Student Engagement

18th May 2017

[ezcol_1half]Dear valued ENOTHE Members,

In March you received an invitation to nominate two students who want to be engaged in SPOTeurope and in student engagement for ENOTHE. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end]To enable and stimulate the engagement of students, ENOTHE co-operates with SPOTeurope: a platform which is created to encourage and increase the connection between OT students from all over Europe.

Students can exchange their experiences, knowledge and ideas in an accessible way via the website, the forum and on social media. Thank you for you nominations so far. It is good to know students want to be involved!

We have also received some questions and so we have made a frequently asked question list to serve you and your students:

Why is ENOTHE asking for students as contact persons?

Under Strategic Area 2: Partnerships, ENOTHE is developing strong partnerships locally, nationally and internationally to increase our presence and to raise our profile and visibility. Students have united and ask ENOTHE to support an aligned platform. SPOTeurope has over 70 members from different countries in Europe and is growing. Towards 2020 SPOTeurope and ENOTHE will collaborate to foster, advocate and promote student engagement in ENOTHE activities, Projects and Annual Meetings. We have asked each individual member to bring forward and nominate two OT students who are enthusiastic, internationally interested and willing to be involved in SPOTeurope at least until the ENOTHE Annual Meeting in 2018, to preserve continuity.

Are students who are automatically part of the SPOT board a part of the ENOTHE student board too?

No, currently SPOTeurope is looking for new board-members to help take the platform to a higher level. Vacancies SPOTeurope (PDF 481.0 kB).
SPOT will select board members from the students who would like to contribute. Students nominated do automatically become a SPOTeurope member, but students themselves are in the lead for their activities within SPOTeurope and ENOTHE.

There is no ENOTHE student board (yet). Nominated students will be invited to help explore a student board of ENOTHE. Therefore we need to take some steps. Step one is to identify students who want to be engaged long term. Step two is a student session during the Annual Meeting to explore possibilities. Step three will be the creation of an advice to the ENOTHE board on student engagement.

Do these nominated students have to come to the Annual Meeting in Zagreb?

Preferably yes, but no, not necessarily. Of course it would be better if the most engaged students also are given the opportunity by their institute to participate in the Annual Meeting, but nominating them does not lead to any obligations. For example, it could be very good to send one of these students and the next year the other student in combination with novice students. The ultimate goal is continuity.

What then is the benefit for students to be part of this group?

The benefit is that through SPOTeurope we create an active network of students of who can also become more active within ENOTHE. Therefore we need a contact list so we can inform students on activities and involve them so they and their institutes can profit from the international network of SPOTeurope and ENOTHE, be informed on the latest developments and opportunities in European OT Education, and be involved in contribution to a higher quality of OT education throughout Europe.

How much time do students have to invest in being a contact person?

For now, the estimation is that students invest an average of 1hr per week (40hrs a year), with an increase of hours leading up towards the Annual Meeting.

Are students being financially supported by ENOTHE?

No, students, alike their lecturers, invest their own time in internationalization. It is of course an investment in international competences for which an individual institute can decide to reward the accredited or invested hours as any other extracurricular educational activities. Students can participate in Annual Meetings to meet face to face according to membership.

What’s next?

In May an ENOTHE representative will inform the nominated students once we have a complete and/or sufficient list of students. Students will be informed on preparations they can make towards the annual meeting and the student program.

Let students unite and contribute to a great and sustainable ENOTHE!

Warmest Regards,
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Marlies Nijenhuis | President of SPOTeurope

W: www.spoteurope.eu
Twitter and Facebook: @SPOTeurope
E: info@spoteurope.eu | marlies.nijenhuis@outlook.com[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]