Mobility in Greece

“YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS” IN GREECE (THE CITY OF VOLOS)
20–25 November 2022

On November 20-25, a delegation of VGTU engineering lyceum students and teachers participated in the project mobility held in the Greek city of Volos. The project, whose shortened name is “Young Entrepreneurs!”, also includes teams from two schools in Turkey, teams from schools in Spain and Greece. This is already the fourth mobility of project participants, and the third in which students participate. The goal of the project is to develop the entrepreneurial skills of schoolchildren, at the same time with the aim of helping students to recognize not only their strengths and abilities, but also to learn to formulate their future goals to achieve successful professional opportunities.

Before getting involved in the planned activities that develop entrepreneurial skills, it is very important to understand the cultural differences between the countries and to communicate in a team (teambuilding). Therefore, the goal of the first day was to get to know the unique areas and expand the comprehensive cooperation in the team. The joint decisions of the team while traveling to the city of Athens, the arrangement of the educational route and the exploration of the city really helped to form a harmonious, cooperative, united team. At the end of the day, feelings of joy and togetherness were provided by a meeting and a bus trip with well-known members of the project, both teachers and students, as well as new acquaintances with representatives of delegations who were involved for the first time.

The second day started with a lecture at the school, during which the main principle of creating a start-up was presented – students got to know each step in creating a successful investment, reviewed the main aspects of creating a real product, and discussed the possibilities of marketing organization and cooperation with companies. The students were given a very real-life example of a start-up – a versatile soap. His idea as a start-up, elaborated to the smallest detail, not only aroused the students’ desire to make their own personal soaps, but also revealed how much analysis and work is required even in the creation and launch of a start-up as small as soap. After the detailed lecture, the students created posters of their startup idea in working groups, while the teachers discussed the essential components of the project implementation and had the opportunity to chat about future actions. In the middle of the day, all delegations had the opportunity to get to know the city of Vola both culturally and business-wise. Guided tour of the port, stories about legends and myths, walks through different city districts aroused the desire of both students and teachers to explore and get to know the infrastructure of the city of Volos on other days.

The morning of the third day of the entrepreneurship project began with a trip to the Makrinica region, a settlement perched on the hillside in the city of Volos. The project participants visited local natural springs, the water of which is used not only for the daily consumption of the inhabitants, but also to wash the forests where rare types of apple and plum trees grow, as well as a type of green tea found only in that region. The students’ main task during this trip was to get ideas for creating a startup. Students were encouraged to discover original, unusual materials that they could use in the creation of a start-up and thus achieve profitable sales. It was also suggested to think about the connections between buying/selling/production and natural resources, visiting local cafes, markets, and souvenir shops.

The fourth day of the mobility included a full-day trip to Meteora, a region of monasteries in the mountains. The natural wonder of extraordinary beauty amazed all members of the delegations, visits to monasteries changed their attitude towards religion. Colorful frescoes in the temples, stories shrouded in mystery about the time of Christ left an indelible image in everyone’s memory. Students and apprentices alike were impressed by the monks’ dedication to painting, living, and spreading spirituality in such a dangerous and remote place from mainstream civilization.

The fifth and last day of the mobility project summarized the development of the startup insert. Each school’s delegation received one startup development poster created by student teams on the second day of mobility. Also, the students of each country received homework – to create an example of the creation, realization, and operation of their startup and to create a presentation for it by the month of May. Everyone was awarded not only with certificates, but the real reward was the human connection established by the project participants, as well as touching the spiritual history and natural heritage characteristic of this wonderful land.

Lithuanian students’ feedback from LTT in Greece

“I managed to be selected for Erasmus mobility in Greece, in the city of Volos, so I would like to share my experiences. It was my first Erasmus project trip, so I didn’t even really know what to expect, and it was quite difficult to form an opinion from the stories of my friends. First, during the trip I met a really large number of smart, interesting like-minded people, shared my ideas with them, and had a good time. I also traveled around the impressive monasteries of Meteora, learned more about the town of Volos itself. From the project side, the activities were a bit small, but one way or another, they were still useful – I learned what steps need to be taken when creating my own business. I really enjoyed this trip, I had a good time, I got some useful information. So, as a “first pancake”, I think this mobility was successful.” (Džiugas)

“For me, the week at Entrepreneurial Mobility in Greece was truly memorable: starting with various entrepreneurship lessons, ending with amazing views and adventurous trips. During this trip, I got closer to the peculiarities of Greek cultural life, food, and everyday life. All the Greeks spoke perfect English and were very nice and polite. All the lectures were informative, they made me remember once again the entrepreneurial knowledge I had acquired a long time ago and use it effectively when working in groups. I also improved my English speaking and social skills during the trip. And the views of Greece really enchanted me, each view was better than the next. In conclusion, this week left me with many good impressions, allowed me to test myself once again in the field of entrepreneurship and meet many warm and intelligent people!” (Benediktas)

“I participated in Erasmus+ student mobility to Greece and I want to tell you about it. The trip was probably one of the most memorable abroad for me, because I managed to do and visit a lot. The most interesting part of the mobility was the excursion to Meteora and its monasteries. All the places in Greece were very beautiful, but the views of Meteora were truly the most unique and truly impressive of all that I have seen. During the trip, I also made friends with many students from other countries and found a common language with them. In Greece, together with other project participants, we learned about the basics of business and how to create a company. This knowledge will allow me to thrive in the business market in the future. I really hope to continue participating in student mobility and maybe meet friends from abroad.” (Simonas)

“I participated in Erasmus+ mobility to Greece and I would like to briefly share my impressions. It was my first trip with this team, so it will be very memorable for me. The flights were a bit tiring, but the good mood and interesting conversations with the team members brightened up the long journey. Living conditions, transport was perfect, foreigners were especially friendly and talkative. I was very impressed by the excursion to Meteora, the views and the history of the monastery were indescribable in words. During my mobility, I enriched my knowledge about business creation and development and learned all the steps of creating my own company. Maybe some of the activities were too easy for me, but I gained knowledge. I would like to inspire everyone to join Erasmus+ activities and enrich and experience unreal experiences.” (Vilius)

“On this Erasmus plus trip to Greece, I saw Greek culture, their ancient and present architecture, and their art. I heard about Greek myths of the past. I will take these things as artistic inspiration and use aspects of Greek architecture and mythology in my future works of art.” (Dovydas)

“This mobility perfectly met my expectations. It was very gratifying to see that entrepreneurship was integrated in activities that were interesting and meaningful. Creating a business model was an interesting practice that made me see everything from a different angle. Personally, it is more convenient for me to remember information through practice, so I will remember and value this experience for the disease. I should also thank the teachers who traveled with us, who during the entire mobility were determined to help, answer the questions that arose, and most importantly – to support and stand by in any situation. Mobility would certainly not be the same if one of the teachers had not gone along. And finally, I really enjoyed socializing and learning about different cultures from foreigners as well as my own. Greek students and teachers welcomed us very warmly, tried to spend a lot of time together and show us as many places as possible, let us try Greek cuisine. I can assure you that I am looking forward to other projects with the two teachers Aurelija and all the students who went to this mobility. Therefore, I want to thank everyone very, very, very much!” (Lukas)