Record Number of Events Registered for #Erasmus Days 2022

Nearly 6300 events took place across Europe (and even overseas).

This year’s Erasmus Days was once again a record-breaker. Thousands of educational institutions from Europe and overseas joined in celebrating Erasmus, organising 6296 events and breaking last year’s record by six hundred. One hundred forty-five events took place in the Czech Republic, with the largest number in the Moravian-Silesian Region.

Why are we celebrating Erasmus Days?

Erasmus Days aim to raise awareness of the Erasmus+ programme and its benefits. Event organisers have an opportunity to share their achievements and experiences with colleagues, project participants, newcomers and the general public. The form and scope of each event are left entirely to the imagination and possibilities of each organisation.  
Everyone can join in the celebrations, from nurseries to universities, as well as non-profit organisations focusing on youth or adult education, local authorities, companies and other institutions which are implementing a project with the support of the Erasmus+ programme.

In the Czech Republic, the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research coordinates the celebration. Internationally, the celebrations were administered by the French National Agency for Erasmus+. They also manage the official website erasmusdays.eu.  

What happened abroad?

This year, 57 countries took part in the celebrations. French institutions hold the record for organising most events, either in France itself or in overseas territories, including Tahiti, Réunion and Martinique. Turkey, Spain and Italy were also very active. Paidea, a Neapolitan organisation focused on innovative teaching, presented the GAD app, which develops digital competence through the creation of augmented reality games. Istanbul's Yahya Kemal Beyatli High School organised the exhibition "Untold Stories of kids and cultures", dedicated to learning about different cultures. A University from Granada organised an informal online session for students to practice communicating in foreign languages, including Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and French.

More interesting activities took place all over Europe. Children from kindergartens in Sweden, Romania, Greece, Croatia and Iceland planted trees as a symbol of inclusion in a joint project. Fruit trees were also planted on the campus of Bielefeld University in Germany. The Hungarian Folk School Zoltán Magyary in Tata organised a training session on developing digital competence for seniors led by young mentors. The Malta National Youth Agency prepared information activities on the Erasmus+ programme for young people from the LGBTIQ+ community.  

What events took place in our country?

The Brno JCMM organised the event Study, Intern, Go Abroad! 90 young people squeezed into a room meant for 50 as they wanted to learn about all the opportunities that Erasmus offers them at secondary schools. Jakub Jeřábek shared his experience of discovering Europe, having travelled by train through five European countries in 22 days and covered over 4,000 kilometres as part of the DiscoverEU activity. 

The School of International and Public Relations has once again participated in Erasmus Days in Prague. "We organise the Erasmus Days event every year. Last time we introduced the tradition of meeting interesting people close to the international environment. Today we have invited Petr Hladík, who will introduce the students to the role of the Czech Republic during the EU Council Presidency," said Vladimíra Michalíková, the school's headmaster.

Cirqueon, a centre for new circus, also planned an event. "Today we are presenting our latest projects. We will mainly talk about the Circus Clinic, a project that deals with the influence of circus techniques on the mental well-being of young people," explained Hana Davidová, coordinator of the Circus Clinic project.

Together with the Embassy of Spain in Prague and the German DAAD, Campus France organised the Taste Erasmus event, during which people could see a series of films - one Spanish, one German and one French. All the films were linked by the theme of European values and European trips.

Almost two dozen schools in the Zlín Region also joined Erasmus Days with a rich and inspiring programme. They prepared a range of activities for pupils, teachers and the public, from online meetings and lectures by alumni of foreign stays abroad and internships, to competitions and outdoor events. The schools were supported by the Zlín Region, headed by the Councillor for Education and Culture Zuzana Fišerová. The regional television reported on the events.

The Centre for International Education and Research also took part and jointly with the Representatives of the European Commission in the Czech Republic streamed a debate on the topic of 35 years with the Erasmus programme - why is gaining international experience worth it?

And there was much more. You can find an overview of all the events on the virtual map at erasmusdays.eu.