Remember I once mentioned that 6 of us went to Göteborg, Sweden. So Simona shared her experience about it. It’s really interesting. Check it out. We really appreciate and thank her for writing a post.
It’s her second post here at Steamgreen.
My impressions about EuroEnviro2015
EuroEnviro 2015 is a symposium where sixty students from all European countries meet and share ideas and ideals, experiences and dreams. This year I was there and I would like to share with you my impressions, feeling and conclusions about this experience in Sweden during the participation of EuroEnviroment 2015. My intention here is not to give you a summary about all activities we did (see “Actor of Change EuroEnviro2015”) rather a quick introspection and comments following my experience in this event.
Starting from the assumption that I am a quiet girl that needs time to open up with people, in fact for me the first challenge was face with unknown people that have so many different backgrounds (cultural and study wise). The group was heterogeneous and full of surprises: all different perspectives and points of view allow to come up with a very interesting ideas. All the optimism and the positivity were palpable in the air especially during the initial days.
I also liked the interaction within people and interplay of all activity, aimed to the creation of own project by working in a group in three different arenas. I am not so used to this kind of methodology, it was very engaging and motivating, not only in the creative part but also in the didactic-academic part, although the latter part was mainly focused to generate ideas and about creativity, giving some inspired examples: according to me, the most evocative example was the Green Office, a non-profit organization run by students. Few years ago, they proposed to create a proper university department in order to become a green campus. The first office was located in Netherlands and it was composed by few students. These guys, surprisingly young – they are practically our peers – want to expand their business model around all universities in Europe and involve more and more students, teachers and institutions. I was really impressed by this project because it shows how an idea, starting in a small scale, can increasingly become a reality in a wider context. Moreover, it seems that University of Bologna is laying the groundwork for this project.
The staff of EuroEnviro was super nice and very motivated, despite they were under a huge pressure. They pushed to feel us part of a “big picture” (not at all the subtitle of the event which was “Actors of Change”) and this was exactly what they did.
To conclude, I do not know if all projects that we have elaborated will be possible and feasible but surely it was a great experience that changed a little part of us (at least of me) in order to carry on and become increasingly more sensitive. However, I cannot ignore the voice that tells me that maybe all of these ideas are only part of a beautiful word and will not lead to any conclusion (they will remain only ideas) but what I learned from this experience is that we have to be positive and I want to be optimistic. I do not want to forget this training and to use it when I least expect it. That’s why I wanted, even if briefly, to share with you my opinions because now that I am at home, back to my routine, exams and lectures, I have a great experience in my memory but above all a change in my heart.
PS: Sorry to be late, but you know, summer exams session!
Written by Simona Colaizzi
RESD Student (Unibo)
