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the Carlotta heard the sound of the heaviest door closing on January 31 in London. Thousands of them were under the London Eye, protesting without resigning themselves to the entry into force of Brexit. Europe, for her and the other Erasmus students that the United Kingdom had welcomed with open arms for one of the most important experiences of her life, was already far away. “I was the last to benefit from Erasmus programs and it seemed incredible to me – he says -. I was there, on the Thames, a lucky 24-year-old, winner like many others of a grant from the “Plus” project that had led me to work for three months in a London communication studio that deals with music. I had the world in my hand, but I was very sad. After me, no one would have lived that dream. ”
Brexit was and still is difficult for the generation of college travelers, who feel betrayed. Goodbye London, Oxford, Glasgow, Cambridge, Brighton, Edinburgh, Manchester. The farewell to the EU eliminates the possibility of more than 31,000 European students (Indire data for the 2017-19 biennium) leaving for a training period of three months to a year at universities across the Channel, and of almost 17,000 British students to populate our universities. The Kingdom abandons the European student mobility program. Perhaps, new partnerships with countries will be created. But among those who have experienced Erasmus, the chorus is unanimous. Carlotta Genga, 24, enrolled in Communication and Media Culture in Turin, is a spokesperson: “I can’t think of London, a city so cosmopolitan and full of possibilities, which closes in on itself. It is paradoxical. They too will lose, they will regret it. He had arrived in the capital last January, for three months of “traineeship” (internships), although he had to return to Italy fifteen days before due to Covid. Yet, he explains, that brief period in a large metropolis, where opportunities arise from meetings at a coworking table, “changed me forever.” Immediately, in addition to the positive impact of the language, “it taught me to orient myself, in general and on the subway, which is no small thing, then it taught me diversity.” Finally, before graduating, he has already found him half a job. “My London boss asked me to continue collaborating from Italy.”
Still, it’s not just students who lose with a farewell to Erasmus with the UK. Mirko Canevaro, 36, from Piedmont and professor of Greek History in Edinburgh, explains well what disadvantages the British will bring from training agreements: “Erasmus was a simple framework that streamlined exchanges and allowed the recruitment of high-level students, who then often stayed to do his PhD, “he says.” In a broader context, then, participation in European programs allowed the UK to earn more money than anyone else on EU research projects. ” from January 1, just to give an example, “the tuition for a master’s degree here for EU citizens – continues Canevaro – will cost between 14,000 and 25,000 pounds. Apart from immigration laws, which will greatly complicate access for Europeans, Who can afford it? ». Not to mention the” academic exchanges, fundamental for research. “Simone Papa, president of the Erasmus Turin program, is confident that” the experience does not end here, yet to be suspended for some time. ” In the words of Giacinto Falco, former Erasmus student in Edinburgh of the Normale di Pisa, «the original fault of the divorce? Maybe it’s Adriano, who built the wall. But this time, after almost two thousand years, “Britannia” will be on the other side.
