European straits' conference - Looking at other opportunities: international mobility of young volunteers

Mob’Inclus project, developed between Pas-de-Calais County Council (France) and the Province of Lecce (Italy), capitalises on the existing partnership as part of the European Straits Initiative. Despite the project is not directly related to a strait-specific issue, it contributes to strengthen the links between the two partner territories, with direct benefits for inhabitants.

Ms Emmanuelle Bertrand, who developed the project within Pas-de-Calais County Council, explained that the project was born in 2016: we thought that this existing network, already rich of many years of cooperation, could benefit not only to professionals of regional and local authorities (…) but also to inhabitants, and the youngest of them. The idea was to rely on this network and to call out our partners across Europe to have a support to develop a project of international youth mobility.

As part of this project, a dozen of young apprentices in hostelry and catering training had the opportunity to do an internship for several weeks in restaurants of the province of Lecce. The project also enabled Pas-de-Calais County Council to send four young volunteers in Lecce for 6 months, to work in the tourism information point. Etienne, one of these volunteers, testified: it was a very rich experience, on the human point of view, as we were in contact with people there, and linguistically as well. During these 6 months, I questioned myself about my future, what I wanted to do (…) and I decided to start again studies in September.

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