Get Involved
If you have spare time to spend on not only your studies, but also something important in terms of student representation, this is the right moment to get involved in the Student Union of Latvia (LSA)! We believe that students have always been the ones who lead the country to change. We believe that change begins in our heads.
If you have the same opinion, let us know! We want to see you in our team! At first you can give input in some of the workshops and eventually climb the ladder of success just like the LSA Board members have.
How can you take part in the LSA activities?
- Attend different LSA workshops, in which diverse questions are looked at. If you are not willing to participate in a particular direction, you can become a part of an LSA project organizer team. Find out more about the projects offered in the “Projects” section.
- Become an LSA council member – a representative of your student council in the LSA Council. You can be nominated to a council member only by the student council of your higher education institution (HEI).
- Run for elections and become a member of the LSA Board! To be in the board, you must be confident about your capabilities and must be willing to represent the students. Of course, support from the LSA Council and a nomination from a student council is necessary. However, you already know that nothing is impossible, right?
- Become the President of LSA by proving the participants of the General Assembly that exactly you are capable of leading the biggest student organization in Latvia. You can do it!
For you to make a decision, which direction suits you best, get acquainted with the descriptions of LSA Board activities:
The Head of International Affairs secures international representation of students of Latvia on an international scale. The integration of the international higher education dimension into every-day work of the Board of LSA is another task, which is achieved by implementing internationally confirmed guidelines and recommendations in Latvia according to the appointed positions whilst taking student’s interests into consideration. By working in the international affairs work groups, you will have the opportunity to:
- Learn about the progress of Bologna Process in Latvia;
- Get acquainted with the communication and cooperation with the European Student Union (ESU), Nordic Organisational Meeting (NOM), Baltic Organisational Meeting (BOM);
- Get to know the collaboration with student unions of other countries, student councils of higher education institutions, as well as other international institutions;
- Check out counselling of students about external mobility, study-abroad opportunities and exchange programmes;
- Learn about giving statements and information to foreign country organizations about the processes of education in Latvia;
- Get to know about informing students of Latvia about diverse international, current events.
The main task of the Academic Affairs Officer is to provide progression in the quality of higher education in Latvia on a National politics scale. The quality must be corresponding and competitive in Europe and the world, and students must have the opportunity to participate in the evaluation of internal quality, as well as external quality. By working in the academic affairs you will have the possibility to:
- Regularly follow the news in the branch of higher education on a national and international scale;
- Engage in projects, which promote higher education and its quality in Latvia;
- Be the first to know about international events related to academic questions and participate as an LSA activist;
- Find out about news in the higher education of Latvia, discuss unclear questions or acute problems with knowledgeable and interested people, and so on.
The main responsibility of the Social Affairs Officer is to advance the availability of higher education by providing students with opportunities to focus on studies without social or economical obstacles in their way. On a daily basis LSA evaluates and lobbies student-friendly solutions for social security issues. By working in the social affairs, you will have the chance to work on:
- Reform of state-vested student loans;
- The criteria and allocation of state budget scholarships;
- A study on the access of higher education for people with special needs;
- Hygiene demands and the availability of dormitories;
- Public transport expense facilitation for students in regions;
- Taxes and eligible expenses for higher education;
- Raising the capacity of student councils regarding the social dimension;
- Implementing the European Higher Education Areas Social Dimension recommendations in Latvia.
The main responsibility of the Internal Affairs Officer is to take care of the existence of LSA, its members and other internal questions. This is necessary for the successful operation of LSA and in-depth participation of LSA members in every-day work. By working in the internal affairs, you will have the opportunity to:
- Communicate with student councils of higher education institutions about current events and issues affecting the students;
- Encourage an independent, legitimately elected student council in every higher education institution;
- Consult and assist student councils in developing their internal regulations and other documents;
- Promote building the capacity of LSA members and student representatives;
- Facilitate giving a full insight into LSA’s work by informing LSA members of the accomplished.
The Public Relations Officer searches for creative, enthusiastic people willing to work in a student organization on a higher level by popularizing LSA’s image to activate student’s movement in Latvia. You can take part in the public relations if you are active and creative, have ideas on how to promote LSA’s image or simply want to cooperate with superb people and gain new knowledge and practical experience.