Once upon a time in a small, beautiful green country called Slovenia, something magical happened. It was the year 1999 when the Erasmus program finally reached us and we sent our first students for their Erasmus exchange to Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and other countries. And what did they bring with them when they returned home? Erasmus Student Network with a lot of ESN spirit! They loved the idea so much they established the first sections.  

It wasn't long after the first sections had been established when they decided to organize an AGM and take part at the international level. In the past years, we have always been involved in projects at the international level and two of our ESN members were part of the International board. At the national level, we have been promoting mobility programs and every year we have had more in more incoming students from all over Europe. With the years going by new sections were established and by the end of 2003 we had 5 sections in 4 cities across the country. All our sections have been cooperating in different national in international projects and every year the number of ESNers in Slovenia is higher. So the sections decided that it was time to establish a national board. It took us some time but finally, after almost two years of brainstorming and preparations, it happened. In November 2013 we've elected our first National Board.

But this wasn't our only big achievement of 2013. After 12 years we did it again - we organized an AGM for the second time, this time by ESN Maribor. It all started with a joke while drinking coffee, but became reality after AGM Granada in 2012. All the sections stepped together to organize an event for more than 600 people and we succeeded; we did one of the best AGM - at least such were the comments of the participants.

Besides ESN events we've got involved in some other projects like the European capital of culture in 2012 and the European capital of youth in 2013. So we prepared some events for Erasmus students, ESNers and locals, but the most known were the New Year Countdowns in 2011 and 2012 where we successfully collaborated with other students organizations.But there is one more project that we're proud of Balkan Section Meeting. All the Balkan countries were talking a very long time about making an event for our sections and Erasmus students but till 2013 nothing actually happened. On the AGM 2013 at the Balkanaria NP, ESN Maribor came up with the idea to make something like a section meeting, but just slightly bigger and so the BSM was born. Sadly the idea didn't last, but at least our sections had to opportunity to attend the first ever Balkan section Meeting, organized in by ESN Macedonia in cooperation with other ESN countries from the Balkans.

In the following years, apart from organizing the annual NAs, we did not host any major events. We actively returned to the ESN international scene in 2021. In the spring of 2023, we also re-established a new stable board for ESN Slovenia.

In the same year, in October 2023, ESN Maribor also organized the CEP. During CEP, we held a large mobility fair. Together with the ESN community and our sponsors, we joined hands to fuel innovation, volunteering, and growth across the region.

Right now, we are involved in projects like Erasmus Intern, ErasmusJobs, and Erasmus in Schools, which became very popular after the corona time. ESN Slovenia has been at the forefront of several top initiatives, covering multiple fields and causes. We actively promote outgoing Erasmus opportunities, encouraging more students to experience international education and cultural exchange. We assess the quality of education to ensure our students receive the best possible learning experience abroad. Our Green Erasmus initiative focuses on promoting sustainable practices and environmental awareness within the Erasmus community. We cooperate closely with national organizations to strengthen our network and support our mission. Additionally, we foster international branches of cooperation, building strong ties with ESN sections and institutions worldwide to enhance the global reach and impact of our programs. These initiatives reflect our commitment to innovation, quality, and sustainability in all our endeavors.

Our main goal will always be to keep up the good work, be active on local, national and international level. Do our best to promote mobility and share the ESN spirit so the network can grow and get better with each generation. But who knows what the future holds...;  

Source: ESN History Book

Date of first section established in the country: 1999 
Date of inclusion in ESN International: 1999 
Creation of National Board: 2013 
Number of sections: 3