SFS is looking for two members for SFS's international committee Komit, which is the students' voice in the international education policy debate. One member is sought for one year and the other for two, the assignment begins on 2024/07/01 and ends on 2025/06/30 and 2026/06/30 respectively. The committee consists of 3 members, including a presidium and political secretary, and answers to the SFS board.
Members of the Committee are tasked with representing SFS internationally at formal events organized by the European Students' Union, ESU, and Nordic Chairman's meeting, NOM, but also in informal contexts linked to the international work. The committee's work can be followed through international reports to SFS board meetings and at SFS website and social media.
About the mission
Sweden's students and student unions are represented by SFS in international contexts. The assignment is carried out through a committee that assists with representation and advocacy work in an international context, for example at conferences around Europe. At the national level, Komit can represent SFS in discussions regarding implementation and advocacy work of international student political issues at both meetings and conferences. The international conferences are a total of six physical meetings per business year and are usually held in cities around Europe. Not all members will attend all meetings, but will be decided through dialogue at the beginning of the financial year. However, it is important to take into account when applying that participation can be expected at some of the conferences and that additional international meetings may be added.
ESU
As an organization, SFS is a member of the European Students' Union, ESU, which is an umbrella organization with 44 national student organizations. ESU represents approximately 20 million students from 40 countries. The committee represents SFS at the term-wise decision meetings, Board Meeting, and member meetings, European Students' Convention. In total, there will be four physical meetings per business year. More information about ESU's organization and current policy can be found here ESU's website.
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The Committee also represents SFS at the Nordic Chairmen's Meeting, NOM. NOM is a network consisting of member organizations from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. At the NOM meetings, common issues and possible solutions are discussed. The NOM meetings are also a platform for knowledge exchange. Meetings take place once per semester and are a total of two times per business year.
Expectations and commitments
The committee's work varies throughout the year with increased activity in connection with the formal meetings. For shorter periods, up to a week, it can be more intensive and time-consuming and with some time spent abroad. Every semester, Komit has three stays abroad. In total, there are six physical conferences around Europe to go to during an operating year, however, not all members go to all meetings. Submission for the committee usually takes place in early August, either the first or second weekend of August.
The SFS board expects, among other things, members of the Committee to:
- they participate actively both during and between Committee meetings and conference participation.
- they have knowledge and/or interest in student and educational issues at an international level.
- they are aware of and follow SFS' established guidelines and opinions in parts relevant to the assignment.
- they keep up to date on what is current within SFS.
- if necessary, they have the opportunity to set aside time for international participation, usually up to one week per semester.
- cooperates with and keeps other committees and the board updated.
The committee can expect confidence from the SFS board in international matters, that continuous feedback is provided and that the board continually gathers experience and provides the committee with relevant board documents. The committee's tasks are regulated in the rules of procedure and other relevant governing documents.
Qualifications and merits
Qualifications for the assignment are a genuine interest in student and educational issues on a national as well as international level. In addition, the applicant is expected to have knowledge and/or interest in familiarizing himself with the international issues and is comfortable with reading, writing and speaking in English, as a large part of the meetings are conducted in English. The applicant knows the parts of SFS guidelines that are relevant to the assignment and/or familiarizes himself with SFS policy. The goal is to have a committee with broad knowledge in the various educational policy areas that SFS operates in nationally and internationally.
ESU divides the work into clusters and these are: prerequisites for studies, mobility and internationalization, quality issues in higher education as well as governance and financing issues. You who apply are expected to have experience and/or interest in one or more subject areas.
It is advantageous if you have experience from the student union, student politics and/or if you have been active at university level or national/international commitments. Experience in international politics and EU affairs is also an asset, as well as having experience of being an exchange student. In case of equal merit, an equal and competently balanced committee is rewarded.
The preparation process
The committee will be appointed by the SFS board on May 25, 2024. Prior to the board's decision, the matter is prepared through interviews with candidates, these are carried out by a preparation group consisting of people from the board and the committee. The interviews will be held continuously via Zoom.
Nomination and application
Nomination of members must be done by a member union, a member of a member union or a board member of SFS. The nomination must contain:
- The candidate's personal letter with a justification as to why the person is interested in the assignment and comments on which clusters/policy areas the person has experience or interest in.
- Which mandate period(s) is/are the assignment sought.
- The candidate's CV that describes the formal qualifications in the form of education, work experience and other qualifications relevant to the assignment, including elected positions.
- Candidate's contact details: phone number and email address.
- Any contact details for the person responsible for the nomination.
If the above criteria are not met, the nomination will not be assessed. The nomination (with the above information) must reach SFS no later than 23:59 on Monday 15 May and be sent to SFS vice-chair Klara Dryselius, [email protected]. Mark the email with "Application/Nomination: Komit".
Contact
If you have questions or concerns about the assignment or the preparation process, you are most welcome to contact Komit via [email protected] or to responsible presidium Klara Dryselius via [email protected] or telephone 070 545 70 45.