LIFE+ | Welcome on INTERNSHIP@ICDET, Luca!

I am Luca De Cristofaro, an Italian-Brazilian guy who is trying to understand how Europe works. Growing up with parents of different nationalities brought me to speak two languages at a very early age. After speaking Italian and (Brazilian) Portuguese at home, I decided to diversify the languages I was speaking and when I had to decide what type of high school I wanted to pursue, I decided to enroll in the “liceo linguistico”.

The liceo linguistico was the perfect option for me as it allowed me to improve my English and properly study French and Spanish. The studies were not only focused on learning different languages but also on learning and understanding the culture, history, and literature. During my high school years, I got the chance to win a scholarship (that I later discovered being funded by the EU) that allowed me to go to Salamanca for a month to learn the language and culture in situ.

The experience in Salamanca made me understand that, to me, knowing a language was not enough, I wanted to know more about a country’s history, culture, and politics. Therefore, I can say that my time in Salamanca is the reason why I decided to study International Relations at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. During my bachelor’s I discovered the Model United Nations universe and I completely fell in love with diplomatic simulations. I went from being a delegate to becoming a chairman. The picture above is the conference in which I was the Chairman for the simulation of a meeting of the European Council.

LIFE+ | Welcome on INTERNSHIP@ICDET, Ivo!

My name is Ivo and I am 21 years old. I was born in Montana, Bulgaria but currently I live in Sofia. This year is my last one in Sofia University where I study international relations.

Almost 2 years ago I randomly found the Facebook page of ICDET. I was fascinated about all the activities and events they had. Not so long after that I saw a publication about a youth exchange in Spain and ICDET was the sending organization from Bulgaria. Without any doubts I decided to apply. Luckily, I got approved. Back then, I knew absolutely nothing about the Erasmus+ programme. All the members of the head crew were there to answer to all of my questions about the upcoming youth exchange and the programme at all. ICDET supported us during the exchange and even after that and gave the best first impression about Erasmus+.

Later on, when I started to get in touch with other NGOs in Bulgaria I realized how different ICDET it is. And by different I mean unique. You should check their web address and you will see what I am talking about. It is so well-structured. Tons of information could be found about everything – from the projects they are working on to the media channel.

I was really happy when I found out I could be an intern in ICDET. In my opinion this is one of most developed NGOs in the country (as I listed some of the reasons above). Which is why I have really big expectations for my internship. Each member of the head crew is specialist in its own department and I think I learn a lot from them. However, the part I am most interested in is the project development and I am grateful I will have the opportunity to gain knowledge in this sphere. In addition to that, working in multicultural environment is amazing.

During the training I already made some new friends and learnt so much about the native countries and languages. The flexibility of the internship is also great. I expect to developed some additional skills like self-time management, effective planning, prioritization of tasks and etc. I believe the internship will be useful not only for me but for my career development as well.

LIFE+ | Welcome on INTERNSHIP@ICDET, Boyan!

My name is Boyan and I am 21 years old. I study International relations at Sofia University. As an EU proponent and enthusiast, I was looking to do an internship in a growing and modern organisation dealing with EU’s initiatives and programs.

A friend of mine has told me that he had had a good experience with the organisation and that the people there were friendly and professional.

Therefore, I got in touch with representatives of the organisation and got the same impression. I was more than happy to discover ICDET.

I believe that I could contribute to the development of the NGO by sharing my experience and perspective on numerous topics. I am particularly interested in the field of EU law, as well as EU’s programs and bodies’ initiatives a whole. I have always felt comfortable in a multicultural environment and I always strive to help my peers develop themselves.

So far, the training has been promising and the people I have met there are friendly and motivated.

I am happy to have chosen ICDET and I expect that I will learn a lot more and acquire many new competences throughout the traineeship.

Finally, that fact that I have chosen to be part of the ‘Project Development department’ has been a great motivation for me, as it will help me develop new skills, not just in theory but also in practice.