Students
(BRUSSELS) – A new one-off initiative under the Erasmus+ exchange programme, unveiled Monday by the EU Commission, will enable around 5,000 young people to travel to another EU country in a sustainable manner.
‘Move2Learn, Learn2Move’, linked to the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus educational exchange programme, builds on an idea put forward by the European Parliament in 2016. It will be implemented through eTwinning, the world’s biggest teachers’ network. Part of Erasmus+, this enables teachers and pupils across Europe to develop projects together through an online platform.
“This initiative will enable young people to discover and experience first-hand different countries and cultures across Europe,” said Education and Culture Commissioner Tibor Navracsics.
Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said: “We want to give young Europeans the chance to discover Europe. We also want to encourage them to travel in an environmentally friendly way, which is why CO2 emissions will be taken into account.”
The initiative will be open to school classes of students aged 16 and above taking part in eTwinning. These are invited to indicate whether they want to be considered for free travel tickets which will be awarded for the best eTwinning projects in each participating country.
Social inclusion is seen as an important criterion in the selection of the best projects. Once the winners have been picked, they will be able to travel from August 2017 until December 2018, at a date of their choice. Students will either travel in a group as part of a school trip or individually, depending on the decision of parents and teachers.
All transport modes, operators and lines can be selected, taking into account sustainability criteria and points of departure and destination of the participating students. Some operators are supporting the initiative by offering a special rebate to the participants. These operators are: Aegean Airlines, Air Dolomiti, ALSA Grupo, Azores Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Comboios de Portugal, Croatia Airlines, Deutsche Bahn, Hahn Air, Iberia Express, Interrail, Luxair, Naviera Armas, Olibus, SNCF, Transferoviar Calatori, Trenitalia, Vueling and Westbahn.
eTwinning offers a platform for school staff (such as teachers, head teachers, librarians) to communicate, collaborate and develop projects as part of a learning community in Europe. In this way, eTwinning promotes collaboration between schools and pupils, and offers teachers opportunities for free and continuous online professional development. It has already connected more than 450,000 teachers.
