Student communities in

France
Oleksandra Kanunnikova
Anhelina Vishchun
192
 FAGE – National Federation of Students’
Associations
• Created in 1989 and recognised as the first representative students
organization
• FAGE is a member of CNESER (National Council of Higher Education
and Research), CNOUS (National Council for Social Support), CNAJEP
(National Youth Council), CESE (economic, social and environmental
council), CNDSI (national council for international development and
solidarity)
 Aims and missions
• Committed to the objective of building a social democracy, the FAGE is a
student organisation that brings together young people in mutual respect
of their personal, philosophical, moral or religious convictions. It defends
pluralism, respecting humanist, republican and European values.
 Its action, aimed at the general interest and the
construction of a democratic society, has the following
goals to:
• To be a player in the social and • To encourage the assumption of
solidarity economy, for which it responsibility by students and
intends to ensure the expression more generally by young people
and promotion of values. As such, by ensuring a popular education
it develops and manages services approach as defined by its
or works of general interest and educational project;
social utility social utility ;
 Union Nationale Lycéenne – UNL
• At first, it was supposed to create
links between student councils but
it quickly spread all over France
and now represents the interests of
all students.
• Since its creation, UNL became
the main student stakeholder and
representative body when it comes
to discussions with the
government.
 Main Aims
• Today, UNL fights against the French government that gradually, day after
day, destroys our public school system. Since three years the government
policies are in line with the private sector to the detriment of the public,
secular and free school system. The French government does not provide
proper responses to the students’ needs and expectations. They say they
are trying to reform the system, but all they are doing is trying to set up a
liberal policy based on profit and competition which UNL does not agree
with.
 The “Stronger School Student Unions”
(SSSU)
• The “Stronger School Student Unions”
(SSSU) programme is a tailor-made
programme to foster the capacity of
OBESSU’s Member Organisations in
different fields. We also want to create the
grounds for a better cooperation, mutual
support, peer learning and knowledge
management in school student organisations.
 Through the different actions of the
programme we aim at:
• Fostering the sustainability of student
organising in our membership through
mutual learning and sharing
• Enabling in person sharing and
learning of organisations in regions
with similar issues
• Giving concrete benefits to the
constituency and enlarge the reach out
OBESSU currently has
• Developing ideas for further student
organising development and cooperation
strengthening
• Enabling exchange for staff members of our
membership who very often face very
specific challenges (working with school
students, working with volunteers)
• Fostering cooperation with emerging school
student unions not involved with OBESSU
yet and strengthen such movements
The programme will investigate 6 main challenges
common in school student organisations:
• Knowledge and turnover management
• Sustainable finances and human resource management
• Political impact and outreach
• Representation: structure and constituency
• Democratic decision making and inclusion
• Digital technologies in activism and education
 Erasmus Student Network (ESN)
• They are present in more than 1000 Higher Education Institutions from 40
countries. The network is constantly developing and expanding. We have
around 15,000 active members that are in many sections supported by so
called buddies mainly taking care of international students. Thus, ESN
involves around 40,000 young people offering its services to around
350,000 international students every year.
ESN is working in Higher Education (HE):
• offering services to 350,000 students
• 15,000 active members (40,000 with
the buddies included)
• mainly on a volunteer basis
• with an average annual growth rate of
12% since 2005
• ESN is operating on three levels:
local, national, and internation
• ESN works for the creation of a
more mobile and flexible education
environment by supporting and
developing the student exchange
from different levels and providing
an intercultural experience also to
those students who cannot access a
period abroad ("internationalisation
at home").
 Aims & Principles
• works in the interest of international
students
• works to improve the social and practical
integration of international students
• represents the needs and rights of
international students on the local,
national, and international level
• provides relevant information about
mobility programmes
• motivates students to study abroad
• works with the reintegration of
homecoming students
• contributes to the improvement and
accessibility of student mobility
• cares about its members
• values volunteering and active
citizenship
 Who is it for?
• However, the main focus of ESN is placed on current exchange students, who often face
problems (and feel abandoned) in their new environments. Therefore, ESN offers help in the
academic, social and practical integration process. This is mainly done through activities in
the local sections, which include cultural and social events such as trips to various places
within the country, film nights, language projects, international food festivals and last, but
not least, parties. In addition to that, many sections have introduced mentor systems, which
help the international students mainly in academic and practical integration.

• ESN also provides relevant information and encourages future exchange students to gain
international experience and gain relevant insight into different cultures.