On the 12th of March 2019, six of us started our journey to a new adventure. We were chosen by Association Strive! to represent Croatia in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on a project called Value of Youth organized by Mojo de Caña and LPA Juventud. The goal of the project was to educate, connect and empower young people who are starting a career development process by working on topics of personal branding and youth employment.

By the time we were flying across Europe, we felt excited, happy, positive, energetic and a little scared of the unknown. At moments we were in our thoughts with our expectations, hopes and fears, thinking about our daily routines, work, school and if we packed everything we might need…But in a very short period, all of that changed.

Starting with interesting energizers to wake us up, well – designed team activities and well – prepared themes we connected with all participants and we were just there -at the moment, enjoying every minute of it. Excellent approach and social skills of project leaders took out from us all the answers to their questions. Even our free time was managed really good. We had a lot of time get to know each other, share our culture, experience and to explore the city, beach or whatever we wanted. They really took care of everything so we can all feel comfortable.

The next really important thing is – participants. During these 9 days, there was no arguing, no disrespect, everyone was giving their best, sharing skills, knowledge and supporting each other. That was incredible. In a few days, we became one small community, and it won’t be mistaken if we say – family. We met people that become our friends in only a few days. Day by day people was more and more confident, they started to show their hidden talents, knowledge, humor and feelings. Every task was accomplished with a large amount of creativity and passion. It was really a pleasure to watch all the difference, interesting life stories, and opinions in one place. We learned a lot of new things, got inspiration, ideas, learned how important teamwork is and how important is to encourage people with some unusual talents.

Adrian

When I saw „Call for participants“ for Youth Exchange Project in Las Palmas, I said to myself: „Adrian, you must go, and have some nice vacation“. It is true, Las Palmas is since I was 20, one of the places that I wanted to visit. The first day, nothing changed in my attitude, we were waiting for other participants to come, the workshops were not started yet, so we had a lot of free time to explore the city. Lucky me! I did not sleep as much as I wanted, because one of the Spanish participant (who will become one of the people I like the most) started to talk passionately about Aliens? His speech lasted for a few hours and now I know they exist and they will probably kidnap me. Next day we went for the first time in our meeting room. Right after I entered the room something was different, and this is why… Energy, creativity, hard work and warmness of the project leaders were amazing! At that moment I forgot about „my vacation“ and realized that this is really a project where I can share my opinion because I saw a people that will actually listen what I have to say, but also a people that I can learn something from.

Everything was exactly the way how I see a successful project in my head. And that is why my last day I was not there because of the sun and the sea anymore, I was there because of my friends and colleagues. Great project, great people, great island, great city, great memory. I am gonna miss these people a lot, and I will keep this experience in my heart forever.

Luana

This was my first project and I couldn’t choose better. The workshops were very inspiring, you could literally feel the good energy in the room, with lots of laughs, smiley faces, good music, dancing around and desire to learn something new. I learned a lot about working in a team, how to think outside the box and to be creative in a way I usually wouldn’t think at all. I met incredible people who amazed me with their way of thinking, their creativity and passion about different things. A language barrier wasn’t a problem for us because we managed to do everything. Those people became like a family to me and I know I will remember them the rest of my life. I already miss every one of them and I’m looking forward to doing some reunion. I couldn’t even imagine that my life will be so much richer after only one project and I’m looking forward to all the other projects that are still coming.

Slađana

The week I have spent in the project „Value of YOUth“ was definitely one I will remember. This was a very good project for gaining an overview of different aspects we need to take into consideration when approaching the work environment. During the project, we have also explored the topic of self-branding and became more aware of how we present ourselves offline as well as online. Considering that nowadays the use of internet and social media is widely spread it’s no surprise that social media has become a new channel for employers and employees to acquire adequate candidates. During this project, we have also touched on the topic of creativity and how well it can be used when applying for the job position and had an opportunity to show our presentation skills and creative capacities. I feel like it is needless to say that the atmosphere was astonishing and that this project wouldn’t be as half as good if it weren’t for amazing people we got to work with.

Marija

This was one of those projects that changed the way I think. It changed the way I see personal branding, how I think about the process of creating a CV and how I feel about my employability. It was inspiring to hear some personal stories and to see how much we as participants changed during this short period of time. I left Gran Canaria feeling sad that it was over but also empowered and motivated to further improve my skills and knowledge.

Tena

This project was one of the best travel experiences I’ve had so far. Not only was the project incredible, but the people I got to meet and work with were truly inspiring. The thing I am especially grateful for is that this project helped me conquer some of my fears and helped me take further steps towards achieving my goals.

Lana

This project was an incredible experience, I was stunned by the creativity and openness of participants who were all young, amazing and talented people. After a few days, through lots of activities, collaboration and learning we became close, we made new colleagues and friends for life. I feel that I have learned so much from every person, I feel motivated, full of ideas and inspired. I believe that everyone should go and have that experience which can change your life in only one week.

Authors: Adrian Špehar, Lana Podgoršek

Participants: Lana Podgoršek, Marija Šmint, Tena Sekušak, Slađana Vukojević, Adrian Špehar , Luana Grmuša

Facilitators: Jana Pajić , Angelo Monaldi, Sam Vandezande, Danka Brumen, Mateja Gabor