Exchange ability gr seep12

ExchangeAbility

What is ExchangeAbility?

ESN, Youth Agora and EDF are currently working on a project that will allow disabled students to be fully involved in the activities of the local sections of ESN.

How did it start?

ExchangeAbility was a project created by ESN, EDF and Youth Agora with 2 goals:

Short (and Main) Term: Make ESN an accessible organization.

Long Term: Encourage the increase of the number of exchange students with disabilities and to create the best conditions for them during their stay abroad.

The project started with the Board of ESN 2008/2009 and it was approved in February 2008. European Disability Forum (EDF) joined the project.

A pilot group was set from April to September 2009. ESN, EDF and Youth Agora received the European Youth Foundation grant and the pilot project started with incredible results: 17 ESN Countries involved!

A wonderful logo!

Increasing the number of students with disabilities going on exchange. 2009/2010 0,14% of all Erasmus students were students with disabilities.

In the past there were several conferences and a booklet created for the project. Last year ESN cooperated with UNICA in a combined project where 5 cities visits were made, 5 movies and other material was created.

ExchangeAbility partners

Erasmus SOCIAL Network (ESN)

One of the biggest non-profit interdisciplinary student associations in Europe, founded in 1990 for supporting and developing student exchange.

E-mail: secretariat@esn.org

Website: www.esn.org

The European Disability Forum (EDF)

The European umbrella organisation representing the interests of 65 million citizens with disabilities in Europe. EDF membership includes national umbrella organisations of persons with disabilities from all countries of the European Union and European Economic Area.

E-mail: secretariat@edf-feph.org

Website: www.edf-feph.org

Youth Agora

A Brussels-based not-for-profit organisation, active since February 2008. Youth Agora’s mission is to improve the quality, effectiveness and accessibility of online information aimed at young people and produced by organisations dealing with youth information, volunteering, education and research.

E-mail: info@youthagora.org

Website: www.youthagora.org

ExchangeAbility International team

Alexandros Vigos – Greece, ESN KAPA Athens

Merlin Püss – Estonia, ESN Tallinn

Fabrizio Bitetto – Italy, ESN Politecnico Milano

Communication manager: Katharina Ma

New webpage: http://exchangeability.eu/

Contact: exchangeability@esn.org

FB: http://www.facebook.com/ExchangeAbility

Our objectives:In order to reach the goals of the project will during 2012/2013 focus on:

Communication:• Internal – mailing list, creating template

• External – contacting/searching partners

• Website – 1 website, adding information, keeping up to date

• Strategy – creating communication strategy

• Guidelines – involving the sections, gather practises, organizing, editing, distributing to the sections

Trainings: International – booklet, networkLocal – training national coordinators, tips&tricks

Mappings:Universities – information from other organizations, promoting

Sections – asking NR/national coordinators to update, present accessible sections

Publication – making more focused on ESN, accessibility and exchanges

Dissemination conference – depends on outcomes

ExchangeAbility Day – choosing the day (March), presenting

First steps for starting EA

Step 1Present to your ESN section the ExchangeAbility project.Find a section coordinator for the project.Inform us (exchangeability@esn.org) and your national coordinator (if your country has one).

Step 2Present to your university (international relations office) the ExchangeAbility project.

Step 3Improve your section's accessibility. Involve a student with a disability in your section.

Then what?

You can always take more ideas from what other sections are doing. Also if your section is being active and has done some actions for the project or if you have some alternative suggestions for the first steps, feel free to share them with everybody through this website (just send us an e-mail to: exchangeability@esn.org).

ExchangeAbility activities

About young people with disabilities

The development from a child to an adult is an exciting, but also very often a challenging period in one’s life, because young persons have to deal with a lot of physical and psychological challenges.

Young people with disabilities perceive this time in a different way from their non-disabled peers.

Challenges and Advantages of Youth Work and Involvement in

Youth Organisations

For young persons with disabilities, it is important to meet and share life experience with their disabled peers as they can often relate to each other in a special way. But being part of mainstream organisations also represents an opportunity to meet for an interest, and not for a disability.

Including students with disabilities into ESN’s activities

What can a non-formal training give to young persons with disabilities?

Shift from self-centeredness to an increased self-awareness and appreciation of others’differences.

Greater self-confidence and self-esteem

Tolerance and respect

Active participation skills

Feeling of belonging

Leadership skills

Communication and group skills

Impetus for counteracting stereotypes and breaking down attitudinal barriers.

Problem-solving skills

Examples of good practises and powerful role models

Foundation

The Greek ExchangeAbility team was founded in March 2012It is currently composed by:- National Coordinator, Hlias Konstantinidis- 6 Local Coordinators fromESN Athens AUEBESN AUTHESN KAPA AthensESN TEI AthensESN TEI PiraeusESN UOM Thessaloniki

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

What have we done?

We ‘ve created a facebook page for the promotion of the project.We started mapping the access of our universities, with the addition of video tutorials, for future upload to our sites.We organized the following events:- Meet the ExchangeAbility- Challenge Yourselves- Feel the Difference

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

Challenge yourselves!!

It was inspired from Esn Tallinn “Challenge your senses”

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

Meet the Exchangeability

With Cooperation with MDA Hellas!!

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

Feel the difference

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

What have we accomplished?

Made lot’s of people aware of the existence of ESN and the ExchangeAbility project.Integrated disabled people to our actions and motivated them to join ESN.Getting Erasmus students to know people with disabilities, thus raising their awareness and the other way around.

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

Future Plans

Expand our team with members from the rest of the sections in Greece.Finish the mapping of our universities and share the results with everyone through our sites (estimated by the end of the year).Cooperation with more associations with disabled people.Further integration of disabled people to our actions.

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

Future Plans

Organizing an ExchangeAbility Day for introducing and promoting the project.Create a promotional video with our actions.Having incoming or outgoing Erasmus students with disabilities.Improvement of the universities’ access and services.

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

Thank you for your attention!!!

Greek ExchangeAbility Team | exchangeability@esngreece.org

EXCHANGEABILITY YEAR

Workshop

ExchangeAbility Year

Which events we can organise during the year?

How to make the ExchangeAbility Day memorable?

What are the pros and cons?