Free movers meet Erasmus: ITECE 2025
A look back at the ITECE Contest and why we chose to be part of it
Nicolò Branchi – CMO at wearefreemovers | July 29, 2025
A few days ago, we stepped into a university classroom, not as students this time, but as partners of something bigger.
On July 7th, the written test for the 13th edition of “Il Tuo Erasmus con ESN” took place in universities all across Italy.
The atmosphere? A mix of nerves, quiet focus, and silent hope.
Hundreds of students, each carrying their own story, sat down to try and win one of ten scholarships to kickstart their international journey.
This year, for the first time, wearefreemovers joined ESN Italia, along with other institutions, as official sponsors of this national initiative: one that brings mobility closer to students, whether through Erasmus or as a free mover.
But for us, putting our name on a banner wasn’t enough.
We needed to be there, in person.
And if you’re wondering where we showed up… we couldn’t resist going back to where everything started.
We joined the local sessions in Milan, not just because we could, but because it felt right.
Some of us studied there, walked those corridors.
Took tests in those exact classrooms (sometimes in full panic mode).
And when it was our turn to speak, something shifted.
A little shiver down the spine, a weird kind of déjà vu.
Because this time, we weren’t the students in silence, we were the ones standing at the front, telling our story.
A strange feeling, but a powerful one.
Because deep down, we know exactly why we’re doing all this.
Table of contents
1. Same dream, different starting points
Why we chose to support the ITECE contest
We didn’t support the ITECE contest for visibility, for branding or to tick some marketing box.
That’s just never been our thing.
We said yes because it felt right, because it matches what we’ve been trying to build from day one: a world where studying abroad feels possible, not complicated.
We know what it’s like to be on the other side.
To want to go abroad but have no clue where to begin, to feel stuck between hope and doubt, to wish someone out there would say, “Hey, I see you. And yes, you can do this.”
Whether you’re going through Erasmus or taking the free mover route, the goal is the same: opening up the world to those brave enough to take that first step.
Reminding students that studying abroad shouldn’t feel like a luxury, it should feel real.
So when ESN Italia invited us to take part in this edition of the contest, it felt like a natural continuation of the journey we’ve been on since day one at wearefreemovers.
A chance to align two parallel missions, and walk a stretch of the road together.
They’ve been supporting Erasmus students for years by creating structure, community, and guidance.
We’ve been doing the same, but from another angle: helping free movers navigate it all with fewer maps, fewer guarantees, but just as much drive.
Different tools. Different routes. Same mission.
And for once, those two paths crossed in the same direction.
2. A moment of connection
What we experienced during the event
During the event, we didn’t just show up, we connected.
We sat down with students and ESN volunteers, shared a few laughs, exchanged thoughts, listened.
They told us why they want to go abroad.
Some were craving something new, a culture they’d never experienced, a place they couldn’t quite imagine but deeply wanted to explore.
Others were just looking for a break. Something to help them breathe again, away from routines that no longer fit.
But in every voice, in every look, we saw something we recognized.
That spark.
That fragile but powerful mix of ambition, curiosity, and just enough fear to make it real.
And in that moment, something clicked. We remembered why we started all this, why we built a platform from scratch, and why we keep going through time zones, delays, midnight messages, and messy email threads.
Because supporting students doesn’t always mean changing the whole system.
Sometimes, it’s simply about being there.
Sitting across from someone and saying, with no buzzwords, no filters, “We get it. And we’ve got you.”
3. A shared vision
How Erasmus and free movers align
Our co-founder & CEO, Andrea Pellini, said it best in the official ESN Italia press release:
“For wearefreemovers, international mobility is a powerful opportunity for personal, academic, and cultural growth, something that can truly change lives.
We chose to support this contest because we believe in the collaboration between Erasmus and free movers, who share the same vision: opening the world to students.”
And that’s exactly what we believe, too.
Because in the end, Erasmus and Free Movers aren’t opposite choices.
They’re not rivals, they’re not in competition.
They’re simply two ways of stepping outside your comfort zone and into the world.
One may be more structured, the other more independent.
One might come with a guidebook, the other with a blank page.
But both are driven by the same force: the desire to grow, to explore, to change.
We don’t need to draw lines around who belongs where.
What we need is a system that puts students first, and makes space for all kinds of journeys.
A system where mobility means freedom, not confusion, where the route may differ, but the horizon stays wide open.
And where every student, no matter their background, passport, or starting point, feels they have a shot at chasing something bigger.
4. Looking ahead
What this contest means for the future
It was just one event. One day. Two scholarships.
But it mattered, not because of the numbers, but because of what it represented.
It showed what’s possible when different voices come together, not to compete, but to build something greater than the sum of their parts.
It gave ten students the chance to turn a dream into a plan, and offered countless others a reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, they could be next.
More than anything, it reminded us, right in the middle of the usual summer chaos, last-minute forms, and never-ending to-do lists, why we’re doing all this in the first place.
So thank you, ESN Italia, for the trust and the shared vision.
Thank you to every student who showed up, believed in their potential, and had the courage to take that first step.
And thank you to the quiet movement we’re building, the one made of late-night applications, hard choices, small wins, and brave decisions.
Because in the end, it’s always about people.
One student at a time.
One story at a time.
One door at a time.
What we’re building is more than a service, it’s a way of seeing the world.
And the best part? We’re only getting started. 🌍
