miercuri, 28 decembrie 2016

My “little Erasmus”

We make decisions everyday - some of them are important, some others not really. That October morning, I had no idea that the decision I make will get me for over a week to the Romanian seaside city, through Rome, Bucharest and Budapest.

While I was scrolling through Facebook I saw a post about a youth exchange in Romania. I didn’t pay much attention to it and moved on with my daily routine - at least till the moment when I met up with my very best friend Ania that has seen the Romanian exchange post as well.
“So, maybe we could do this”?
“Well, we don’t have plans for November anyway…”

And just half an hour later we were applying for our “little Erasmus” as we used to call this exchange. In the next weeks we found out that a group of six is going to represent Poland. The group consisted of two more of our friends, we bought the tickets, made to-do lists for every city we were about to visit and planning everything before going on the trip. And when the four of us landed in Bucharest after two sleepless nights, a night of sightseeing Rome and some issues with my luggage being too big while the size of it was actually ok, we knew in four hours we are going to start the proper-educational part of our exchange, do quite a lot of activities on start-ups that scared us a bit because of their professional sounding names - at least that is what we saw in the schedule. But as soon as we got in the bus that was going to take us to Eforie Nord we all fell asleep (some of us were even snoring which really annoyed the driver - but don’t worry Artem, you didn’t disturb our sleep). 

Later that evening when all of the participants from other five countries arrived we were sitting in an “exercise room” and I looked at them as a bunch of strangers, wondering what am I doing on this project, if my English is good enough to be able to debate and work on a social entrepreneurship topic with others. As I found out our whole group consisted of 30 people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds but sharing similar fears in this very moment. In the next few days we had some integration games and team building exercises. 

We have been on two trips where we had a chance to see a real social enterprise and hear a story of how it was built from the scratch, we could learn more about Romanian history in ethnic museum in Constanta. During “culture” nights I had a chance to find out more about home countries of the participants. I know how it may sound - you imagine now that I saw a few presentations and now I’ll proudly say that I know something about the Turkish, Bulgarian or Romanian traditions. The truth is that during these nights I learnt how to talk with Italians just using gestures, I took a part in Spanish corrida or what’s more important the polish team could show other people that our culture does not consist of drinking vodka (however, it’s a big part of it). I was also lucky enough to celebrate my birthday during this Erasmus adventure. While I was expecting to hear “happy birthday” song that day, there was much more waiting for me. First, right after midnight, when I was already in bed, watching some videos on youtube, half-awake, Ania and the rest of the polish team had a surprise for me – they knocked on my door and when I opened them I saw all the participants holding balloons, singing and having a “birthday bread” for me.
Later that day I had so many birthday group hugs, heard so many wishes that I stopped to even count them. And when I thought that nothing else is going to happen – boom! and I was in the middle of a circle made of everyone singing (again) and I got a real birthday cake this time. All these events left me speechless so many times that I was scared I’d lose my voice forever. 

During the last days we worked on our social businesses. Well, if anyone ever told me I’d be enjoying writing a business plan for a rehab facility that is a farm at the same time I wouldn’t believe them! But here I was - loving calculating the price of the bio cow, etc. What we didn’t know back at that first evening was that we were all going to stand in the same room in ten days not as group made of 30 random participants of one of the Erasmus+ projects but as a friends, as open-minded people that share the same interests and hobbies (not fears anymore), taking part not in one of the projects but being a part in the START-UP MACHINE project. What happened? I like to believe it was magic of Erasmus.


When I got off the plane in Warsaw, Poland I knew nothing was going to be the same any more. It’s already been more than a month since I did it and I still can’t get over the feeling that Ania is going to wake me up saying that I’ll be late and I’ll have to do “spanishment”, I’ll eat ciorba watching Romanian music videos at my polish-bulgarian table, I’ll hear “allora”, someone will say “hola Ola” thinking it’s a brilliant joke, the member of the Spanish team will ask “ok?”, our facilitator will say “beautiful” when he sees something he doesn’t like or I’ll chill in my room with all of the members of the polish team. But I won’t. And that’s the only sad thing in this little Erasmus of mine

by Ola (Poland)

luni, 19 decembrie 2016

Business plans for social enterprises

After doing a lot of work for their social enterprises, but enjoying at the same time the whole process, the participants had to prepare the final business plans and "to apply" for financing. 

Firstly, the facilitators gave them information and hints about how to present the final business plans. They read it carefully and then, respecting the given deadline, they put the pieces of the puzzle all together (elements of identity, advertising plan, the marketing and budget planning parts and all the other necessary elements).
In the end, they submit the final business plans to an e-mail address; this was the first thing to do in order to enter the competition for getting financed.

After working enthusiastically for their social enterprises, they got one last challenge: to convince the "investors" that their ideas are worthy of their attention. Every team had 5 minutes to present their business idea and then they answered the questions that the “investors” had.

All the teams did a really great job and they payed attention to details, that made the competition even more keen, so finally, all the business plans were financed.

*Below you can check all the business plans developed during the project:
- CeraWorld
- Rainbow Caffe
- Re-plastic
- Fattoria di Vita
- Refood
- Unitrade.

miercuri, 30 noiembrie 2016

Starting-up new social enterprises

Aim: generating ideas, concepts and models of new social enterprises throuth active participation of young people

Method: brainstorming, teamwork, debate

Description: For this activities, the participants were divided into multinational teams and they had to discuss, debate and choose the following:

- the services and products that their new company will offer the customers,
- the the name, slogan and logo of their new enterprise;
- to create a video, a commercial and a Facebook page for their new enterprise.


They discussed and then they decided what each of them should do, based on the professional qualities of each member of the team. 
Firstly, the participants created a Facebook page of the social enterprise and did all the necessary settings. 


Then, each team created an eye-catching video in order to present the company to the others.

luni, 28 noiembrie 2016

Study visit into a social enterprise

Beside all the activities implemented through non-formal education, we also had a study visit into a real social entreprise from the region.
Here, the participants had the opportunity to find out the "story" of this social enterprise (how and why it was established, how they did the business plan, how they found the financing) and of course, to get some "tips & tricks" from the initiators of the social enterprise.







duminică, 27 noiembrie 2016

Why and how to start a (social) business?!

During this working session, the participants had the chance to share with the others examples of good practices (in matter of social enterprises). Also, they had the possibility to share their point of view about why and how to start a social business.

Aim: to facilitate the communication between participants

Method: acting and editing videos

Description: Participants were splitted in teams. They had to prepare a videos talking about social entrepreneurship, about social enterprises, about good practices in their communities and about why and how to start a social bussines.

Outcome:
- Talking about social enterprises
- Example of good practices
- Social entrepreneurship & social enterprises
- Social inclusion through social enterprises

sâmbătă, 26 noiembrie 2016

Youth on the Labour Market

During this activity, each national group had the chance to show the others youths labour market status from their country.

Aim: discovering youths labor market status in the six participating countries

Method: teamwork, presentation, debate

Description: each national team has presented to the others youths labour market status from their country. For these presentations they have chosed different types of presentation such as: writting, drawing, radio news and so on.
Secondly, after all these presentations, we did an brainstoring to identify differences and similarities of the youths labor market in the 6 participating countries and we have discussed (Agora) about the identified issues.

vineri, 25 noiembrie 2016

What social entrepreneurship is ???

During this activity, the participants had the chance to show the others their point of view regarding social entrepreneurship. This activity was the very first step to discover this concept which was also the topic of our project. In order to make us understand their perspective on the topic, the participants were splitted in national teams and they prepared their presentations by acting.

Aim: to facilitate the communication between participants and to 
show the others their point of view 

Method: acting and editing videos

Description: Participants were splitted in national teams. They had to prepare a videos / theatre plays on the topic of the project - social entrepreneurship. 
They had to brainstorm and to come up with the best ideas; they also had to decide on their roles and to improvise on costumes, music and background. In the end, they also had to act the movies / theatre plays in front of the audience (the participants from other teams).
They had different materials to use and were encouraged to express creatively.

Outcome:

joi, 24 noiembrie 2016

NGO Fair



Aim
:
finding more information about the partner organisations

Method: interactive fair

Description: The participants were splitted in national groups, each of them representing the sending organizations. They were given time to prepare their presentations and they were also given materials in order to make promotional materials and to arrange their own space. After all the preparations, it all worked as a fair; the participants went to each organization, asked for information, discussed about the old projects of the organizations, but also about the new opportunities and most importantly, they got contacts in order to collaborate in the future. The two most important results of this activity were networking and partnership building.



ERASMUS+ & YOUTHPASS





















There is always a good opportunity to discuss about the Erasmus+ Programme and what it can offer to us, since there is a big lack of information regarding this. That’s why we had a sepcific debate about the Programme, involving question & answers and some personal experiences from the participants, but also concrete information about it, like facts & figures. Therefore we discovered together the new opportunities of merging with other cultures, religions, countries, topics, etc.


We also discussed about the Youthpass certificate; what it means, what skills and competencies it validates and what are the benefits of having such a certificate.





miercuri, 23 noiembrie 2016

Mission Impossible


Aim: to facilitate teamwork 

Method: teambulding activity

Description: Participants are split in mixed teams and they receive a list with tasks (to take a photo with the people from the town, to find some museum or important building in the area and to take a picture in front of it, to take a photo of a certain statue, to obtain an information from some infopoint etc.). While completing the tasks they discover the community and the area in which the exchange takes place. Through this method, participants will develop teamwork competences and they have the opportunity to interact with local people.


TASKS:

Pictures:
1. Entire team making a human statue of the word „YOUTH” on the beach.
2. Entire team’s reflection in something other than a mirror .
3. Entire team jumping (everyone must be in mid-air for the picture to count).
4. Three pictures involving water in the outdoor environment.
5. Entire team with a local person.
6. One or more members of a team under a public clock at exactly 11:43 AM.
7. Each team take 3 pictures of something that suggests in their vission : social
entrepreneurship (3 pictures) and erasmus+ (3 pictures)
8. Entire team with a flying animal.



















Videos:
1. The whole team doing the Macarena dance together in a public place (video)
2. A team member asking a stranger if they will marry them (video/picture)
3. Each team make a short video about social entrepreneurship in which they will be the
actors.


marți, 22 noiembrie 2016

JUMP Activity

Instructions:

  • Read all the steps aloud
  • You will follow 7 steps
  • Everyone gets the same amount of time, this needs to be timed
  • Everyone is equal in this process
  • Follow each step exactly as it is read to you
  • Give each person and each contribution your full attention. Be curious and get inspired byothers
  • This group conversation should contain a maximum of 6 people
  • Make sure you inform participants about how you keep the time and signal moving to the next person. Read all the steps aloud.

Step 1: The promise

We promise each other the following 3 things:
1.I will not judge myself and others in this group
2.I promise to support myself and others in this group, in the steps we want to take
3.Everything that is being sais in this session will stay amongst the group members

  • Check with group(s) whether they can agree to this. Do not proceed if there are doubts orclarifications to be had!

Step 2: Celebrate your success

Inform participants: For this step we will take 2 minutes per person

Read aloud:
“Share a personal success. Something you are proud of, something you did yourself out of your own capacities. It can be something small, or something really big. Everything is ok, as long as you are proud of it. To success belongs applause! That is why everyone will be applauded to after his or her contribution.

So: What are you proud of?”

Step 3: Who are you now?

Inform participants : For this step we will take 2 minutes per person

Read aloud:
“Share how you feel right now. What do you think about, how do you feel in your own skin? You can share an anecdote or keywords. Everything that comes up is good. After each turn the group
members will compliment. Be aware: Do not give feedback or advise. Take care that you are not hiding advise in your compliment.

So: Who are you right now?”

Step 4: Where do you want to go?

Inform participants : For this step we will take 2 minutes per person

Read aloud:
“Share with the others which jump you are willing to make. If that step is not very clear right now, that’s ok. Just share out loud where your thoughts lead you. The others listen carefully to your story. No reactions, no answers, no advise, no feedback. Nothing.

So: Where do you want to go?”

Step 5: Replace and receive

Inform participants : For this step we will take 2 minutes per person

Read aloud:
“In this round you will become your right neighbor. Go sit or stand in his or her place and give yourself (while being this person) the best advise possible. Start your sentence with: “My name is (name of your right neighbor) and the advise I am giving myself is…”. Again, no comments or opinions. We listen to each other carefully. After everyone’s turn, we move back to our old place.”

Step 6: Your next step

Inform participants : For this step we will take 2 minutes per person

Read aloud:
“Decide on your next step: What are you going to do or what will you stop doing? Share this with the group. After each turn, we will reward the courage necessary for this step with a round of applause. Be aware: No words!

So: what are you going to do or stop doing?”

Step 7: Appreciation

Inform participants : For this step we will take 3 minutes for the whole group

Read aloud:
“Tell each other what you are grateful for. It can be anything: Words, people, experiences… You do not need to wait for your turn: Speak whenever you know what to say!”

  • Congratulate participants for sharing their steps. Maybe do a short debriefing about howthey feel right now and what this experience meant to them, without them disclosing anyspecific information they have shared in the groups. Finish this session by saying:

“Thank you for participating in this conversation. Use the outcomes for your own benefit. And do not forget:

If we all take steps, society is moving


WALK & TALK Activity


We have called the activity “Walk and Talk” because that is exactly what happens!
It really is that simple. The participants walk outside the activity room, and talk with a partner. Here is how we set it up.

Step one: Number each participant either one or two.

Step two: Ask all the participants who were given the number one to stand up and make a line at the side of the activity room.
















Step three: Ask all the remaining seated participants to go and find a partner.


Step four: Give the group a topic to talk about. 

Step five: Demonstrate to the group that you want them to walk in laps around the outside of the activity room and talk with their chosen partner. They will form a long line of pairs and all follow the same path.


Step six: After a minute or two, we ask the participants to stop walking and ask all the people assigned as a number one to move forward to the next partner. They then continue walking and talking.
We repeat this several times until they have walked and talked with all the other partners.