Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are seen as ivory towers that are disconnected from the wider community. In order to overcome this problem, eight partner organisations and two associate partners have teamed up to build on and improve an existing project, the highly successful SocialErasmus, in which exchange students at European HEIs do voluntary work in their local communities. The aim of SocialErasmus+ is to improve the existing activities within SocialErasmus, spread them to more HEIs and schools all over Europe and eventually include them in important policy tools related to the Erasmus Programme. SocialErasmus+ will propose both macro solutions (changing practices of HEIs) and micro solutions (tools for students, schools, associations).

During the course of the project, we will develop guidelines and frameworks in order to encourage voluntary work in local communities, as well as a platform where all information related to SocialErasmus+ can be found and where interested parties (exchange students, HEIs and schools) can find each other and establish new partnerships.