What is the significance, importance of the ETSN? We would like to answer this question briefly in this short article.
The European Talent Support Network (ETSN), established in September 2015 as a collaboration of institutions with a partial or full focus on talent support, became the largest European NGO representing this field by the early 2020s. It brings together nearly 500 organisations active in gifted education in 50 countries, representing thousands of teachers and talent support professionals and providing them with information. It also demonstrates the huge interest in talent support in Europe and beyond. The Network is also unique in that it is the first NGO to think in terms of institutions and not individuals, but its development and evolution stems primarily from the past activities of ECHA, an NGO of experts in the field of talent support, psychologists and teachers.
The European Talent Support Network is still young, and it is still an evolving system in constant transformation, with the European Talent Centres, representing the hubs of the Network, and the European Talent Points, representing its nodes, being equal members. Due to its international character, the pandemic lockdowns broke the initial rapid growth and expansion of the Network, but we hope that it will recover in the near future, while being aware of the limits of headcounts and resources. For the Network to work and for its members to experience the benefits of networking and not to be confined to administrative boundaries, it needs the voluntary networking activity of those involved in it, which also has its limits.
When we talk about talent support in Europe, we must always bear in mind that talent support and talent support policies in Europe are very different, and the conditions for talent support may be completely different in the various countries. However, being part of the Network already provides a framework and prestige for many institutions in countries where the conditions and recognition of talent support are not ideal. In the non-European countries, the so-called Associated European Talent Centres and Points, belonging to a European organisation is a special prestige factor
We believe that the aforementioned size and unique features of the Network, and the advantages of networking itself make it worthwhile to join the Network
