What is ESN and Why Become a Volunteer
Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is the largest student organisation in Europe, based on the principle of "Students Helping Students". Every year, around 15,000 volunteers in more than 500 local sections across dozens of countries work to make exchange experiences full of friendship, safety, and fun.
What ESN Does:
- Provides both practical and emotional support to international students – from orientation to social events.
- Helps with social integration through trips, cultural and evening events, buddy programmes, projects, and language exchanges.
Why Volunteer? Volunteering in ESN offers:
- Personal growth, leadership, creativity, and organisational skills.
- International contacts, training, and participation in conferences.
- Opportunities to practice foreign languages.
- Fun, friendships with people from all over the world, and valuable experience for your career.
How to Get Involved:
- Find your local ESN section and contact them via their website, social media or e-mail Buddies.slu@gmail.com.
Joining the ESN Board – What Does It Mean?
Becoming an ESN board member means joining the leadership team of our local ESN section. Board members are responsible for planning and managing events, coordinating volunteers, communicating with the university and international ESN network, and ensuring that exchange students feel welcome and supported. It’s a role full of responsibility, but also full of opportunities to grow, learn, and connect with amazing people from all over the world.
How to become a board member?
- Each academic year we open applications and run a selection process for new board members.
- Once selected, you commit to the position for at least one academic year.
- This ensures continuity, smooth organization, and a strong ESN section.
Become part of a unique community that connects cultures, promotes exchange, and creates unforgettable experiences through volunteering.
Silesian University is now in the position of an ESN candidate section. What does a candidate section mean? A candidate section is a status granted by ESN to new university groups that wish to join the international network. It means that: the section is already actively operating at the local level, organizing events for international students and involving volunteers, it meets the basic requirements of ESN and is undergoing a verification process, during the candidate phase it gains experience, demonstrates stability, and shows readiness to become a full section, after successfully completing this process, it obtains full membership and becomes an official ESN section with the right to vote and participate in all network activities.
