Erasmus is not just trips, parties and excursions. It is also an extraordinary opportunity to leave a positive mark on the community that hosts us. This is exactly where the Social Impact Days come from: for two weeks, Erasmus Student Network sections all over Europe organise activities that put the social impact of international students and their active role in society at the centre. (Erasmus Student Network)

At international level, the Social Impact Days are a biannual campaign involving hundreds of ESN sections in over 40 countries: during these days, events are promoted around health and well-being, social inclusion, education and youth, environment, culture, skills development and employability. The goal is always the same: to enrich society through international students, by putting them in dialogue with local communities. (Erasmus Student Network)

This autumn, ESN Perugia is also taking part in the Autumn Edition of the Social Impact Days (17–30 November) with a programme focused on health, rights, remembrance and active participation, built together with local organisations.

Why ESN Perugia believes so strongly in social impact

As ESN Perugia, we have been working for years to ensure that the Erasmus experience is not a “bubble” separated from the city, but a bridge between international students, Italian students and local communities. The Social Impact Days are the ideal framework to showcase and amplify this work.

We feel particularly close to social impact topics because:

  • we believe that international mobility shapes active citizens, not just academic tourists; (Erasmus Student Network)

  • we collaborate with associations, institutions and local groups committed to human rights, health, inclusion and youth participation;

  • we want to give students the chance to put values such as solidarity, respect and responsibility into practice through concrete actions: donating blood, taking a test, joining a workshop, listening to a testimony, visiting a school, remembering together the victims of hate and violence.

Compared to ESN’s “classic” events (welcome parties, trips, cultural nights…), these activities have a different “fabric”: they are co-organised with local organisations, often include educational and training moments, and ask participants not only to “show up”, but to take a stand, get informed, take action.

What are the Social Impact Days, in practice?

In simple words, the Social Impact Days are:

  • two weeks of events with social impact, connected to causes and topics that matter to the community;

  • an invitation for international students to get to know the city and its vulnerabilities, not just its tourist spots;

  • a chance to do something concrete: a test, a donation, a workshop, a training session;

  • a meeting space between different worlds: associations, universities, youth groups, health services, local activism.

ESN Perugia’s programme: what we will do and why it matters

During the Social Impact Days (17–30 November), ESN Perugia is offering a series of events designed to bring together awareness, training and concrete action.
Below is an overview of the main activities and their meaning.

1. HIV & STI Testing – PEG Checkpoint at Omphalos

An event dedicated to prevention and sexual health, open to both international and Italian students.

Why it is important:
Talking about sex in an informed, safe and non-judgemental way is essential. A quick and free test can change a person’s life, allowing for early diagnosis and breaking the taboo that still often surrounds HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

What makes the event special:
It is not just a health service: it is a moment of health education, of dialogue with professionals and volunteers, and a concrete way to take care of ourselves and of the people with whom we share intimacy.

2. TDOR – Creativity & Art Lab with Omphalos

On the occasion of the Transgender Day of Remembrance (20 November), in collaboration with the Youth Group and the T Group of Omphalos, we are proposing a creativity and memory lab dedicated to trans and non-binary people who are victims of hate and violence.

Why it is important:
TDOR is a day of remembrance, but also of struggle. Transforming pain into art means giving a voice to those who too often do not have one, and creating a safe space where we can talk about identity, rights, discrimination and allyship.

What makes the event special:
It is not a simple art activity: it is a community moment, where international students and citizens of Perugia can meet, listen, learn and build together a language of respect and humanity.

3. SOS Erasmus – “Be a doctor for an hour”

A special lesson within the Be Italian project, led by doctors and health professionals, to learn some life-saving manoeuvres and basic first-aid skills.

Why it is important:
Knowing how to react in an emergency – choking, sudden illness, an accident – can literally make the difference between life and death. For those living abroad, knowing the basic vocabulary related to health also helps to navigate the local health-care system.

What makes the event special:
It is a perfect example of tangible impact: after one hour you have not only learned new words in Italian, but you have also gained practical skills that are useful for you and for others.

4. Blood Donation with AVIS Perugia

A day dedicated to blood donation in cooperation with AVIS and local health-care facilities.

Why it is important:
Donating blood means directly supporting the health-care system and people who need transfusions: cancer patients, people involved in accidents, those undergoing complex surgeries. It is an act of solidarity that has no national borders.

What makes the event special:
For someone on Erasmus, taking part in a donation is a powerful way of saying: “this city is also my home, and I take care of the people who live here.”

5. “The Importance of Asking for Help” – against violence towards women

On 26 November, right next to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), we return with the third edition of “The Importance of Asking for Help”, an event dedicated to preventing and combating gender-based violence.

The initiative includes:

  • contributions from experts who work daily on domestic, psychological and gender-based violence;

  • the screening of a short film created by Erasmus students or in any case linked to relationships and warning signs;

  • a space for questions, open discussion and sharing of useful resources (help desks, associations, support contacts).

Why it is important:
Talking about violence is never easy, but it is necessary. This event has become a fixed appointment for ESN Perugia, because we believe that asking for help – for ourselves or for someone close to us – can save lives.

What makes the event special:
It is a moment in which the university community, associations and international students sit at the same table to say together: violence is never a private matter, it concerns all of us.

6. Erasmus in School

During the Social Impact Days, ESN Perugia will also bring the Erasmus experience outside the university and into schools, with Erasmus in School activities.

Why it is important:
Meeting school students means inspiring them to imagine their own future in Europe, explaining what it means to live and study in another country, talking about languages, rights, and mobility opportunities. (Erasmus Student Network)

What makes the event special:
The stories of international students become educational tools, and Erasmus becomes visible even to those who may never have heard about it up close.

7. “Erasmus Opportunities: mobility in play” – Europe Direct & Collegio di Merito La Sapienza – Unaosi

On 27 November we will bring the Social Impact Days into the Collegio di Merito La Sapienza – Unaosi, thanks to a collaboration between ESN Perugia, Europe Direct Umbria and the Collegio itself.

It will be a moment of non-formal information open to all students of the Collegio, where we will present Erasmus mobility in all its forms as a key opportunity for personal, academic and professional growth.

We will talk about:

  • Erasmus+ and its different strands,

  • Erasmus Mundus,

  • Discover EU,

  • Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP),
    and other opportunities for study, traineeships and training in Europe.

Why it is important:
Many students find out late – or never find out – how many opportunities exist to study, train and move around Europe. Putting these opportunities “into play”, in an informal and dialogic setting, means reducing the distance between official calls and students’ real lives, answering questions, dispelling fears and making mobility something truly accessible.

What makes the event special:
It is not a simple frontal presentation: it is a space where those who have already had a mobility experience can share their story, those who are curious can ask questions without fear, and everyone can start imagining their future on the move. In full Social Impact Days spirit, mobility is not presented just as an individual privilege, but as a tool for openness, responsibility and European participation.

Why you should join

You might think: “But I wanted to live my Erasmus light-heartedly…”
The truth is that the Social Impact Days events do not take anything away from light-heartedness – they add depth to it.

Taking part means:

  • getting to know yourself and your values better;

  • learning something that can change your life (or someone else’s);

  • discovering local associations and organisations you might keep collaborating with;

  • living Erasmus not only as a personal experience, but as a gift to the community that hosts you.

For ESN Perugia, these events are a very simple statement:
social impact is not an “extra”, it is part of our Network’s identity.

And the Social Impact Days are the time of the year when this identity becomes visible, shared and – above all – open to the participation of everyone, both Italian and international.

We are waiting for you.