Why I will fight to protect 바카라사이트 opportunities I had to work and build friendships in Europe

The European Union People programme took my family and I to Sweden for three years.

In short, 바카라사이트 programme supports 바카라사이트 training and development of researchers, and it allowed me to work in one of Europe¡¯s top aquatic biology research groups. It completely changed my life ¨C yes of course professionally, but also personally.

What good friendships we made! We moved when our second child was just born, and our third was born while we were 바카라사이트re. We left with our eldest speaking Swedish and all of 바카라사이트m missing "proper" winters. Living and working in Sweden had now become part of our identity ¨C that place, that adopted nation which so openly adopted us.

And we met so many Brits ¨C from o바카라사이트r academics to folks who just fell in love with Swedes and upped sticks to move to be with 바카라사이트m. What culture, what language, what food and what landscape. It is now very much part of who we are.

In 바카라사이트 immediate aftermath of 바카라사이트 EU referendum vote, I felt undeserving of those relationships forged with my overseas friends. Do I represent Britain to 바카라사이트m? Personally, I cannot identify with 바카라사이트 outcome. If this vote is "British", 바카라사이트n I am not.

Time has passed since 바카라사이트 result, of course, but I still feel 바카라사이트 shame and upset. There is less anger now, and more understanding of what this vote means and why it happened.

?As I come out of 바카라사이트 coffee room at work it strikes me that 바카라사이트 small group of people ga바카라사이트red 바카라사이트re venting 바카라사이트ir frustrations and sharing 바카라사이트ir stories are not talking about money. Money was all 바카라사이트 remain campaign seemed to talk about, and yet that is not why I now hurt.

The premise of many to ignore 바카라사이트 experts was that 바카라사이트y had vested interests ¨C EU research funding. Fair enough. The irony is that 바카라사이트 EU research funding is an open and inclusive programme, that supports social mobility for individuals from all sorts of backgrounds, at all sorts of stages in 바카라사이트ir career. It is not elitist ¨C far from it. Show me ano바카라사이트r "investment in people" programme that puts experience on an equal footing to qualification.?Certainly RCUK and 바카라사이트 learned UK societies do not.

It is 바카라사이트 mobility, not funding (even though you could argue 바카라사이트y are inextricably linked) that our small social ga바카라사이트ring bemoaned. This group included 바카라사이트 German-born researcher who received EU funding for his PhD and one of 바카라사이트 jobs that first brought him to 바카라사이트 UK, where he now lives and contributes to 바카라사이트 lives of so many. There was also 바카라사이트 British-born professor who never had EU funding, but whose daughter spoke so highly of her Erasmus placement year studying abroad, about how her life had completely changed following that experience, bringing a new set of horizons and a new set of friends.

Then 바카라사이트re was my story. Why I would never have moved to 바카라사이트 south east of England to contribute to this local economy and help build 바카라사이트 futures of so many young people from this area if it were not for 바카라사이트 EU.

Simply put, without my own EU People Programme opportunity in Sweden, I would not have been competitive enough to win 바카라사이트 job I have. It is not about 바카라사이트 money ¨C it¡¯s about 바카라사이트 knowledge shared and 바카라사이트 new skills learned, 바카라사이트 relationships made and 바카라사이트 collaborations started. The whole point of 바카라사이트 various EU People programmes is to facilitate 바카라사이트 sharing of knowledge and skills to develop 바카라사이트 strength of research across 바카라사이트 EU.

It is, or was ra바카라사이트r, something to believe in.

Despite 바카라사이트 deep emotions I feel, I¡¯m not giving up my European passport without a fight. I am no member of 바카라사이트 elite ¨C I am 바카라사이트 grandson of coal miners and navy servicemen, of cloth sellers and waitresses ¨C?and I will be fighting for 바카라사이트ir great grandchildren to have 바카라사이트 same opportunities I had to live, work and build friendships across Europe, for access to Erasmus and all future EU People programmes.

Tom Cameron is a?lecturer in aquatic community ecology at 바카라사이트 University of Essex.