First Experience With ESN Göteborg and The Volunteers Team
2025, written by Yatharth Jain
Having joined ESN (Erasmus Student Network) Göteborg as one of the volunteers this year, one of my cherished memories that was really insightful is the Volunteers’ Training event that took place on the 26th of October 2025. As a new volunteer, I was pretty excited to get to know the entire structure and dynamics of the student organisation.
The event started with an ice-breaking fun activity in order to engage and to energise all the volunteers. Firstly, all the volunteers were introduced to the structure and purpose of the body. ESN is a non-profit organisation founded on 16th of October 1989 focusing on assisting international students. It fosters the idea of unity in diversity by gathering international students under one umbrella and works towards enriching society with the help of the youth. The organisation encourages networking, international mobility, competence, and student engagement through different activities and events. With the help of its conducted activities and events, ESN touches upon important causes such as education, culture, social inclusion, health, employability skills, and environmental sustainability. Volunteers were also informed about the idea of Erasmus + as a programme to support education, training the youth, and sports in Europe. We were also informed about the functioning of the organisation at both national and international scales. On a national level, ESN has about 13 sections in Sweden.
Secondly, we were even told about all the active avenues that one can explore and volunteer for in the ESN. The current members of the local board took us through the entire team with active members and all the committees that we, as volunteers, can contribute to. The events committee, office committee, and the communication committee are the prime committees where active participation is observed. Through the events committee, the volunteers get exposure and a first-hand experience of event planning and management. While via the communication committee, the volunteers get a chance to become a channel of conveying information about planned or upcoming events, presenting the organisation as a brand to people worldwide by means of creating content and graphics.
Thirdly, we also got to know about the local partnerships that ESN Göteborg has, which helped us frame an understanding as volunteers as to how and where the events can be planned potentially, and where we can avail benefits via the ESNcard. During the last leg of the training event, volunteers were divided into groups and given a hypothetical event to plan from beginning to end. The exercise filled me with energy and excitement. I noticed that for that specific period, everyone was really engrossed in the discussion as if an event in reality was to be planned. Everything was very well planned, conducted, and the refreshments kept us all fresh throughout. I took away valuable insights regarding the organisation’s structure and operation. The training event boosted my enthusiasm to participate, and I really look forward to volunteering.
