ESEC joins campaign to #KeepErasmusPlus

/in , /by

ESEC has joined youth, third sector and sports organisations across the United Kingdom to launch #KeepErasmusPlus, a national campaign to save a vital European exchange programme which has benefited over half a million people.

Erasmus+ is a European funding programme for education, training, youth and sport. It enables people – especially those who can’t otherwise afford it – the opportunity to study, work, volunteer, teach and train in other countries.

Erasmus+ funds all sorts of educational activities in different settings, including in schools, youth exchanges, cultural projects, volunteering, vocational training and studying at university abroad. Over the past 30 years, 600,000 people from the UK have taken part in Erasmus+. Between 2014 and 2020, Erasmus+ will have been worth £793 million to the UK.

Since 2014, organisations across the seven ESEC council areas have received more than £11,000,000 from the Erasmus+ programme for local projects.

Through partnership across the 6 Erasmus+ sectors we will lobby politicians across the UK, to maintain participation in Erasmus+ after Brexit. The campaign will emphasise the positive impact of Erasmus+ on individuals and communities.

We are asking individuals and organisations to:

  • Sign our petition http://bit.ly/KeepErasmusPlus
  • Get in touch with their local politicians
  • Share your Erasmus+ story on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using hashtag #KeepErasmusPlus

ESEC chair Councillor Ben Lawrie said of the campaign: “Erasmus+ funding has impacted and enriched education across our area, from nurseries to universities. It has provided opportunities for our teachers to train overseas, and be exposed to innovative models of learning and teaching. In addition, sports clubs are also able to partake in Erasmus+ exchanges, and several football teams have been awarded grants to send their young players to winter camps elsewhere in the EU.

Erasmus+ is a great resource for our communities. However, the projects and initiatives this programme funds are worth so much more than simply a monetary value – they are providing unique opportunities for all ages throughout Scotland.

Our access to Erasmus+ does not need to be restricted as a result of Brexit. Non-EU members such as Norway are very much involved in Erasmus+ and as a member of the #KeepErasmusPlus campaign, we will be pushing for our communities to have continued access to the wealth of opportunities available. We will be insisting that the UK government guarantees this as we move on to the second phase Brexit negotiations.”

Emily Beever, European Campaign Lead, YouthLink Scotland said: “In the midst of uncertainty on our future relationship with Europe, we say join us to celebrate the great success story of Erasmus+ in the UK. We would like to see the Prime Minister make a commitment to the continuation of Erasmus+, a programme that already involves non-EU members, including Iceland and Norway. This funding has given life-changing opportunities to young people from some of our most disadvantaged communities.”

Across our partners we have many case studies available.

For media enquiries and further information please contact:

List of current partners – this is a rolling campaign and we are adding partners all the time:

A & M Scotland

Carers Scotland

Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services

East of Scotland European Consortium (ESEC)

Elevate

Glasgow Council on Alcohol

Greenock Morton FC

Leonard Cheshire Scotland

Momentum World

Newbold Trust

NUS UK

Project Scotland

Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations

Scottish Youth Parliament

The Surefoot Effect

Xchange Scotland

Young Scot

YouthLink Scotland