The Whole World in Saint Petersburg

The third National Platform ESN Russia was recently held at the HSE University – St. Petersburg. ESN President, Elvira Spasskih, told HSE news service what it’s all about and how they organized the event.

How HSE St Petersburg Got Involved in ESТ

ESN is an international student organization which is currently represented in 40 countries and at more than 500 universities throughout Europe. Its main goal is to support foreign exchange students adapting to new countries and cultures. In St. Petersburg, this organization evolved from the ‘Buddy’ club. In July 2017, we took part for the first time in the inaugural National Platform (NP) in Moscow, which was conducted by the ESN section at HSE Moscow. ESN Plekhanov was formed at the same time. In the fall, a second NP took place in Moscow, and Plekhanov Russian University of Economics was the organizer. Their involvement encouraged us to propose organizing the next event at St Petersburg. At the Autumn meeting, I presented a draft of our NP, which was unanimously supported by all the sections. This is how the National Platform arrived in St. Petersburg.

Purpose of the National Platform

The National platform is an opportunity for representatives of all ESN sections from the same country to meet, discuss topical issues and exchange experiences. It usually takes place over several days in the format of workshops and presentations by participants. For example, presentations of the results of work from the previous meeting and discussions about successes and failures. It is an invaluable opportunity to communicate with colleagues and to find out what problems they encountered and how they solved them. In short, it’s an opportunity to discover best practices.

Results of the NP

The event was held on March 3 and 4 at the building on Kantemirovskaya and the general consensus by all participants, including the national ESN leadership, was that it was the best National Platform ever to be held Russia. There are currently 5 ESN sections in Russia (two in Moscow, two in St. Petersburg and one in Yekaterinburg), and all of them were represented at the National Platform in St. Petersburg. In total there were 43 participants from Russia, as well as visitors from ESN sections of Finland and Austria. After some long negotiations, we met with representatives of Pernod Ricard and agreed on the implementation of the Responsible Party project in Russia. We also implemented a new regulation on the inclusion of new sections in ESN Russia and SPbSU became a ‘candidate’ section in ESN. The section’s new logo was also presented and it will soon be made public on our official VK and Facebook pages.

Overcoming Challenges

The main difficulties in organizing the event were related to financing. We also organized accommodation and meals for participants. Our task was to make everything as accessible as possible and to ensure high standards. We had the support of the Center for International Cooperation of HSE University – St. Petersburg. They allocated significant funds, without which we would not have been able to organize an event of this size. Konstantin Platonov and Daria Zima provided invaluable assistance.

Emotions and Impressions

Obviously, organizing such a big event can be a nerve-racking experience. However, on the upside, the NP is the perfect opportunity to assess the problems your organization is experiencing from an outsider’s perspective and to find a solution using participants’ advice. Even a power cut on Saturday at the Kantemirovskaya building in the middle of a presentation by ESN HSE Moscow did not hamper proceedings! Despite not being able to rely on a Powerpoint presentation, it was still possible to present the new logo of the organization and to engage with an active audience.

Feedback from Participants

The standard of the event was extremely high and the presenters representing HSE St Petersburg were very charismatic. The board received many compliments for their friendliness and hard work. The HSE St Petersburg team works well together thanks to smooth and regular communication and will continue to grow and develop. Holding the National Platform is just the beginning of an exciting future for the organization!

Olga Konovtseva, ESN Ural Federal University

The organizing committee put together an excellent National Platform. They took very good care of guests from other cities, and also conducted a tour of St Petersburg on the first day. 

Irina Klimova, ESN HSE Moscow 

The details were carefully thought-out, from the breakfast cereal that was provided in the hostel, to the equipment and size of the auditoriums that were available to us.

Ekaterina Dobrovolskaya, ESN HSE Moscow

The board is wonderful and is a close-knit and engaged team. The ESN HSE SPb is very hospitable and have put together a great event.

Ekaterina Fedko, ESN Russia's national vice-president

At the event, local sections presented the results of their activities, established contacts with new universities and learned about the experiences of their European counterparts. It was an excellent networking opportunity.

 

 

 

 

April 10, 2018