Inclusion and civic engagement are two horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027, but approached as individual elements. Based on this observation, the Enriching Communities through Engaged Mobilities (ECEM) project wants to further develop the connections between civic engagement, internationalisation and inclusion. Ensuring active citizenship and participation in society is understood as a key element in the process of making mobilities more inclusive and societies more integrated. Ensuring a sense of belonging through actively participating in society, enforces inclusive and integrated societies at European level.

Are you working in a higher education institution on service learning? We'd love to hear from your institution's experience. Participate in the ECEM project by joining a focus group and/or by filling out this survey! 

The ECEM project seeks to:

(a) Increase the civic engagement component of mobilities in the field of internationalisation of Higher Education, contributing to making interaction with local communities the norm in mobilities

(b) Ensure recognition of learning outcomes for participants that take part in civic engagement initiatives.

(c) Improve the collaboration frameworks between Higher Education Institutions and other societal actors to make mobilities contribute to societal change and common European values.

The project brings together organisations representing students, Higher Education Institutions, national funding agencies and civil society parties and community organisers to create a cross-sectoral approach that improves policies and practices by creating tools to foster collaboration and improve implementation. It builds on the experiences of the project partners in the fields of inclusion and engagement, trying to consolidate advances that have been made in the last programme cycle. The project consortium will aim to influence the implementation of the current Erasmus+ programme at the different levels while paving the way for changes in the future Erasmus+ programme. It will do so through a combination of training events, research, policy materials and testing of activities on the ground.

The project is coordinated by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and project partners include, the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), SGroup – Universities in Europe, the Institute for Development of Education (IDE), CitizensLab (CLab).  The European Association for Service Learning in Higher Education (EASLHE) acts as an associate partner.