Testimonies TME

Testimonies

Tourism Makes Employment is a youth project organized by Associazione Vagamondo together with other 3 organizations (Zig Zag prin Romania, Intercambia and Incognito 15 Bitola) from the 1st of february till the 30th of November 2017; from 2nd till 7th May 2017 we implemented the youth exchange,hearth of the project, in Cortemilia (Italy). The project involved 24 young people from Italy, Macedonia, Spain and Romania in activities aimed to learn how to identify, valorize and promote local touristic resources in order to create employment and implement business ideas. The project was developedmainly through non-formal education activities and it was co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Program.This pubblication contains parts of the testimonies written by the participants of the projectas follow-up activity and aims to express and disseminate their experience as participants. You can read the full texts here Testimonies

Aneta, Macedonia - I took part already in some exchanges, in this one I noticed the care and attention of the organizers that brough quality to this experience, i found participants very motivated about the topic and I learned a lot... the most important thing is how to work in team and how to support others. Anna Chiara, Italy - I felt we were all well aware of the touristic reality of our country, and all willing to do something to improve our little or big reality. Working together, thinking together, I had a good feeling of connection, and the right motivation to keep working and thinking on this subject. The activities we did stimulated my sense of initiative and entrepreneurship and I surely improved my ability to communicate in foreign languages. Aurelian (Jack) Grigore, Romania - In the last years I traveled in more than 20 countries and I enjoyed to explore different cultures and meet new people. During this project we had the opportunity to share our story with the other participants and learn from each other. It was an amazing experience to explore the local area and talk with the locals, we learned about the history of the place, about the present and we tryed to promote it as much as possible through a short video. Beatrice, Italy - I just graduated and I’m going to a apply for a master in Tourism Management in Spain.Now I can firmly say that this exchange made everything easier and more clear in my mind. I improved my media skills, I learnt how to really develop and promote a tourism enterprise. I also improved my communication skills; I really feel confident now on explaining a presentation, working in a team, sharing ideas and having no prejudices. When I arrived I was confused and a bit lost; day by day I felt more linked to the other participants; we had deep conversations, we shared thought and feelings Carmen, Romania - Being a part of my local tourism industry I wanted to participate to the project in order to develop myself, share my experience and idea over this field. I felt really good at the end of the project, achieving a certain feeling of life-long friendship with the people I met, in just few days and with all the knowledge I improved, and thanks to our post-exchange task I can put in practice some of the competences that we gained in the exchange.

Catalin, Romania - I work in marketing and in 2017 I started to renovate an house with EU funds to make a guesthouse, I also make city-tours in Craiova, my city. During the project I felt in a safe and comfortable environment and at the end I can say that for me the opportunities, skills, experience and emotions I gained are infinite. And friendship - we all gained friends. Filip, Macedonia - My first look on this project wasn’t what I was expecting, but as days went by and all the activitites and tasks that we had, i realized that i made the right choice to take part in this exchange. Iimproved my team work, also the ability to work under pressure, my English language, I learnd how torecord and edit a video, I learnd the Circle of Creativity and other tools and in the end I realized that I made some new freindships. I am happy that I took part in this project and I can't wait for the next! Florina, Spain - I study tourism and I tool part in this experience because of curiosity. I was really surprised because it was not just a training, i could develop new skills, make great relationships, learn a lot from them, and discover new cultures. Finally I understood why it's called “Exchange”. I highly recommend it to everyone who want a change in their lives and want to learn something new, this is a big opportunity to grow. And I felt in love with Cortemilia, charming town! Javier, Spain - I took part in this exchange because I wanted to discover Italy and because the place where I live - Malaga - is one of the most touristic areas of Europe, so I think I could bring my contribution. This exchange was for me really good because helped me to feel really good with myself and to improve my English. José, Spain - I study biology and I want to develop my professional path in the eco-tourism field. During all phases of the project, I develop a lot of competences, but I highlight the following competences: the capacity to discover and to find out the possibilities that tourism can give to create job opportunities, as well as work as a team with people from other countries and to extend my competences in other languages. I felt comfortable all the time and I developed friendships, like a family.

Kristina (Kika), Macedonia - Participating in this project made me feel a lot more motivated to accomplish my plans in the entrepreneuring field and now I feel even more capable to fulfil my dreams. There was a lot of understanding and support from all of the members of the project. We really got close as a group and I feel like I made a lot of new friends!, I see this project as a great success for myself and for all the other people. Martin, Spain - A good friend of mine told me about Erasmus+ and how great it is, but if you don't experience it on your own skin, you will never understand that it can be one of your best experiences in life. It was a greatinvestement for my future, we had a lot of activities and it was very well organized, we enjoyed a peaceful place andlearned new skills. The best thing that i experienced was to be pushed to go to my limits and try to surpass them. I learned new attitudes, tools, how to manage my comfort zone or how to make a project in groups, but being part of practicing them was the best thing that i received. Maja, Macedonia - This project gave me a lot. First, I made a new friendships. I learnt a lot about the topic, but with entertaining activities and a lot of fun. Working in teams was amazing. Now, I am feeling more comfortable to work with other people, I learnt how to share my ideas in group how to respect other people thoughts, I have more knowledge about other cultures and I improved my language, public speaking and presentation skills too. I was lucky tobe choosen for this project! Oana, Romania - I learned to work with people I never met before and we had to finish tasks in short time. I learned to edit a video, to be more open to other people’s ideas, to listen the others and to be more motivated to accomplish my dreams. After this project, I am more positive and more motivated to do great things in tourism for mycountry, even my team from work saw that. We learned new things, we shared our values, our experiences, our ideas, we listened each other, we cared about each other and it was simply amazing. Paula, Spain - I learned a lot and now I believe in myself. It is very difficult to find words that thank this. When I arrived I was in panic zone, I had many nerves and emotions, it was the first time I had left my country, I had never dared to speak English with anyone... But the 2nd day I changed my perspective, I recognized how people around me was there to support. So I started taking the experience as a wonderful opportunity to learn. Soon I started having conversations and learning about their countries, customs; that aroused my motivation to mark my goals and carry out projects that I saw very distant before.

Sebastiano, Italy - I belogn to a volontary association that promote historical and cultural tourism and is focused on archeology, this is the link to this project. I spent 7 days with special people; it was funny to play, sing, eat, enjoy and work together; I perceived such a sensation of brotherood and friendship. I developed my English, video making, team work, got inspiration and also i learned Piedmontese food from chef Carlino! Sergiu, Romania - I am a blogger and I study advertising. I took part in the exchange because I wanted to develop my skills in tourism field. Also, I wanted to learn about how can I be a better leader and how I can develop my plans. I began friendships with a lot of people from other countries and I learned new ways of thinking. Also, I learned that people from different countries share similar problems in the tourism field. Stefan, Macedonia - I think that from something like this we can learn a lot about tourism, make new friendships for life, maybe to find job and get employed or how to start making your own business… This project helped me to be better team worker, to speak English more fluently, to improve my public speaking and I learned how to make video and take pictures… I am so happy that I was a part of this project! Oana, Romania - I found about the project in a moment when I really needed something new, challenging,different. The whole experience worth it, I learned a lot of things, I got to know myself better, I met different people. The location of the project was perfect for a disconnection from our daily life, everything was fresh and relaxing. I think that the most important things that I learned are from the other’s mistakes, alsoworking under time pressure with a team that has opposite members, it’s not easy for sure, but this is part of the personal development. Zoran, Macedonia - I applied for this project because I am a friendly person, I like travelling and meeting new people and I wanted to show my culture to the other members of the exchange. I also choose to participate in Tourism Makes Employment because I born in place with touristic resources and I want to learn more about how to valorize touristic resources and show it in my place.

Thanks