Participant's feed-back: The Interview

At the end of the 9 days of activities, an evaluation session was organized in the form of an interview, so a participant played the role of moderator / reporter and asked a set of questions to the interviewees (participants in the youth exchange who wished to offer a “formal” feedback). We chose to interview only the participants eager to share the experiences and impressions resulting from this mobility in order to obtain a feed-back as objective as possible:

Fighting against youth unemployment

For these activities our task was to brainstorm to make a short video about "Fighting against youth unemployment".

Divided in 6 groups, we wrote a script for our masterpieces, pointing out the problems and more importantly: the solutions. We had our supporting leaders of the team, helping us with editing, filming and so on.

To sum up, we were very fascinated and surprised with the outcome - creative content, representing our beliefs, consciousness and initiation.

Based on scripts, written the day before, our "actors" depicted the idea of youth unemployment.

Seeing the effort, each team put into their costumes and backgrounds, only further motivated the others. Undoubtedly the results are great with less than 4 hours of shooting. A big part of the credit should also go to the editors, which turned our raw material, which can be seen below, into the final project, which viewers can enjoy.

Our video’s aim was to raise awareness about youth unemployment and fighting against youth unemployment. We try to show our solutions about youth unemployment in our videos.🎥

All these groups has different point of view to show their solutions.

Applying for a job!

Today we had the task to try a role play about a mock job interview.

With our CVs and Cover letters readeeyyy with the job position we desired: English Teacher, Project Manager in NGO, Project Manager in Accounting company, Programmer, Translator and Physics Teacher... we were wondering and contemplating what are we going to do now.

6 volunteers were asked to be our interviewers (Berke, Chan, Tomi, Mary, Sharon and Jacek) and we had to simulate an interview, as it is the procedure:

▶️Dressing up

▶️Presenting ourselves in a proper way

▶️Additional preparation with questions to ask

▶️Research about the positions

Our facitiators greeted us, invited us to come in and kindly asked us to have a numer and wait in a queue for the interview. And there were our interviewers waiting for us. For some of us it was an experience we have neved had, for some stressful situation...because of the bizzare questions our bosses asked us, but in the end we all did wonderful.

Mary: “I played as an interviewer and I thought that it was cool to try once to be a member of the HR department. Thanks to this role play I had the opportunity to understand what a HR member expects and how you should act during an interview, what you should and what you shouldn’t do.” Michele, as an interviewee, took the job interview and managed to get the job as a translator. He had troubles to pretend not to know Mary at all, but everything was OK.

Secret Santa

"With the approaching holidays, before even the project starts we dicede that it would be so nice if we bring with us a little present from our country for someone here, just becouse Christmas is coming!!

At the evening of day 5 we have our "Secret Santa" event. No one knows what present would recive, and there was no chance for anyone to receive a gift from his nationality friends, so at the end every one get a gift from a different nationality. It was really funny, amazing and its only one time in a life to exchange presents with exactly with this people!"

"When it comes to Erasmus+ during late December, the Secret Santa is everyone's favourite activity. The preparation of the gift and the receiving both bring equal amounts of joy.

Amongst the presents one could find national sweets, flutes, souvenirs and much, much more. As different were the gifts, so were the reactions from surprise to pure joy.

Special thank you to the romanian team, which developed a special system, so no one gets a gift from their national team. An original idea, that worked wonders!

Thank you for the wonderful experience!"

Looking for a job

In this session we were given the task to present the status of the labour market for young people in our country, more specificaly the interest of employers and employees, online and offline soucres for finding a job and the skills and competences that companies are looking for in youngsters.

Each country had its time to present the best way thoroughly the information we already have pepared for homework. 📚

On balance:

Romania - most prefered job positions are in fast food chain restaurants such as McDonald's and KFC, also youngsters can take advantage of partialy volunteering in the army and receive income for their tribute👨‍✈️.

Turkey - 6 months mandatory military service for young adults, but universities are better and more preferable option, progressive tax, turkish people rock 🎓.

Italy - minimum wage ~1100euro, big difference between North and South, various opportunities for interns, brain migrarion🍕.

Spain - differenent regions offer various possibilities for interships with flexible payment acording to the location; + seasonal jobs.

Bulgaria - well-paid jobs are sales assistant and working in call centre; you can make a living from the tips you receive as a waiter, maternity leave - best in Europe💸.

Poland - Poooooland, they have different type of employment contracts and diverse tax policy, if you are under 26, you don't pay taxes. 

Woooo 🎉

We did such a great job! 😊

Pottery Workshop

"Today we went to visit Olari village, and the first impression that it makes me wore "there's ceramic plates everywhere", i asked myself "why..??" It turned out that place was known as Horezu's Pottery village.

We met guy called Mihail Bascu one of the best pottery craftsman there, he present us the history of that village. It also turned's out that this place it's actually included in the UNESCO HERITAGE! He showed us how to do pottery explaining us everything from the shape to the simbols painted in it. Mihail also showed us some of the simbols, like the rooster, tree of life, or the spider web.

After that he let everyone who wanted to make it's own ceramic plate, and it was really interesting especially for me, because i see this for first time!"

by Nikolai (Bulgaria)

"Today we had a pottery workshop. We went to the village called "Olari". We visit Mihai Bascu a true "Constantin Brâncuși" of ceramics. He presented us the history of Horezu Pottery, the only one pottery from Romania that is included in the UNESCO Heritage.

Also, he told us that every material and instrument is natural.

The main symbols of Horezu Pottery are: the Horezu rooster, the peacock feather, the sun, the fish and the snake are also secondary symbols.

In the second part of our workshop, the master Mihai Bascu showed each of us how to make our own plate of ceramics. We had a lot of fun doing it!"

by Alex (Romania)

Youth Unemplyment - lotus blossom activity

Today we start to introduce and speak about youth unemployment. We started with a brain storming to try to understand the causes of youth unemployment. It came out that the motivations are from very different fields and they are so many. From lack of interest from youth, to black market. As always we were split in groups and each group started to analyse a specific field, and to find also any possible solution. Divided in eight teams we needed to contemplate on them and suggest another eight subtopics as a results of the cause and solutions to tackle unemployment.

The first three presentations showed that the topic is more puzzling than what we were expecting. It was very interesting to share our opinions with our groups and try to find out a solution, even if most of them could be abstract.

Motivated and energized we came up with pretty fascinating lotuses, that boosted our teamwork.

The conclusion is that the purpouse of this kind of activity is to raise awarness of the issue and...it worked!

Paperclip Challenge

Today we have activity for group building. We created six teams to play paperclip challenge. 

The game was like that: we had the paperclips and we had to swap to more valuable things from local people. It was successful game because every group did their best!!

We use our body language to communicate with local people because of the language barrier. It was difficult to explain ourselves but we didn’t lose hope while we are making trade😜

All the team managed to exchange something: Christmas ornaments, pencils, pens, cigarettes, an original bracelet, an original and fashion phone case and some old beautiful chairs. It was really funny, challenging and crazy and we think that, if it was for that challenge, we wouldn’t have ever tried it.

Getting to know...

Getting to know each other...

Getting to know our sending organisation...

Getting to know about Erasmus+...

More to come! Keep tuned!

EXPECTATIONS, FEARS & CONTRIBUTIONS:

Traditionally one of the first activities during the project was sharing everybody's expectations, fears and potential contributions. All participants expect to learn more about the unemployment situation all over Europe, have fun, explore Romania and gain more intercultural experiences.

Some of us think that this exchange will bring them many benefits in their future job-seeking.

Regarding to the second category- the fear of tarantulas was the dominating one / a Polish participant collects huge spiders. Some people are pretty uncertain of their English skills and their ability to express themselves. However, all of us agreed that there is no reason for fear on an Erasmus+ project.

The contributions mentioned were various and interesting. Most of us are eager to share knowledge about our home countries, gain useful experience and keep our positive attitude in the whole process.

HOUSE RULES:
So during the making of the house rules we were separated into 6 teams. Each team had to come up with 5 rules for everyone in the span of 10 minutes. After that the groups took turns to present their ideas and we decided which of the rules are most important.

This exercise proved to be effective because of the big role that the participants took in inventing the rules, which lead to better understanding of their importance.

REFLECTION TIME:
Since all the days are filled with activities and opportunities to work together and build connections,at the end of the day we need some reflection time to think about how the time passed. First of all, they gave us an envelope containing some documents the individual reflection time paper and the individual envelopes. After we filled the documents we took “few minutes to let our mind wonder”.

Moreover, we decorated our individual envelopes in a creative way, personalizing them with our names hoping that they will be filled with some kind messages.

Finally, we stayed in our national teams exchanging feelings and ideas about the first day and also finishing our NGO presentation.

Find out about Youth Exchange!

The "Career Explorers" project is a multilateral youth exchange organized under E+ framework, to be held in Horezu, Romania, between December 11 and December 21st, 2019 (including travel days). 

The purpose of the project is to increase the level of knowledge, attitudes and skills (to know how to write a resume and cover letter, to know how to apply for a job or how to act at a job interview, etc.) and how to become active on the labor market for 36 young people aged 18- 30 and 6 group leaders (without age) from the 6 participating countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Spain, Romania and Turkey) for a period of 9 days.

The objectives of the project are aligned with the E+ objectives:

- Support young people to acquire skills that aim at their personal development, but also to increase employment opportunities on the labor market. Following the project, P will take concrete steps to find a job.

- Increasing employability and improving career prospects for young people. Discussions on how to choose a proper career, analysis based on personality tests and personal experiences will help young people better choose the next job, thus increasing the chances of building a long-term career.

- Through this project we try to respond to the priority: supporting the employability of young people with fewer opportunities (economic, social, but especially NEET).

Non-formal education methods suggested are designed to support the promotion of active citizenship among young people, to develop participatory attitude, to support reflection, tolerance and also the integration of intercultural differences. The non-formal methods included are various; these include verbal and non-verbal communication, visual communication, written communication. 

The youngsters (no team leaders) whom participate in this exchange will also receive at the end of the mobility, the Youthpass certificate, that validates the competencies acquired through the participation in the project activities.

* The Youth Exchange is a project where young people work and live together in an international group for a specific time. It consists of preparation, implementation, and follow-up activities. For the duration of the Youth Exchange, young people undertake a joint programme of activities with specific aims and objectives.

Youth Exchanges foster the mobility of young people in Europe. They encourage initiative and creativity in young people, facilitate their active participation in the project, and thereby provide an intercultural learning experience.

Find out more about our sending organisations!

All the partners involved in the project support and facilitate, through their active participation, the project objectives and also, european citizenship, intercultural dialogue and social inclusion.

The Starry Start of Talents Foundation deals with young people to help them develop their musical and dancing talents and tries to encourage them to develop their own skills, giving them opportunities to engage in useful activities. 

They organise symposiums, seminars, conferences, round tables in the field of culture, as well as music competitions and festivals in the country and abroad. We educate young talented people and organise public events for them. We do charity activities aimed at assisting young people who need financial and other support. 

The foundation organise children and youth art festivals “Starry moment” which take place in the National Palace of Culture, and also many concerts together with the National Agency for Child Protection, National Agency of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and Science, with the Sofia municipality.

Gaziantep Local Youth Group (Gaziantep Yerel Gençlik Grubu) is established on the 1^st December of 2014 by youth in Gaziantep.

Vision: motivated people creating the world inspired by each other, care and cooperation.

Mission: encourage people to care about their lifelong learnig

Goals:

I. Implement non-formal education;

II. Find a bridge between formal and non-formal eduation;

III. Develop creative thinking;

IV. Support youth in identifying their skills and abilities;

V. Encourage entrepreneur thinking;

VI. Promote the cooperation between young people;

VII. Organize personal development trainings, culturel events, outdoor activities, job fairs, seminars for students and abroad opportunities.

European Foundation for Education and Sport (Europejska Fundacja Edukacyjno-Sportowa) is an organization working since 2014, mostly on international level. 

Their mission and the main goal is to promote creation of positive environment for development of NGO sector and civil initiatives focused on human rights, civil society development, promotion of European values especially in the field of multiculturalism and intercultural dialogue, also through sport. 

Working towards development of Europe EFES pay special attention to international cooperation and sharing those values with non-EU countries. They also focus on strengthening cooperation between NGOs, business environment, and authorities in order to empower the process of removing sociocultural obstacles in social integration and support the inclusion process. 

EFES vision is reaching synergy which will give greater possibilities of having impact of actions directed to European society. They want to achieve active participation of individuals in life of local communities, faith that one can have influence on the direction of social development, which will help us strengthen relations between European citizens, based on basic European values such as tolerance, equality, peace, democracy.

DESES-3 is an organization that works with young people, offering them opportunities of comprehensive training programs, while giving priority to those who are unemployed or have a cultural, social or economic disadvantage. 

They aim at social inclusion and thus provide the space and projects that will allow youngsters to develop their social skills. 

DESES-3 works on different topics depending on their respective goals. 

I. Organize and disseminate training activities and information events on the topic of Health and Disease Prevention. 

II. Inform, sensitive raise awareness and manage activities related to the environment. These aim at environmental protection, educating the public, disseminating useful information and ensuring an enjoyable time for their participants. 

III. Carry out activities such as courses, seminars and training days regarding leisure time and more. 

IV. Contribute to the personal development of individuals and help them to achieve their full potential – physically, intellectually and socially – as citizens. Attention is given to those who are most in need of assistance. These could be people unprivileged socially, culturally, economically, physically, mentally, ethnically etc.

V. Develop Actions and Programs for Social Intervention and Integration. 

VI. Carry out Activities, Classes, Camps, Youth Exchanges, Tours, and trips with and for children and young people, linking to the areas of Formal and Non-Formal Education. 

VII. Develop all kind of activities in Free Time and Non-Formal Education. 

VIII. Promote activities, programs, projects relating to societal integration and the incorporation of immigrants into our society. 

IX. Develop proposals and actions on gender equality, providing support to women, and promoting their inclusion and equal participation in society.

Scambieuropei is a Cultural Association dedicated to youth formed by a group of young people specialized in a wide range of fields, including but not limited to: non-formal education, international cooperation, communication & marketing and social work. 

The mission of Scambieuropei is to provide and promote mobility opportunities for young people in order to help them improve their work and/or educational skills. It undertakes several initiatives to promote and enhance active European citizenship, intercultural communication, social integration, media and journalism.

Scambieuropei also serves as a recruiter and professional mediator, helping match young adults seeking employment with European companies and NGOs, activating SVE's and internships throughout Europe. 

One of Scambieuropei main objectives is to promote the concept of “European citizenship” through the exchange of good practices and multicultural learning. That is why since 2010 they became an accredited EVS sending and coordinating organization.
Furthermore, Scambieuropei works with mobility activities for VET learners as hosting and coordinating organization. In this case, their aim is to provide young people with practical tools and knowledge about EU programs in order to develop their own initiatives.

Scambieuropei portal www.scambieuropei.info attracts over 800.000 viewers per month, the number of followers on our Facebook page totals well over 100.000, while their newsletter has more than 26.000 monthly subscribers.

In the Summer of 2011, they launched their online magazine dedicated exclusively to European Culture and trends which now serves as an excellent medium for users/ community members on the move to share their exchange experiences. 

If you want to know more about our project partners, please check the following links:

- The Starry Start of Talents Foundation [Bulgaria]

- Scambieuropei [Italy]

- Europejska Fundacja Edukacyjno-Sportowa [Poland]

- DESES-3 [Spain] 

- Gaziantep Local Youth Group [Turkey].

Find out more about our hosting organisation!

“Initiative Sociale” Association is a NGO that has been created in July 2012 by the founders who wish to produce changes in youth mentalities and to motivate the young generation to cooperate for a better society and to motivate them in taking initiative.

"Initiative Sociale" is an association of young people and its mission is to promote and implement non-formal programs for the young generation.

Our objectives and mission are to create and develop national and international youth exchanges, programs to promote European partnership among young people, professional development of European standards and practice, to organize summer schools and conferences, to promote social initiatives among young people, to create and develop different programs regarding orientation and professional counseling.

We would also like to concentrate on promoting social economy and social entrepreneurship; we would like to offer support and provide technical assistance to young people who want to start a business, especially the social businesses initiatives. Also, we would like to provide support in creation and development of programs for democracy among young people and will promote the concept of Active European Citizenship.

Another objective is to create partnerships with private companies, NGOs and public institutions to create projects for our community and social initiatives among young people.

If you want to know more about our association please follow us on:

- Facebook

- Website