Heat Up Your Career

“Heat Up Your Career” was an Erasmus + Youth Exchange focusing on the topic of Career Orientation and Professions.

Dates: June 1 – 8, 2023

Place: Bansko, Bulgaria

Participating countries: Bulgarua, Georgia, Hungary, Greece and Romania.

Project Description

25 participants from five different countries gathered in Bansko, Bulgaria, a ski resort with stunning views, beautiful nature, and impressive mountains, to develop their careers and improve their respective skills. The most important thing remains the fact that people shared their experiences, lifestyles, and insights. This really enriched the project and was one of the most valuable parts of it. It’s impossible to fit all we did—the activities, the presentations, the debates—into a single article, but we will give our best try to convey the most memorable moments and the most important details.

We did a lot of fun activities related to career development; we had discussions that everyone contributed to, and we got to know each other in the short time we had together. In one of the activities, we had to role-play as different professions and find a way out of a difficult (hypothetical) situation. In another, we did a SWOT analysis of ourselves and a professional career test, which resulted in a lot of new ideas and opinions that we all got to share in the latter group discussions.

Speaking of groups, it was essential to all of the activities. We were separated into teams of 5 or 4 at every session, so we had to adapt quickly (with each session being only 2 hours long), and in the meantime, we got to know and befriend each other and develop our teamwork skills and adaptability. In yet another activity, we were assigned some identities that we really had to think about: what kind of lives they would have, what obstacles they would face, and what advantages they might be enjoying. This helped us develop our own perspectives and viewpoints. We also did posters and mini-presentations about various topics such as volunteering, professions, employment, entrepreneurship, etc. This is where we all shared our own experiences on the corresponding topics.

Additionally, we had a chance to meet people in Bansko through a list of mini-tasks we had to do around the town, starting with taking pictures in front of popular spots, eating local food, asking about history, and ending with singing traditional songs with the locals.

We can say confidently that the most enjoyable and fun part of the project was cultural nights, which gave us opportunities to learn about each other’s traditions and cultures. We tried each other’s national foods and drinks, danced to the music, and even sang some songs! All national teams made small presentations covering the basics of the countries histories, important details, notable places, and famous figures. Finally, we had a day devoted purely to physical undertakings. We went through many fun activities, such as hiking through the mountains of Bansko, playing football and other games, and even doing yoga.

To sum up the project, “Heat Up Your Career” was really rewarding and worthwhile. The biggest age gap between participants was over 10 years, and the diversity of experiences was similarly vast. This made the experiences and knowledge shared as varied as possible. We hope to see many more such projects since career development remains one of the most crucial subjects for anyone below a certain age, and this kind of initiative is exactly what we need.