Not long after the first activity, the second in the series of Inter College training courses titled “Sailing to Success” took place in Denmark, this time from 24th of November till 3rd of December 2019.
This project too was held in Slettestrand, a small picturesque fishing village on the coast of the North Sea, surrounded by grasslands, sand dunes and forest. There we were hosted and warmly welcomed by the Kronborg family who has been successfully running their secluded Holiday and Recreational Center for already two decades.
The 10-day project, through 20 workshops, gathered together 30 participants of different ages and nationalities in order to learn and test their entrepreneurial skills in a non-formal environment. Or, as the project name imaginatively evokes, “sail the unpredictable entrepreneurial waters” to success, through testing and gradually acquiring the necessary skills of successful entrepreneurs, especially those related to creative thinking, problem-solving, decision making, and identifying strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities (better known as the SWOT analysis).
The first waves came with the task of creating our own business ideas. To make matters worse, a real storm arose when we had to present our ideas to others, who were acting as our audience of potential investors. This step is a well-known step in starting a business – pitching – and probably the most important one in order for an idea to succeed. Using an elevator pitch, as if we were in an actual elevator, we only had 60 seconds at our disposal. The storm, therefore, had a devastating effect on most ideas, since only the best-presented ones could survive. These ideas were then given the opportunity to develop further using the well-known business model canvas template.
During our free time, we were enjoying all the available facilities of the Center – swimming pool, sauna, gym, playground and board games. The bravest ones even went for a dip in the cold North Sea! One of the nights, The Center had also prepared a special Christmas dinner and a gig where we could taste traditional Danish dishes and participate in a game for presents.
One of the evenings was reserved for an already traditional “intercultural night”. Through costume, dance, customs, stories, and of course, national food and drink, everybody presented their country the best they could. At the end of the exchange, a farewell party was organized, at which participants were given Youthpass – a certificate of completion of the non-formal youth education program.
“I came back home from Denmark with lovely memories, experience and knowledge, not only that of entrepreneurship but also about Denmark’s sustainable lifestyle, which goes beyond the word “hygge”. Although strict, the Danes are at the same time very hospitable, friendly and approachable, and in terms of energy savings, organization and environmental awareness among the best. Since they are advocates of a healthy lifestyle also, during the exchange we ate only the locally grown organic food. Denmark is, therefore, a great example of the truth of the saying “Anything is possible”, shared Andrea Kovačević, one of 2 Strive!’s participants on this training course.
Vladimir Miloš, shared his expectations before the project, thoughts and learning outcomes.
“The training was a unique opportunity for me to have insights into the entrepreneurship. Let’s start from the beginning – why I applied for a project in the first place. My story goes a few months back. I had a fulltime job in the perspective company in Western Europe. But I wanted some challenges in my life. So I have decided to start my entrepreneurial journey. Searching for the related information, I came over the project in Denmark. The project has triggered my attention on the first view. It was training about entrepreneurship, yes!!! 🙂 This is exactly what I need, I said to myself. I didn’t think too much. I filled the application form in a few minutes. I collected all the needed information with the support of leaders from the Croatian Association Strive! Soon I got in touch with the leader of the project, Emese. The rest of the preparation was solved in no time. 🙂
In the second part, I will tell a bit about my time at the project. As I already mentioned, the project was a good choice for me because I had a goal to get the necessary competences. On another hand, I was participating in the training to expand my business network. During the project, there was a lot of workshops on entrepreneurial topics. Workshops like developing business ideas, presentations skills, elevator pitch, exchanging successful ideas from different countries were so precious that its value cannot be determined.
Besides that, I have increased my professional network with young open-minded people from different countries. I had the opportunity to learn about the possibilities with the Erasmus program for young entrepreneurs. And about JCI international community as well.
This was my fourth Erasmus+ project. In Denmark, I went with a goal and high expectation. The project has professionally fulfilled all my projections.
After the project, I am using some ideas of nonformal education in my work with the local Youth Association. But also, I have applied to the Erasmus program for young entrepreneurs. My entrepreneurial journey is just going in full speed.
In conclusion, I would say the project was some kind of starting point of my path in the business environment. I would recommend Erasmus+ projects to everyone, not just to travel but to use them with strong determination for learning specific topics.”
Written by: Andrea Kovačević and Vladimir Miloš
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U Danskoj je održan Erasmus+ projekt na temu poduzetništva pod nazivom “Jedrenjem do uspjeha”
Sailing to Success in Denmark: First step – making contacts
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