What happens when eight young people from different parts of Europe meet for the first time with the aim to start the adventure of their life?
The Roadtrip project funded by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy gathered eight charismatic individuals from around the EU and offered them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The group ventured out on a one month-long trip from the 29th of August to the 29th of September 2019 with the aim of exploring the variety of European regions and getting to know locals and the EU-supported projects they have implemented.
Two teams combining their passions and creativity in an adventure of a lifetime
Dayana from Bulgaria, Elliot from Sweeden, Vanessa from South Africa (currently living in Hungary), and Rares from Romania gathered in the team „Travelbugs“ to hit the road from Aland Islands in Finland to Canary Islands in Spain.
Another team „Calma“ consisting of Olga from Poland, Panos from Cyprus, Wijnand from Netherlands and Selina from Germany discovered the impact the EU has on the growth of local communities in the tour from Dublin to Nicosia.
They were selected among 300 applicants who recognized the value of this European project, and they got the task to become videomakers, copywriters, presenters, and photographers for a month in order to use social media to present how beautiful, interesting and innovative Europe is.
Impressions of the team during the press conference could be summed up in one comment made by Rares: „The greatest adventure of my life“.
Elaborating the impact of the EU projects
„We had a chance to see many different projects that the EU supports. We saw a lot of businesses, inclusive social, technological, ecological projects that are financed from the Commission's sector for regional development“ – Selina described, which was very important because a lot of people are not aware of the numerosity and diversity of the EU funded projects.
„It was really cool to see so many people who cared so much about the project they were doing, for example, the village that integrated the Roma community into their community. It was great to see people caring for problems and finding solutions for them“ – Olga elaborated.
With one of his statements, Elliot simply clarified the very core of the Roadtrip project: „I think that the main thing has been the collaboration, and how cooperation makes even better work, both for ourselves in the groups, but also how collaboration within these projects and within Europe has an impact on building a better future“.
Advocating further investments of the EU funds into Eastern Europe
It was especially interesting to emphasize the inequalities in the level of development of regions on the route. Travelers concluded that they didn't notice huge imparities inside each country, but between the countries. Mostly, they focused on the Eastern European states, such as Romania, that still has a long way to go in order to reach its potentials. Therefore these youngsters strongly advocate further investments in the less developed Eastern area of the EU that should be insured from the European cohesion policy funds.
Matteo Salvai from the European Commission Directorate General of the Regions concluded the press conference by explaining the motive of the Commission's determination to bring this project to life. „The target group were young between the age of 18 and 24 because, usually, they are not in the focus of the communication strategy of the EC. The aim of the project was giving youth the freedom to produce their own content while experiencing Europe from a different perspective“ – says Salvai.
Massive response of the audience that was following the posts on the social media made by travelers shows that this young team motivated a lot of people to spread their horizons, to travel more, and connect with different cultures and people from all around the EU.
Youth from various European countries overcoming differences
Just like among the real families, the small disputes were a constituent part of their days. When we asked the teams how did they manage to overcome disputes between the individuals in the group, Panos said: „we hugged them out!“ – one of the most memorable comments of the press conference that points out the true purpose of the Roadtrip project. The crew emphasized relying on communication as the main mean of problem-solving, especially when it comes to cultural and lifestyle differences. This team succeeded in the main goal of their journey – proving that, despite their differences, people from different regions of the EU can become family!
Written by: Tea Mihanović (Croatia)
Edited by: Iskra Tsankova (Bulgaria)
