Participating in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program means much more than taking part in a European project. For me, it represents the beginning of a journey filled with encounters, questions, discoveries, and new possibilities, an experience that invites you to look at your work and yourself from different perspectives.
Berlin was the gateway to this journey. A vibrant, international city, capable of exuding energy and curiosity, where change seems to be part of everyday life. From the first days, I sensed that unique balance between enthusiasm and uncertainty that accompanies every new experience and which, often, is the most fertile ground for learning.
The journey soon took an unexpected direction. Together with my host entrepreneur, Willy, I traveled to Calabria to participate in an intensive clown workshop. I chose to experience it not as a mere observer, but as a participant, because I felt that only by fully immersing myself in the experience could I truly understand his working method.
These were intense days, filled with exercises, improvisations, listening, and discussion. I discovered that clowning isn’t just an artistic discipline, but a language capable of creating authentic relationships. It means learning to embrace mistakes, making room for spontaneity, and transforming vulnerability into a communicative resource.
Putting myself out there in front of people I didn’t know wasn’t easy. At first, I felt the strain of stepping out of my comfort zone, but through that very difficulty, I began to break down many of my resistances. I experienced how play can be an extraordinary learning tool, how a smile fosters mutual trust, and how a willingness to question oneself opens up new possibilities for personal and professional growth.
These first two weeks were very different from what I had imagined. I thought I’d be focusing primarily on the organizational and entrepreneurial aspects of the business; instead, I found myself immersed in a profoundly human experience, which allowed me to understand from the inside the values, method, and philosophy that underpin the project. It was an amazing start, combining training, travel, and personal growth in a way I could hardly have predicted.
If I had to sum up this experience in one word, I would choose openness: openness to a new city, to people with stories different from mine, to a non-traditional approach to work, and, above all, to a new way of learning, allowing myself to be fully engaged.
This experience also represents a fundamental foundation for the work that awaits me in the coming weeks. Having experienced the seminar from the inside will allow me to approach the planning, organization, and promotion of future activities with greater awareness. Understanding the value of participants’ experiences will be essential for designing effective workshops, planning their distribution, managing their communication, and contributing to the development of the business with a more comprehensive perspective. I am convinced that this initial immersion will help me make organizational decisions that are not only more efficient, but also more consistent with the project’s values and objectives.