Author: Veronika Maťková, Veronika Novotná (International Relations Office)

You might wonder what the objective of Erasmus Days is? These celebrations aim to raise awareness of activities and projects implemented under the Erasmus+ program and to inform the public about its potential and positive impact. 67 countries took part in the fifth year of the celebrations. Almost 5.700 events were held worldwide. In the Czech Republic alone, more than 100 events took place during the three-day Erasmus Days on October 14-16. An overview of all events can be found at www.erasmusdays.eu.

International mobility and cooperation are at the heart of the Erasmus+ program. The program brings innovation to education and supports the development of skills. The Silesian University is involved in two Key Actions within the program - Mobility of Individuals (KA1) and Cooperation Among Organisations and Institutions (KA2). The priorities of the new Erasmus+ 2021-2027 programming period include Inclusion and Diversity, Environment, Digital Transformation and Participation - promoting active citizenship, participating in democracy, and strengthening European identity.

For those interested in stays abroad, the International Relations Office prepared a rich two-day program and an information stand in the foyer with the current offer of foreign mobility. On Thursday, October 14, an Erasmus+ Workshop on stays abroad took place at the SBA. Students got acquainted with the general conditions of stays abroad and new features of the Erasmus+ program, which include, for example, Green Erasmus, i.e., the support of environmentally friendly travel. Participants of the program spoke about their foreign experiences and international students introduced their counties and home universities. In addition, international students prepared small snacks for visitors. Students could taste, for example, real Turkish pismaniye. Our guest - Petr Kantor from the National Agency for International Education and Research - talked about other possibilities of youth trips abroad within the Erasmus+ program and the European Solidarity Corps.

Due to the above-mentioned priorities of the program, the SBA decided to enrich this year's Erasmus Days with volunteer activities. On Friday, together with Mr. Kantor and international students, we visited Janík's Saddle by Kopřivnice. The trip's goal was to stock up on wood for the winter and clean up around the local gamekeeper's lodge, which is located in a NATURA 2000 protected natural area.

Are you curious about the international students you can meet at our faculty and what Erasmus means to them? Look at a short video released as part of the Erasmus Days 2021 celebrations.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Petr Kantor and Eurodesk Moravian Silesian Region for their assistance in organizing the event.

The next Erasmus Days celebrations will take place on October 12-14, 2022. See you again in a year!

Sources: Web portal of the National Agency for International Education and Research [online] [vis. October 24, 2021]. Available at: https://www.dzs.cz/en/program/erasmus; Erasmus Days Web Portal [online] [vis. October 24, 2021]. Available at: https://www.erasmusdays.eu/