European Universities Student Ambassador Forum (EUSAF) 2024 in-person meeting in Warsaw

From September 12th to 14th, 2024, student representatives from across Europe gathered in Warsaw, Poland, for the European Universities Student Ambassadors Forum (EUSAF) in-person meeting, which UTSU's Vice President Anette-Mai Pirk-Birk attended. This significant event, hosted by the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), brought together ambassadors representing about 40 different European University Alliances (EUA) to discuss pivotal issues and collaborations concerning the future of European higher education.

What is EUSAF?

EUSAF is a platform for students from European Universities Alliances (EUA) to share their views, experiences, and ideas on the current and future state of higher education in Europe. EUSAF aims to foster student engagement, identity, and a sense of belonging within and across EUAs, as well as to provide input and recommendations to EUAs and other stakeholders.

Each year, the student ambassadors gather three times—twice online and once in person—to engage in workshops, discussions, and networking events designed to strengthen alliances and address pressing challenges in European higher education.

The in-person meeting in Warsaw

During the in-person meeting in Warsaw, participants engaged in two workshops, a panel discussion, and a lot of group discussions, focusing on key topics that directly impacted their roles and the future of European universities:

Workshop 1: Exploring the Role of Student Ambassadors and Identifying Key Priorities of the Initiative. In this session we discussed the similarities and the differences of our alliances. This meant that we talked about how the alliance’s student network is built, how much are they part of the decision-making bodies, even to the point of talking about how many students can and should be involved. We talked about the student engagement and how to get people to be more motivated and to be more visible for their work.

Workshop 2: Local Level Engagement – How to Foster Activities and Engage with Local Communities. In this session we talked about student ambassadors’ own skills, careers and experiences. Also, we tried to map the organizations which we would like to work with. We tried to find ways and opportunities to collaborate with different stake holders. We explored innovative forms, mechanisms, and programs for student participation and empowerment within the EUAs, as well as best practices and lessons learned from student engagement and capacity-building initiatives.

Panel Discussion. A key highlight of the meeting was a panel discussion where the three most-voted posters were presented. The ambassadors talked about their posters and practices in the alliances.

Group discussions: Sharing Best Practices and Addressing Key Challenges. Student ambassadors shared best practices from their alliances and addressed crucial topics such as effective communication within alliances, promoting green mobility, and ensuring continuity through succession planning. The discussion also touched on future scenarios and visions for the development of higher education in Europe through the European University Alliances and other platforms of cooperation.

The EUSAF meeting in Warsaw was more than just a discussion forum—it was a capacity-building opportunity. Organized in collaboration with the Erasmus Student Network, the event provided ambassadors with the chance to strengthen networks and forge meaningful connections. By learning from one another’s experiences and exploring innovative approaches to alliance challenges, we all took something for our alliances which we can apply into our Alliance.