Well, I don’t even know how to start this story, other than ,,I just came back from the paradise!”. What an incredible week it has been – 36 young people from Bulgaria, France, Romania, Poland, Latvia, Greece and Guadeloupe spent a week in Le Moule on the beautiful French overseas territory of Guadeloupe in the Carribean, on a Youth Exchange program about Youth Social and Ecological Entrepreneurship called ,,Young Ecopreneurs Lab”. We had a lot of fun together getting to know each other, presenting our countries with traditional food and dances and traveling around this beautiful island. Even though we were so far away from home, we felt so welcome by the locals and formed such a deep bond to the other participants, that it felt as a big family at the end. Thanks to the various interesting activities we learned a lot about what entrepreneurship is and how business idea with a social impact can be turned into practice. We had sessions with people who have already succeeded in this sphere and their example motivated us to prepare project ideas in international groups that were presented at the end of the project and everyone voted for the best idea. We also deepened our knowledge about the design thinking method as a tool to understand the needs of your target group. And since it’s the Carribean, we went to the beach, enjoyed the most beautiful sunsets I have personally ever seen, ran away from tropical rain, ate French baguettes 10 000 km away from France and tried coconuts and many types of amazing fruits that can barely be seen in Europe. Locals were very friendly and easy-going despite the language barrier we sometimes encountered and I think we have something to learn from this laid-back and seemingly careless lifestyle. I can’t recommend enough such experiences to anyone who’s interested in acquiring new skills and broadening their horizon in an international atmosphere, so I dare everyone reading this to quickly find the next project on a topic they are passionate about and give it a try, you’ll not regret it!
Thank you Alternativi International for this stunning opportunity and the support throughout the organizational process!