The EuroPeers at CIOST 2024

What is the CIOST? A short introduction of the event.

CIOST is the annual residential staff training for Communication & Information Officers (CIOs) of the National Agencies for Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps . The training usually aims to improve cooperation, skills, share best practices, solve common problems, and develop projects together. The programme includes networking and peer-to-peer learning activities, expert talks, workshops, updates from the European Commission and other partner networks (Eurodesk, Europeers, etc), and other activities to share best practices and get inspired by the work of other National Agencies.

In short: the CIOST training is a place where EuroPeers can meet National Agencies and other networks to mingle and promote the EuroPeers project. In 2024 the EuroPeers were invited by SALTO Participation and Information to join and represent the alumni project to the international community of communication officers.

National Agencies want to listen to us!

How to communicate effectively with young people? How to reach young people from smaller towns and villages? How to set up a national network of EuroPeers? These are just some of the questions that EuroPeers and employees of national agencies jointly sought answers to at the annual communications meeting – CIOST 2024, held this year in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

The event’s agenda included several sessions on effective communication with young people and technical aspects of programs such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. The agenda was also held space for meetings with local NGOs, who talked about their activities and the challenges they face in the local reality of the Canary islands – the most serious challenging being the great distance separating the islands from the mainland and high unemployment, reaching almost 60% in the youngest group.

What were the EuroPeers doing there?

The EuroPeers delegation consisted of Marie – the International Coordinator of the Network, Antoine from France, Septimiu from Romania, Magnus from Norway and Kamil from Poland. Our task was mainly to inform about the existence of the network, its tasks and goals. For some employees of National Agencies, this was the first contact with Europeans, so it was essential to present our activities understandably. We had the opportunity to introduce ourselves visibly on the first day; during the morning session, we conducted a fun and activating energizer and an integrative game called Bingo. For many participants, the elements of non-formal education were new, but everyone joined in the fun.

In addition to providing entertainment, our task was to tell people about the network’s activities and encourage them to join. We held a session for participants to develop ideas for better cooperation and mapped out key challenges and solutions. We also had our information booth, although many conversations took place in informal time.                  

CIOST was an excellent opportunity to get to know the people in charge of communications at national agencies, share our stories with them, and most importantly, promote the EuroPeers network!

Here are some personal impressions of the EuroPeers that joined the team during the CIOST event in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

I have always believed in the values and ideas of the EuroPeers network, and the CIOST meeting reassured me that our community is needed and valuable; 

Many NA staff members pointed out the vital role of EuroPeers in communicating key messages to youth, so it seems we are doing a good job!

Kamil Oleszkiewicz (Polish EuroPeer)

Being given the chance to attend CIOST as a representative of the network was an exciting and challenging opportunity. I felt very lucky to contribute to the effort of this group of passionate and talented people and share my story and my views on the youth mobility programs. Being able to discuss the challenges faced by communication officers all around Europe and having a collective reflection on how the EuroPeers network could assist them was a very important but thrilling opportunity. Those four days were filled with learning, new experiences and helped me get more international sense of my belonging in the EuroPeers network as well. Getting to meet other EuroPeers from outside my country helped me in understanding that we really are an international movement, full of diversity and still united by our desire to share our experiences with mobility programs. My highlight of this really intense Week was definitely the open session we led on Thursday morning, it left me with a sense of being useful, capable of making a change for the better. And of course, sailing and capsizing on the sea was one of the funniest and most unique experiences ever.

Antoine Picarougne (French EuroPeer)

Meeting the people behind all the social media campaigns, info-posters and other types of communication of Erasmus+ opportunities was incredibly enriching. As a young person in the communication officers’ target group, it’s interesting learning about the challenges they face in reaching out to youth, and the methods they apply to enhance their work. Working together is the best solution to a better future concerning youth work, for both the young people and the people working with them.

Magnus Lenggren (Norwegian EuroPeer)

CIOST for me was a great opportunity to understand how Erasmus+ and ESC projects can be disseminated throughout outermost regions, isolated communities and disadvantaged youth of Europe. It gave me food for thought as an EuroPeer because now I understand that we need to be aware of the geographical and social disadvantages of our audience. I see CIOST as a good way of meeting other EuroPeers network members and promoting the objectives and values of our network.

Septimiu-Mihai Simion (Romanian EuroPeer)

The EuroPeers are the biggest alumni network of former volunteers that have been taking part in the European programmes. Together we form a community that has a lot of communicative potential – our super power is story-telling and promoting the mobility programmes to other peers. It is an honour to be invited to such a big event with a delegation of EuroPeers – we had the chance to share some recommendations with the communication officers. If you have more questions – reach out to us!

Marie Heimburg (International Network Coordinator)