It was a tragedy for our young people that the UK withdrew from the Erasmus+ scheme when the country left the European Union. Now is the time to campaign for the UK to rejoin the scheme and Leeds for Europe with the Young European Movement are presenting a public meeting on 17 February to support that campaign.
Benefits of Erasmus+
During his time as prime minister, Boris Johnson developed a reputation for being a little bit economic with the truth. An early example of that occurred in January 2020 during Prime Minister’s Questions when he stated, “There is no threat to the Erasmus scheme. UK students will continue to be able to enjoy the benefits of exchanges with our European friends and partners.” But then on Christmas Eve when his “oven ready deal” was announced we discovered that political dogma had taken over and the UK would no longer take part in the Erasmus+ scheme.
The government then introduced its own Turing Scheme to replace Erasmus. Now I don’t want to go through a feature-by-feature comparison of the two schemes, but it is generally accepted (apart from in government circles) that Turing is inferior to Erasmus+. For example, Turing does not pay any of the university tuition fees. The Turing Scheme is non-reciprocal and does not allow foreign students to come to the UK, which has an economic consequence. Universities UK International estimated leaving Erasmus could cost the UK £243mn a year.
Erasmus+ does not only benefit students who wish to study abroad; it also supports training, youth, and sports. It provides opportunities for students, educators, and young people study, train, and volunteer in Europe and aims to enhance skills, employability, and personal development.
Erasmus+: a personal testimony
What does it mean to the young people who benefit from the scheme. Laura is the niece of a Leeds for Europe member, and she provided us with this personal testimony:
“I completed my Erasmus year in Nice in the south of France as part of my BSc in International Management and Modern Languages (French) at the University of Bath. As part of this degree students were required to work or study abroad for between 9 and 12 months. I opted for undertaking a 12-month work placement.
“My placement was working as an events coordinator for Amadeus, who specialise in IT solutions for the travel and tourism industry. I gained a lot from my placement as I was able to demonstrate that skills I learnt were transferrable when applying for graduate roles. In addition, being immersed by the culture and surrounded by French speakers, my language skills greatly improved.
“Although there were a range of professional benefits from undertaking a year abroad with Erasmus, the most exciting part of the experience for me were the personal opportunities.
“I lived amongst the most beautiful surroundings on the sunny Cote d’Azur, and near tourist areas like Cannes, Monaco and St Tropez. The weekends were full of trips with fellow Erasmus students to explore the local area including trips to nearby Italy, skiing in the alps, scuba diving, sporting events such as the Monte Carlo Formula 1 Grand Prix and Monte Carlo Masters (Tennis) in Monaco. We also ventured inland to natural areas like the Gorge du Verdon.
“It was a wonderful experience which, 12 years later, I look back on with great fondness.”
Campaign for change
I don’t think ‘tragedy’ is too strong a word to use when describing the effect that the loss of the Erasmus+ scheme has had on our young people. In the referendum 73% of 18- to 24-year-olds voted to remain in the EU and nobody born this century voted to leave the EU. Our young people have been let down by the older generations and we owe it to them to help them regain the benefits and opportunities that programs like Erasmus+ gave to their predecessors.
That is why Leeds for Europe is proud to present in conjunction with the Young European Movement, a public meeting on 17 February to discuss why we need to campaign to rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme. Admission is by tickets, for which there is no charge. Guest speakers are:
Cecilia Jastrzembska, head of events and national coordination for Young European Movement UK
Cecilia is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the Young Fabians, of EuropeTalks and on the Control Commission of Young European Socialists. She regularly does speaking engagements on women’s rights, AI and international affairs including the UN and the International Human Rights Commission. She writes for a range of political publications including the Oxford Political Review, iGlobal News, Backbench UK and Policy Network among others. She is also a board trustee for a charity supporting Ukrainian refugees and an ambassador for 50:50 Parliament.
Ray Kirtley, chair of the UK Global Learning Association for Schools
Ray managed the International Resource Centre for Schools and Colleges at the University of Hull from 1997 to 2016, coordinating Erasmus+ projects, arranging conferences and promoting eTwinning and other collaborative European projects.
Cameron Thompson, vice-president of the European Union Affairs Society at the University of Leeds
Cameron studies as an undergraduate in international relations, with a focus on and personal study of European democracy and political trends.
For more details or to book tickets, please click here. You can also sign the Young European Movement petition to get back into Erasmus+ here.
