Structure

International Level

 The International level consists of: 

• International Board
  ESN AISBL is registered under Belgian law and has its headquarters, the ESN house, in Bruselles, where the five members of the International Board (IB) live and work full-day. The board is the executive body of ESN, elected every year by the highest decision-making body of ESN, the Annual General Meeting. The board takes care of the over-all coordination of the different levels of ESN, helps and supports the local sections and monitors the interests of international students and of ESN by being in touch with representatives of different institutions of the European Union.

  Meet the board 2009/2010 and the newly elected board, 2010/2011!
   

• Council of National Representatives
  The Council of National Representatives, CNR, is the "substitute" of the AGM throughout the year. It consists of the National Representatives (NR's) from each country hosting at least one ESN section. The National Representatives are elected for one-year-terms at the National Platform of each country. The CNR gathers together 4-5 times a year and holds online meetings whenever necessary. We're proud to point out here that the four last National Representatives of Finland come from Turku!

  Meet the CNR of 2009/2010 and the new CNR 2010/2011 - and find our Finnish NR, Aino Henriksson!
  
  

• Annual General Meeting of ESN section
  The Annual General Meeting (AGM), as mentioned above, is the highest decision-making body of ESN. The most important decisions concerning the future of ESN, changes of statutes and standing orders, election of countries and sections hosting the international events of the upcoming year (AGM, regional platforms and cultural medleys) and most importantly, the election of the International Board are taken there. Each section of ESN has a right to vote there, which means, the meeting gathers together almost 400 students from all over Europe every year! Last years, the AGMs have been held in Besançon - France (2008), Utrecht - Netherlands (2009) and Istanbul - Turkey (2010). The AGM 2010 will be held in Budapest, Hungary

Also the following groups and individuals are working to support international projects and activities of ESN:
 

• ESNSurvey Coordinator with ESNSurvey Team
• ESN Secretary
• EVS Volunteer
• Committees

• Liaison Offices to European Youth Forum and Council of Europe 

National Level

 
On national level, ESN members are active in National Boards (NBs). They are the binding force between the sections, but are also acting as a link between the local and international level of ESN.
 
NBs organise national events and most importantly, National Platforms. During these platforms, which are usually organised a few times a year, all sections from the certain country come together to discuss all issues concerning the local, national and international level of ESN. As an example also new sections are accepted during these platforms.
 
As members of the Boards, National Representatives inform the sections about what is happening internationally, and provide the International Board with feedback from the local and national level. Not every country has a NB, but countries without it should consider establishing one, because National Boards contribute significantly to the development of the network on the national and international level. The National Board of ESN Finland was elected in 2009, simultaneosly with the registration of the association ESN Finland. All local sections (or the Student Unions hosting them) are members of ESN Finland.

Meet the Finnish National Board, elected in the National Platform in Oulu in March 2010, here!
 
The National Boards of different counties meet twice a year during the National Boards Meeting for cooperation, communicating and learning from each others practical experiences.

Local level

Under the principle of SHS - Students Helping Students, the mission of all the ESN sections, the core of ESN, is to foster student mobility in respective Higher Education Institutions by providing prospective, current and former exchange students with services, support and guidance for making their stay abroad a success.

Local sections are offering daily assistance to over 150.000 exchange students, provided before and during their stay abroad. They are often supported by their academic authorities, helping them practically in creating for all international students an enriching exchange environment.

Each ESN section is usually run by a Board composed by different positions, such as a President, a Vice President, a Secretary a WPA a Treasurer etc. In addition, many volunteers are helping the sections in their diverse offer of excursions, events, lectures and many other activities.

Does your home university or your home town have an ESN section? Click and find it out

here!