed to do the president’s job for ESN Riga and returned to the NR position after AGM Krakow.

By the summer of 2007 ESN Riga had well established relationships with the international department of the University of Latvia and the Students Union and large experience in organizing trips to Latvia and abroad, as well parties, cultural and sport events, and different other activities for exchange students. After four years of being president and three years of being NR Natalja Tocelovska left ESN to focus on her carrier and a new team – Santa Jastrebova, Madara Apsalone, Anastasija Belostocka, Linda Ribakova and Martins Misans- took over the leadership with broader vision of ESN Riga in Latvia and on international level, and Madara Apsalone became the new NR of Latvia.

The same summer ESN Riga started collaboration with the Academic Programme Agency (APA) of Latvia and soon extended communication also to other universities, with its activities targeting over 70 % of all the exchange students in Latvia. APA also helped ESN Riga to organize the first two day networking meeting for all the exchange students in Latvia called “Europe in one House”, which under the name of “Goodbye party” later became a tradition for ending each semester.

In spring 2008 ESN Riga organized its first ever trip to Russia and decided to participate in the PRIME project. In summer ESN Riga released its first yearbook and in the following fall became a full member of the National Youth Council of Latvia. Youth Council highly evaluated ESN experience defending youth mobility in Europe and in some month ESN people were already involved as experts in the National Youth Week of Latvia and “Young People within the building of a European knowledge based society” French Presidency in EU conference.

Activities

Buddy system

Currently ESN Riga has well developed and coordinated buddy system in the University of Latvia. All students, returning form exchange in other countries, are offered to share their experience becoming a part of ESN team and/or becoming buddies. Additionally ESN Riga team has decided to involve students just planning to go abroad for improving their language and multicultural team– working skills.

Other activities

• Trips – so far students have been to different regions of Latvia, Vilnius, Tallinn, Stockholm and Saint Petersburg
• Seminars and trainings – usually one welcome and one semester ending seminar for 2 days somewhere outside Riga
• Cultural stuff – like Spanish, Arabian, African ect. nights, visiting opera, different museums and exhibitions
• Extreme and sport activities – like “Escape from USSR” game , paintball, skating and a team in the University sport games
• Trainings for the new buddies
• Info meetings about exchange programs for students
• Other activities and parties

ESN International projects in Latvia

PRIME

Despite 20 years of existence, the Erasmus Programme is far from being perfect: according to the ESN Survey 2007 , about 50% of the Erasmus students didn't get full recognition for their studies abroad.

For this reason, ESN International upon request from the European Commission has developed the PRIME - Problems of Recognition In Making Erasmus - project: to identify obstacles towards recognition of studies abroad.

ESN Riga is participating in PRIME project and currently has conducted international coordinator’s survey in 7 universities - the University of Latvia, the University of Liepaja, Riga Medical College, Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy, Riga Stradiņš University, School of Business Administration Turiba, Vidzeme University College. National Academic Programme agency has given its support to the project and we are ready to organize the result dissemination conference in case the results are available before summer.

Coordinator Madara Apsalone

Give20

ESN Riga will organize activities for Give 20 in summer and fall of 2009.

Coordinator Elina Vestere

ESN Riga / Latvia board

ESN Riga board consists of 5 board members:

• Santa Jastrebova – buddy system coordinator, communications with students and the University of Latvia, communications with the Student’s Council of the University of Latvia
• Madara Apsalone – National Representative of Latvia, international relations, communications with the National Academic Programme Agency and other universities, representative in the National Youth Council of Latvia, webmaster
• Anastasija Belostocka – PR, trips
• Linda Ribakova – finances, trips
• Martins Misans – events, logistics, IT support

Partners and memberships

The University of Latvia – ESN Riga main partner since 2003. The University of Latvia welcomes annually 150-200 exchange students . ESN Riga has recently also developed good connections with the Student’s Council of the University of Latvia.

Since the summer of 2007 ESN Riga is also closely collaborating with the National Academic Progrmme Agency (APA) of Latvia. APA also helped ESN Riga to develop contacts with international departments of other universities: the University of Liepaja, Riga Medical College, Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy, Riga Technical University, Riga Stradiņš University, School of Business Administration Turiba, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and Vidzeme University College.

ESN is also a full member of the National Youth Council of Latvia (LJP).

Useful links

• Website of ESN Riga
• Website of ESN International
• ERASMUS_programme
• Website of the University of Latvia
• Website of the Academic Programme Agency of Latvia
• Website of the National Youth Council of Latvia