Unsere Jungunternehmerin Rimante ist für ihren Austausch mit Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs nach Italien gegangen. Inzwischen ist sie seit einem Monat auf Sardinien.

January 5, 2018, it was early morning and I was sitting on a bench outside the Alghero-Fertilia Airport, waiting for a bus to Sassari. It was the official beginning of my Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program, I felt excited and curious.

Sassari is Sardinia’s second most populated city and has a considerable amount of cultural, touristic, commercial and political importance in the island. It is also a hometown of the Mine Vaganti NGO, which will be hosting me for 4 coming months.

MVNGO promotes intercultural dialogue, social and green entrepreneurship, social inclusion through Formal and Non-Formal Education including less privileged target groups as migrants and people with disabilities. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I was excited to start my cooperation with an experienced project manager Maria Grazia, who is also one of the founding members of MVNGO.

It’s been nearly a month since that morning, and I never looked back. January is a very busy month in the organisation like this, as the deadlines for Erasmus+ project application is constantly on the agenda (between other daily activities). For me, it’s a great learning environment.

During the first days in the office, I and my host entrepreneur Maria Grazia had a chance to sit down and talk about our expectations, concerns, rules, roles. I also got my first feedback regarding the business plan. First week was dedicated to on-boarding & introduction to MVNGO activities, work plan, internal structure
and procedures.

I started familiarising with the current projects, Erasmus+ Guidelines and general tools, finding my place in the office, meeting my new colleagues and fellow Young Entrepreneurs.

One of the highlights this month was the possibility to attend a project kick-off meeting. It was a great opportunity to meet potential partners for my future ventures as an independent entrepreneur. Networking possibilities are always on the list of my top priorities. Furthermore, I might get a chance to get involved in the trainings that will take place in Sardinia later on during my stay here.

Looking back, it’s been a great and valuable time so far and I am looking forward to the coming months.