Make it Local | ERASMUS+ (2019)

On the 5th of April 2019, 30 young people from 6 different European countries gathered together in the seaside town of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast. Why did they travel to this remote but beautiful part of the world? It wasn’t just for the stunning views, gelato and sunshine but to take part in the Erasmus+ youth exchange “Make it local”.

So what was ‘Make it Local’ all about? Well, as the name suggests, the aim was to draw attention to the importance of local products, encouraging participants to research and share a traditional product form their country. There was also a strong focus on sustainability and the impact that we all have on the economy of local products.

The project was organised by the Commune di Praiano, who did a fantastic job of making sure that everyone felt at home, together with ACARBIO. As mentioned, the project involved 6 different countries, the partners were; The Zditovo secondary school in Belarus, Asociacion viaje a la sostenibilidad in Spain, Institutol de Instruire in Dezvoltare Millenium in Moldova, Asociatia de Tineri Din Ardeal in Romania and MI Sumy Specialized School in Ukraine.

The main goal of the project was to share traditional knowledge about a local product from each country, this was done through a workshop. Each day saw the turn of a new country who would give a step by step demonstration on how to make their product, with all of the participants being involved.

From Spain we had ‘jabon casero’ (homemade soap) made with olive oil and other scented ingredients such as; essential oils, coffee and rosemary. During this workshop we learnt a great way to make use of used cooking oils.

Kürtőskalács (chimney cake) was the local product presented by Romania, a sugary pastry desert which is cooked on an open fire.

The Ukranian team showed us how to make their traditional food called Varenyky, a potato filled dumpling typically eaten with onions and sour cream.

The next workshop was from Moldova, they gave a presentation on the Moldovan carpets and showed us how to make our own versions using paper. They practiced the traditional weaving techniques.

From Italy we had two different activities; one involved local women from the town of Praiano demonstrated the exquisite art of Tombolo (a traditional style of making lace). The next was the delicious Migliaccio Salato (a pasta dish with meat and cheese).

Finally, the Belarusian group taught us how to make Draniki which is like a fried pancake made of potato. There was even a competition for the longest potato peel.

But it wasn’t all work(shop) and no play, every evening we enjoyed a cultural night in which each country had the chance to show us some of their most loved traditions. There was music shared, dances practiced, sweets scoffed and delicacies tasted. This exploration of cultures was extremely special, with all of us noticing the differences between our countries but, more than anything, the similarities.

In between the many workshops and cultural parties, there were other activities designed to challenge the participants knowledge acquired and their ability to think deeper into the subject. They also had the chance to test out their entrepreneurship skills when asked to create a start-up business around one local product. The outcomes of which were very inspiring. The group also engaged in daily reflections which allowed the team to track their progress and ensure that everything was running smoothly.

On the final day there was a fair hosted in the main square of Praiano, during which each country showcased their local product to people from the town. It was a bittersweet end to the intense 10 day exchange of wisdom, ideas, creativity and ultimately friendship.

It’s safe to say that the project was a success. The participants demonstrated how they had enriched their knowledge of the current situation of local products, both in their own regions and other countries. They also showed great enthusiasm and motivation to return home and continue to work on the subject, whether it be changing their own consumption habits or working on their own projects. One of the key results of the project was the development of a brochure which detailed the product from each country including; ingredients and instructions, this allows to preserve the experience.

The group were so warmly welcomed by the local community in Praiano, they got many of the locals from artists to pottery makers. The hospitality received from Don Luigi, who kindly offered the church of San Luca as the location for our daily activities, for which we are very grateful.

Thank you to the participants for all of their hard work in the workshops, showing interest and enthusiasm in the activities and being motivated to take their new-found knowledge to make an impact in the world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESULTS (OUTPUT)

1) The videos from the workshop;

Spanish workshop (homemade soap) video:
Ukrainian workshop (Varenyki) video
Belarusian (Draniki) workshop
Romanian workshop (Chimney Cake) video:
Moldovan workshop (carpet weaving) video:
Italian workshop (Migliaccio salato):

2) Brochure created by the participants:

Brochure_MakeItLocal

3) The video of the Youth Exchange

4) Social Media

Available under #makeitlocal, #praiano, #ErasmusPlus on facebook and instagram! Also, but not only on the accounts of @acarbio, @acarbio.onlus. Below you will find some examples of the posts.

THE START OF THE PROJECT

TUTTO PRONTO PER “MAKE IT LOCAL”: appuntamento a Praiano dal 5 al 15 aprile…We are super excited to announce that…

Pubblicato da Acarbio Costiera Amalfitana su Sabato 30 marzo 2019

THE FINISHING OF THE PROJECT

IL NOSTRO TEMPO A PRAIANO, CELEBRANDO ANCHE I RITI DELLA SETTIMANA SANTA E LA FESTA FINALE CON LA COMUNITÀ. GRAZIE…

Pubblicato da Acarbio Costiera Amalfitana su Mercoledì 17 aprile 2019

INSTAGRAM STORIES

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/

View this post on Instagram

The third day of the project was a really productive and fun day. Today without any doubt everybody has learnt something new. Every country, which is Moldova, Romania, Italy, Spain, Ukraine and Belarus presented their local products and the issues they are facing. During team building activities everyone also learnt that cooperation is a key of success. In the afternoon Spanish team tought everyone how to produce a Spanish product – soap. We ended evening with a Moldovian cultural night, where everyone enjoyed Moldovian beverages and dancing! We are excited to learn more about local products, diversity and cultures of other countries in the upcoming days! . . . #erasmus #erasmusplus #youthexchange #sustainability #makeitlocal #acarbio #praiano #amalficoast

A post shared by Acarbio Costiera Amalfitana (@acarbio) on

View this post on Instagram

The 10th day of project was quite emotional, because we felt both happy and sad at the same time. We were happy, because we were having a wonderful time together, but we were sad because it was time to say goodbye. . We began the day by participating in a church procession celebrating the Palm Sunday (Domenica delle Palme). Local people handed everyone of us olive branches decorated with peaces of cheese and candies. Olive branch is a symbol of peace and decorations symbolize abundance and prosperity. It was another way to learn about Italian traditions. . After that we had a very emotional activity where everyone of us had a chance to say goodbye to each other in a way we wanted, as for example by hugging. It was a very emotional time because participants expressed a lot of love to each other, which even brought some of them to tears.. Some of them formed life-long relationships. . After that, a priest of San Luca church, Don Luigi, handed participants their youth passes, which they obtained by participating in this Erasmus+ project. . We finished the evening with a fair in Piazza San Luca. Everyone was invited and had a chance to try the traditional dishes or products from participant countries, as for example, Romanian chimney cake and Ukrainian vareniki. The municipality of Praiano surprised everyone with a huge delicious cake and Praiano magnets, which were handed to everyone. We ended the fair with singing and dancing. . It was a wonderful time. We feel very grateful to everyone who was involved and shared this wonderful time with us. Thank you so much!!!! This experience will stay in our hearts forever!!! ❤️❤️❤️ . . . #youthexchange #erasmusplus #erasmus #sustainability #makeitlocal #praiano #amalficoast #acarbio

A post shared by Acarbio Costiera Amalfitana (@acarbio) on

 

What others say about this project

The partners (multi-lingual)

The local news (Italian language)

Filed Under: ERASMUS+ PROJECTS, NEWS Tagged With: