7 September 2023

During the Erasmus Generation Meeting in Bucharest last month, Ghent and ESN Gent conquered the title of the Erasmus Destination of the Year, winning against the amazing cities of Vienna, Valencia, Toulouse, and Padua.

This innovative award seeks to identify great practices in supporting student mobility at the city level, showcasing the role that local student associations can play in making their cities better mobility destinations and improving the quality and impact of mobility experiences.

Nikolina Duric, Board Member at ESN International, states that “All of us at ESN International are very excited about the potential this initiative has in showcasing how local student associations, HEIs, and cities can work together to widen participation among students from different backgrounds, but also how it can inspire new practices among the different stakeholders involved in student mobility.”

Ghent, together with runner-ups Padua and Vienna, Valencia and Toulouse, made the finals after an internal evaluation made by an external jury which includes representatives from the European Commission, EAIE, Academic Cooperation Association, Youth Forum and European Students’ Union.

 The competition was open to all ESN local associations and priority was given to the inclusion and diversity dimension, in terms of how the work done by the section and the other actors ensures that students enjoy their mobilities to the fullest regardless of their background and that the diversity of the student population and the local community is used as an asset.