Have you never heard of job shadowing?
It is a mobility experience funded by the Erasmus Plus programme and allowing professionals (but not only) to go abroad to observe how a particular job or professional field works in the country in question.
In the framework of the “Draw your thoughts” project, job shadowing mobilities were planned for youth workers from the 5 partner countries to exchange with each other (from one country to another) to see how each association works with youngsters at its local level.
During the job shadowing, the associations hosting the mobility participants also set up a cycle of local workshops so that the job shadowers could participate in the implementation of these workshops!
Want to find out more? Read the testimonials of the job shadowers!
Anaïs and Marie went to Italy from 28 November to 12 December, their job shadowing took place in Palermo, hosted by the Centro per lo sviluppo Danilo Dolci.
Here are their testimonies!
Anaïs
“I had a nice stay in sunny Palermo thanks to this Erasmus+ program.
At first, the topic of the job shadowing appeared a bit unclear to me. But when the hosting organization introduced us to the workshops we were to prepare, all the benefits of ‘Graphic Facilitation’ and ‘Storytelling’ unveiled. This is in fact a professional multi-task tool. You can use this approach to imagine activities, or to communicate in a more efficient way, especially in an intercultural environment.
I also gained from the intercultural context. Getting to know more about others’ cultures is the best way to build one’s open-mindedness, a key-skill when working with/for people whose we don’t know the story. Now, I also have contacts of youth workers abroad, if needed during my professional path.
Regarding logistics, everything was all well-prepared before we arrived (accommodation, food etc), which was clearly a relief, as I didn’t want stress to take away all the benefits of the job shadowing and stay in Palermo!
To sum up: you can only benefit from this professional opportunity!”
Marie
I was already excited before going into the job shadowing.
Eager to learn more about the two subjects: storytelling and graphic facilitation and very curious about Palermo and its culture.
For my arrival, I was warmly welcomed and impressed by the city. The first days we got to know each other with some games and we learned more about the projects. I really appreciate that we had the place to talk about our expectations, fears and questions and that we were guided in all the aspects, concerning the jobs but also our cultural discovery of Palermo. They introduced us to all their activities and their daily life in the office so I could feel at ease and welcome to learn at their side.
The atmosphere was agreeable and rich with meetings. I met people who I really had great times with and I’m thankful for this. At the end, all my expectations were fulfilled. I left this Job Shadowing with concrete tools and new skills in the subject of storytelling and graphic facilitation and on how to use them for raising youth employment or for raising a campaign awareness. The learning process was complete and the job shadowing well organized.
I was given the chance to observe and facilitate actual training in these subjects.
Thank you to Pistes Solidaires and CSC for this experience out of the comfort zone and humanly rich and beautiful.
Soha
Soha went to Senegal from 5 November to 16 November, her job shadowing took place in Pikine Nord, hosted by the Commune de Pikine Nord. Here is her testimony! I didn’t think when I left Pau on Saturday 5th November that my trip to Senegal would be such a memorable experience!
The trip started well with a delay at Toulouse airport which made us miss the only connection of the day from Lisbon to Dakar! The result was a day of sightseeing in the cool but sunny streets of Lisbon. 24 hours later, the plane finally took off for Dakar. As I left the airport at 1am, I felt the warmth of the air!
Welcome to Dakar!
Our stay began with a series of workshops with the young people of Pikin, proud to present themselves as agents of sustainable development. Between storytelling, visual CVs and graphic facilitation, our workshops made me aware of these young people’s concern about their future and their desire to live in a prosperous country for all its inhabitants. But for them, it is not yet won.
But my stay was not only a formal time with the young people. During the week, we went together to some of the historical, tourist and emblematic places of Senegal.
How could we arrive in Dakar and not visit the monument of the African Renaissance?
How can you be on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and not make a pilgrimage to the island of Gorée?
How to be in Pikine and not enjoy a sunset by the sea?
How can you go to Sindia and not embrace an immense thousand-year-old Baobab tree?
And now the stay is coming to an end and it’s time to leave.
A week of intercultural shock but a beautiful lesson of life:
Despite the fatigue, people are happy!
Despite the poverty, people are generous!
Despite the hardness of life, people are affectionate!
Long live the Senegalese Teranga!