The "an Erasmus for a Friend" project was created to offer incoming students from Bari universities an immediate, personalized, and comprehensive tutoring service (Buddy System). By assigning a qualified tutor (from among ESN volunteers and former outgoing Erasmus students from local universities, trained through an ESN training meeting) to each incoming student who requests it, the project aims to:
- Welcome incoming students upon arrival in Bari;
- Assist incoming students in carrying out the initial paperwork;
- Assist incoming students throughout their studies at the host faculties, removing obstacles to successful course attendance and fostering effective integration into the local university system;
- Helping incoming students integrate into the local community.
Implementation of the project involves assigning each Student Mentor to an Erasmus student or assigning each Student Mentor to a group of Erasmus students with homogeneous experiences. The Buddy System service is offered to first and second-semester Erasmus students. The response from incoming and former outgoing students of Bari universities is always significant. Each year, more than 300 incoming and 100 outgoings participate in the program.