Hi my name is Yasmin I am 20 years old and from Germany and I was doing a Erasmus project over 1 month in Valencia. I am currently training as a management assistant in marketing communications, and my Erasmus experience was meant to focus precisely on this area. Through this project, I hoped to expand my skills, especially since marketing varies from company to company. This diversity allows me to learn different strategies and approaches, which I can hopefully apply to my current job.
I had the chance to make this erasmus project at Start Skate School and it was THE best experience.
But let me start from the beginning.
Meeting the team
On my first day, I had no idea what to expect because I had hardly any information about Start Skate. But when I met Wojtek, my tutor and the founder of Start Skate, it immediately became clear to me what a cool atmosphere Start Skate has. He explained to me what we would be working on in the marketing department and discussed the values that Start Skate supports. I enjoyed listening because it was really interesting to learn about the organization.
The next day, I met Leslie and Edit, who are both members of the Start Skate Team and Leslie is a Erasmus student as well. We got together to brainstorm the marketing plan. I quickly realized how open, funny, and kind the people who work there are. You instantly feel like part of the team and don’t have to be afraid to share your input. By the end of the day, we had a solid concept and ideas that we could develop further from home over the next few days.
I was then invited to join an adult skateboarding class. I was a little nervous, because I had never ridden a skateboard before, but I quickly realized that that was no problem at all.
It was so cool to experience the other side, as a student, and to really get to know what goes on behind the scenes at Start Skate. I got to learn some basics of skating and, of course, met the team, which consists of so many nice and open people—I can’t say it enough. I learned that the main goal here is just to have fun, and everything is so non-competitive.
Assisting with skateboard classes
The next two Saturdays, I had the opportunity to assist with the international course, working with so many different and amazing kids. I learned how to best support children in skateboarding, and one very important thing to remember is to always check for stones on the ground, as even a small stone is a skateboarder’s worst enemy. 🙂
It was wonderful to see the kids approach skating without fear and with such openness to learning new things. Many of them are so young and already so skilled at skating, which was very impressive to me. Overall, I found it amazing how included I felt and how much responsibility I was given. I truly felt like a part of the team right from the start.
Social Media work
Over the weeks I was there, we all worked together to promote the Summer Camp as part of my Erasmus experience. We brainstormed and developed ideas, created Instagram captions, made posts, added Facebook groups to our daily program and communicated a lot with each other. Feedback was incredibly important to all of us, which is why we ended up with such a good campaign.
I have learned that brainstorming and feedback are crucial communication tools for expressing ideas in marketing. Feedback, in particular, is vital for effective teamwork. Additionally, I had the opportunity to explore my creativity, from coming up with Instagram captions to designing posters and posts. I had never been involved in these tasks before, but now I can say that I have learned how to do them and can apply this knowledge to my current job, bringing this expertise home with me.
Final words
I had a truly wonderful time at Start Skate and learned so many new things. The people, the courses, the kids, the atmosphere, the openness, and the fun—everything that Start Skate embodies—rubbed off on me. Even though I was only there for a month, during my Erasmus experience I felt like a part of this community, despite never having skated myself. 😉
If you’d like to be part of our team and have your own Erasmus experience with us, read this post and send us an email. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Read about Leslie’s Erasmus experience here.