Czech Republic - Online Dissemination

"Throughout the project young people from Poland🇵🇱, Serbia🇷🇸, Italy🇮🇹, Spain🇪🇸, Hungary🇭🇺 Romania🇷🇴 and Czech republic🇨🇿came together to share ideas, learn from inspiring entrepreneurs and explore how we can make rural areas more sustainable, creative and full of opportunities.

From workshops and team challanges to visit local entrepreneur and his small fish farm we put what we’ve learnt into practice by creating our own rural business plans. Based on votes, feedback and Q&A from other business companies and facilitators the winning team was WATTS UP SOLAR focused on renewable energy in rural areas.

But in reality we all won because we’ve learnt so much about business such as time management, teamwork and public speaking.

We are coming home with new friendships, unforgettable memories and ready to create real impact back home!🤝🇪🇺" - Czech Youth Association

"🌍 LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action - Vatra Dornei, Romania 🇷🇴

From September 18th to 28th, I had the privilege to join the Erasmus+ youth exchange LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action, an EU-funded project in Vatra Dornei. Together with participants from Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and the Czech Republic, we spent 10 days learning, sharing, and co-creating solutions for the challenges faced by rural areas across Europe.

✨ What we did:

-Explored the challenges and opportunities of rural communities. -Designed and presented innovative entrepreneurial ideas and business models to empower rural development. -Engaged in teamwork and leadership tasks, intercultural workshops, and creative problem-solving activities. -Strengthened our intercultural competence, communication skills, and adaptability while working in highly diverse international teams. 🤝 Impact: This experience showed how youth entrepreneurship can bring innovation, sustainability, and resilience to rural regions. Beyond the professional skills gained, it was also a powerful cultural exchange: we discovered traditions, shared perspectives, and built friendships that go beyond borders.

🌱 I return from this exchange with a stronger skill set, an expanded European network, and a renewed motivation to engage in projects that foster youth empowerment, rural development, and social impact." - Lukas

"🌍 LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action – Vatra Dornei, Romania 🇷🇴

This September, we had the amazing opportunity to take part in the Erasmus+ youth exchange LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action, an EU-funded project hosted in Vatra Dornei, Romania. Together with participants from across Europe, we spent 10 unforgettable days learning, sharing, and exploring how young people can bring innovation and entrepreneurship into rural areas.

💡 What we discovered:

• How to come up with meaningful entrepreneurship ideas and creative solutions that address real needs in local communities.

• That true impact comes from working on projects we genuinely care about — not just the ones that seem most profitable.

• The power of teamwork, open-mindedness, and collaboration between people with different perspectives and cultural backgrounds.

🤝 Our biggest takeaway:

Rural regions hold incredible potential. With the right mindset, passion, and cooperation, young people can create sustainable solutions that strengthen communities and inspire others to take action.

🌱 We return from this experience more motivated, connected, and inspired to pursue ideas that matter — projects driven by purpose, creativity, and heart." - Julie

"🌍✨ LevelUP: Rural Youth in Action – Romania This month I joined an Erasmus+ project focused on rural entrepreneurship and it turned out to be much more than just “another project.” We were in the heart of the Romanian Carpathians 🏔️ surrounded by nature, ideas, and people from across Europe. Together we explored how young people can bring life and business into rural areas, instead of watching them slowly empty out. Some takeaways that stayed with me: 💡 Rural communities aren’t “behind” they are untapped potential. 🤝 Collaboration between local traditions and new business models is where innovation happens. 🚀 Youth bring the energy rural places need to thrive. For me personally, it was a reminder that entrepreneurship isn’t only about tech and cities. Sometimes the most sustainable and meaningful businesses can start in a village, with a small idea, and then scale. Big thanks to the Erasmus+ programme 🇪🇺 and all the amazing people who shared this experience. I’m bringing the energy home – ready to keep building." - Matyas

Romania - Offline Dissemination

First dissemination event

During the dissemination session held at the Virgil Madgearu High School of Economics, our colleagues Maria and Ali presented key aspects of the LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action project implemented in Vatra Dornei to a group of 14 high-school students.. They showed video, photo and Canva-based presentations created during the workshops focused on developing business ideas in rural areas, demonstrating the use of digital tools to design visual identities, business models and promotional materials.

The session included a slideshow with moments from the exchange, highlighting the collaborative teamwork and the motivating learning environment. Students reacted with curiosity and asked questions about the Erasmus+ programme, the project activities, and the experience of working in international groups with participants from different countries.

Through this offline dissemination, Maria and Ali helped raise awareness about digital skills, rural entrepreneurship opportunities, and the benefits of taking part in international mobility projects.

Second dissemination event

During the project in Portugal , Denis briefly introduced the project theme of rural entrepreneurship to his 6 peers, outlining how the participants collaborated in mixed international teams to design innovative rural business concepts supported by a strategic business model.

He also emphasized the learning value of the intercultural evenings, which offered participants the chance to explore each other’s traditions through presentations of cuisine, clothing, music and dances, fostering stronger cultural understanding and teamwork.

Moreover, Denis shared reflections about the practical field visits — including the visit to a local school and the tour of a trout farm — which gave the group a concrete view of rural life and inspired new ideas for business development in small communities.

Third dissemination event

Anne Marie presented pictures, videos, and insights from the Rural Entrepreneurship project, which she participated in, held in Vatra Dornei from October 18 to 28, 2025, to her eight university colleagues. She explained the project's topic and how participants were divided into eight groups that had to develop their own rural businesses, creating a comprehensive business plan that included financial elements, development strategies, and sustainability goals.

She also highlighted the cultural evenings, where participants learned fun and interesting facts about each country represented in the exchange.

In addition to her online contributions, Anne Marie carried out an offline dissemination activity at Universitatea Politehnica București, where she presented the project summary to her university colleagues and teachers. She raised awareness about rural entrepreneurship, challenging the stereotype that rural businesses are not profitable, and promoting the idea that young entrepreneurs can develop successful initiatives anywhere, using creativity and innovation.

Furthermore, she shared her personal learning outcomes, emphasizing how much she enjoyed the two educational visits — one to a school in a small village and one to a local trout farm — which provided practical insight into the project’s themes and strengthened her understanding of rural development in the real world.

Fourth dissemination event

Bogdan talked to his 5 friends from his hometown about his experience in the Rural Entrepreneurship project in Vatra Dornei. He explained how the teams developed rural business ideas from scratch, including financial planning, growth strategies, and sustainability considerations. To make the session more engaging, he shared the video pitch from the rural business competition and highlighted the practical trips to a village school and a trout farm, which provided real-life insight into rural entrepreneurship.

He also described the cultural evenings, where participants explored each country’s traditions through dances, songs, food, and clothing, gaining firsthand intercultural experience.

The session sparked curiosity and interest among his friends from his hometown, showing that rural entrepreneurship offers real opportunities and inspiring others to consider participating in similar international projects in the future.

Czech Republic - Offline Dissemination

As for the Czech team, two members, Lukáš and Matýáš, organised an offline dissemination session in the place of our local school to present the outcomes of the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange LevelUP: Rural Youth in Action. The aim was to share our experience with rural entrepreneurship, explain how the project worked, and motivate other students to join similar activities. We began by introducing the project’s basic information: the hosting organisation in Romania, the participating countries, the dates, and the main goals. We also briefly explained the preparations before departure, such as arranging travel and communication with the organisers, so the audience could understand what is needed to take part in an Erasmus+ exchange. During the presentation, we described the main activities of the programme. We talked about the workshops on rural entrepreneurship, teamwork tasks, and the process of creating small start-up ideas. We also shared our experience from the local visit to the fish farm and the cultural evenings, which allowed us to learn about the traditions and food of other countries. To make the session more engaging, we used photos from each day and explained what we learned from the different activities. At the end, we summarised the skills we gained, such as teamwork, communication in international groups, and a better understanding of rural challenges across Europe. The audience asked questions about the Erasmus+ programme and the daily life during the exchange. The activity successfully promoted Erasmus+ opportunities and showed how non-formal learning and international cooperation can provide valuable experience and inspiration for young people.

The dissemination activity provided a valuable opportunity not only to present our experience but also to reflect on what we learned during the Youth Exchange. Our 8 friends showed genuine interest and asked several questions about how Erasmus+ projects work, where to find open calls, and what the application process looks like. It was clear that many of them had never considered joining an international exchange before, and our stories helped them see these opportunities as accessible and realistic. Although we originally planned to use a classroom with a projector or board, the space was unavailable at the last moment. We adapted quickly by moving to a shared area and presenting everything on a laptop. Despite the more informal setup, the session went smoothly. The smaller space made the discussion more personal, and participants were comfortable asking questions, sharing opinions, and talking with us about what it is like to work in international groups. Students especially appreciated the photos, short videos, and authentic stories from the exchange, which made the presentation more engaging. These materials helped us show what non-formal learning looks like in practice — teamwork, cultural evenings, field visits, and creative workshops. The audience responded positively to this real, visual side of the project. Overall, the activity successfully promoted Erasmus+ opportunities. It helped us strengthen our own presentation skills, reflect on the insights gained during the project, and inspire others to participate in youth exchanges. The materials used included a selection of photos from each day of the exchange, our personal notebook, and information about Erasmus+ opportunities that we learned on the youth exchange and were available online.

The offline dissemination activity was made with the sending NGO support.

Romania - Online Dissemination

As part of the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange project LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action, the Romanian team and their sending NGO implemented several online dissemination posts across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Each participant shared visually engaging posts in English, presenting essential information about the project (its title, topic, dates, location, host organization, and participating countries: Spain, Italy, Hungary, Serbia, Czechia and Romania). The posts included personal reflections and creative content that showcased the added value of the exchange.

The shared materials featured the project’s main activities such as the business hackathon, visit to a local farm in Vatra Dornei, workshops on rural entrepreneurship and sustainability, teamwork challenges, and intercultural evenings that highlighted European cultural diversity.

In addition to individual efforts, the Romanian sending organization contributed through posts on its official social media pages, extending the project’s online reach within local communities and at national level. These posts collectively generated meaningful engagement from followers across different countries.

Through their dissemination actions, the Romanian participants helped increase visibility of the Erasmus+ programme, promoted youth participation and innovation in rural areas, and inspired more young people to take part in future international mobility projects.

"Another beautiful experience with @initiative.sociale in Vatra Dornei with our friends from : 🇵🇱🇷🇸🇨🇿🇮🇹🇪🇸🇭🇺!

With 37 participants and our 2 great facilitators we started an adventure with some team building activities and getting to know each other better.

And then the hard work started by creating our own business in rural areas. We learned a lot about rural entrepreneurship and even about each other countries.

This project made us realize something about the real world. I'm looking forward to have this experience again 🥹" - Alicia

"LevelUp: Rural Youth in Action, my first ERASMUS+ project, was an incredible experience that will always hold a special place in my heart. From the location where the project took place to the people I met there, including our wonderful facilitators, Lexi and Adrian, every aspect of this project was perfect. The balance between the actual work time we spent here and the team-building activities made this project feel very practical and, at the same time, very fun. The theme was a serious one, but we managed to find ways to combine business with pleasure and create so many joyful and memorable moments.

Thank you, guys for everything, it’s been a pleasure! 🤠👻🫶🏻🫶🏻" - Maria Vacaru

"Inca un proiect Erasmus+ 🇪🇺 binemeritat la Vatra Dornei cu fratele Mihai si cu fratele Bogdan împreună cu alti 39 de tineri din 7 țări diferite. 🧨🇪🇸🇮🇹🇨🇿🇷🇴🇭🇺🇵🇱🇷🇸Timp de 1️⃣0️⃣ zile, am explorat împreună ce înseamnă antreprenoriatul rural, am lucrat în echipe internaționale, am învățat unii de la alții și am descoperit cum putem aduce schimbare în comunitățile noastre. ♻️" - Denis, Bogdan & Mihai