Be Your Own Boss: First Erasmus+ Experience

About 1,5 months ago, I had my first Erasmus+ experience within the Positive Impact Association. The youth exchange took place with 35 people from 4 different countries. The aims of the project were to provide entrepreneurial education in a way that was non-formal and to share the knowledge that we gained during the project with each other. In this project, which I participated in quite spontaneously, I had the opportunity to try and see myself throughout the training.

     I realized that I am not that successful in the subjects that I am confident about. For example; I faced issues that I said “I could do for sure”, but could not act consistently and do. When I came back to the project, I focused on these problems and fixed them. To tell the truth, it was the best achievement for me personally! I can say it made me self-criticize and take action. Moreover, I would have been late for that if I hadn’t been there. 

     Furthermore, getting to know new people and cultures in an environment I’ve never been to was a wonderful experience. You speak different languages, share different beliefs, and live in very different places with these people you have never seen before. Apart from that, you realize that at some point in your life you have faced the same problems and felt the same emotions. So I felt pretty sincere and lucky at that point too. Despite all these differences, it was enjoyable to be able to share something with them, listen to them, and make friends with them. Don’t mind me saying “differences.” The main thing is that these are not obstacles to us anyway. That we are similar to each other and find each other among these differences.

     I should also mention to you how things work there. Firstly, there is great organization and effort behind this youth project. I could clearly observe that all my friends and the team were disciplined and working hard. I witnessed the importance of the balance between managing the crisis, finding constructive and economical solutions to any setback, and communicating directly with the participants. There was a great operation behind what seemed to be. Therefore I had a brief understanding of how an organization works and what a project consists of. With the opportunity offered by PIA, I decided to develop and train my knowledge on this subject.

      It was a very different and unforgettable project for me, who had never stepped outside of her comfort zone before and defined herself as an “introvert”. At first, it was like getting into cold water but once I got used to the environment, I realized that I would miss this place. In this project, where I experienced what it means to take responsibility, teamwork, share cultural values ​​and socialize, I had the opportunity to improve myself in many ways. I look forward to repeating this experience that I think and wish every young person should have.              

If you like to read this post, check the other blog post on PIA