About the project...

The project "Paper Handicraft Business-Winter Edition" was a multilateral youth exchange (Action 1.1) which have been held in Romania between 01-09 November 2013.

During 9 days, 33 young people, between 18 and 25 years old and 5 leaders with no age limit coming from Italy, Spain, Turkey, Poland and Romania have met in order to share experiences, learn and focus on concrete actions for the promotion of entrepreneurship. (making paper products with the theme of winter/Christmas using Origami technique). 

The main objective of the project was to increase the level of knowledge regarding the production of paper handicrafts (with the theme of winter/Christmas) using Origami technique for 38 young people coming from 5 different countries for 9 days the period of the youth exchange. After closing the exchange, in the early December 2013 (12.12.2013), the volunteers of the applicant went in a social center for young people (Metropolis Philantropic Foundation) to decorate together with them the rooms for activities. Also, they decorated the Christmas tree with the paper handicraft products that were made during the youth exchange.

The project activities were aimed to engage young people through active participation, which is a priority of the "Youth in Action" Programme. The youngsters have been taught, as a result of participation in this Exchange, to understand better their role in society and in the future of Europe because they learned about the need for the development of entrepreneurship in order to create new opportunities and involvement in economic and social level. Also, the following were facilitated: intercultural exchange, the national stock exchange and especially exchanging ideas, sustaining dialogue and intercultural links through the active involvement of young people in the activities of the project, organized tasks so that each participant had the opportunity to come into contact with a different culture.

For a successful completion of the project we proposed the following working methods:

• get to know each other games, evaluative games

• integrative methods

• storyboard

• teamwork

• brainstorming

• discussions/debates on different subjects

• team-building

• intercultural observations.

The working methods of non-formal which were proposed in the context of exchange activities, aimed at promoting active participation among youth, support for the process of reflection, promotion of tolerance, support and assimilation of cultural differences and of course supporting the understanding between young people from different countries and cultures, the development of cooperation and the creation process.