FOLLOW-UP

Follow UP Activity from Spain participants

The activity was held in our NGO, Egeria Desarrollo Social, in the center of Malaga on September 4, 2023 for 2 hours (from 5 to 7 o'clock). More than 40 participants took part in the activity, from new youngsters in our NGO to veterans. The group included people from 16 to 30 years old, both boys and girls. First, we made a semicircle separating the veterans from the future participants to let the new ones know how the experienced ones have learned and loved their projects. After that, the president of our NGO (Rocío) made a brief introduction about the NGO, the Erasmus+ project and the impact it has on society. She also asked the veterans stuff related to youth work, volunteering, involved with their local areas, even inviting them to help in our NGO. Then, she presented us and we started the dissemination. Unfortunately, our projector didn't work. Instead of showing the presentation which we created for this activity, we just talked.

First, we asked the new stakeholders of our NGO to write down anonymously on a paper the fears that they have facing Erasmus+ projects. When they finished, they had to fold it and put it inside a bag. While we were speaking of our experience during the project, we asked veterans to pick one of the papers from the bag, read it out loud and share their knowledge and tips about the matter. We discuss different fears such as not being able to sleep, not fitting in with the group, getting lost, losing the ID or passport, not understanding other cultures or way of thinking. We shared our opinion regarding the location and accommodation which we enjoy and the memories we create at night together in the room. Also, the activities we had were better than we could ever have expected such as learning about social problems in groups, talking with the participants that had business, energizers, meeting the other participants and also each of us talked about the company we built the last day. Moreover, we gave details about our favorite day and moments, we taught them about intercultural night and resolved their doubts encouraging them to participate in projects. Finally, we ended up the activity by having a coffee break in which we were able to speak closely motivating new future participants and we were able to promote new projects.

PERSONALIZED ARTICLE

We woke up early to go to María Zambrano station in Málaga where we took a train to Vigo with a stop in Madrid. When we arrived, we took a bus to Oporto and then an Uber to the hotel where we stayed, the 'Meu Hotel'.

We loved the hotel, we shared rooms of three. The Spanish boys ended up together, while Divya, the only girl, stayed with two Greek girls. After seeing our rooms and leaving our suitcases, we headed to have dinner at the restaurant where the other participants were. Later, we came back and rested after the long journey.

On Thursday, the first day of the project, we did energizers and team-building activities to get to know each other better. However, we also started with the foundations of entrepreneurship which we developed over the next few days.

The next day, we presented our three ideas about several social problems in our local area, Malaga. We talked about massive tourism, antiquated baccalaureate education and the difference between what youngsters study and what they end up working. Furthermore, solutions that already existed were mentioned and some new ones were also proposed to improve the situation.

On Saturday, our free day, we went to visit Porto. We saw the famous Don Luis I Bridge, and the well-known Lello Library and we had the pleasure of tasting 'francesinha', a typical Portuguese dish. We enjoyed everything we could before leaving by train and bus to the hotel.

The next few days were used to select a social problem and to create a social enterprise to solve it. In order to achieve this, we investigated in groups the roots of the issue, specifying who was affected and how it could be solved. We developed a prototype, carried out tests and finally we presented it to the teams. It is amazing how much can be learnt from teammates and the product of working as a team, giving an outstanding result surprising everyone. Even the local television came to interview us about this project.

The last day before coming back was emotional. We spent the time we had left talking to our new friends, promising we would see each other again and saying goodbye to the ones we shared so much in so little time. This is not just an experience, this is an adventure which we will never forget.

PARTICIPANTS' IMPRESSIONS FROM THE PROJECT:

Ángel: I have the opportunity to take part in the Erasmus+ "LASE" Launch A Social Enterprise. From start to end (5-13 July) I learn the huge path a young person needs to make to develop entrepreneurship. We were lucky not only because some of the participants shared with us their experiences in their companies but also because of the well prepared trainers. With the activities and sessions they make it clear the steps to start and work in your idea which will help the society. Furthermore, the moments we shared with the participants were amazing and some of us hope to see each other again. Definitely happy to have lived this experience with all of you.

Divya: Taking part in this Erasmus+ has been an amazing and unique experience. This project has taught me and clarified some concepts about entrepreneurship with funny and entertaining activities. Furthermore, it has also motivated me to create my own company someday. It was encouraging to hear the experience which some participants had about entrepreneurship. What I liked the most was the activity in which we had to create a company based on a social problem from every participant country. This made the activity more special as some of us were trying to give solutions to our daily life problems making a benefit of it. However, this nice experience could not have been possible without the great atmosphere between the participants. I felt welcomed and included by everyone, especially with the trainers. They encouraged me to talk when I needed help, but they also respected me when I didn't want to. The trainers made everything entertaining, clear and organized. I would also like to thank the host organization for their affection and concern about our well-being.

Juan Antonio: Having had the opportunity to participate in this project has been very good. This has been my first project in which I have participated, it has also been my first time outside of Spain, in which I have learned many things about creating your own company, in addition to having met a lot of people from other countries and have improved my English level. The organization of the project was very good and also the organizers very well prepared. The environment, accommodation and everything was good.

Pablo: This was my first project and it was incredible. In this project about launching a social enterprise I have learnt a lot about social enterprises, I have also learned to communicate more fluently in English and made a lot of friends that I will never forget. Apart from that the organization was fantastic, if there was any error or something that we didn't like they were trying to find a solution instantly and I think that's very important. Lastly the accommodation for the project was incredibly I wasn't expecting that.

Links to the posts on social media:

Dissemination activity:

El día 4 de Septiembre organizamos una jornada sobre la participación juvenil y el programa #erasmusplus. 🛫Durante el evento explicamos… | Instagram

Post on social media:

Post on social media of organization:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0n1awoi38Hh7dBT7Dwdf1c8LMRtwcAi9mrNCQVGiWGrNiUffpq13NL95dkMCc57Pl&id=100064559807410

SPANISH TEAM