Last Month, two dedicated members of Y-E-N handed over their seats at the Board table to new young people equally eager to change things around!
They wanted to pass on their wisdom of experienced Y-E-N members! ? Here is the letter of Valentina, who was a Board member for two mandates! Thank you for your work Valentina 🙂 We sure will see you again very soon!
“Y-E-N WAVES
Youth Express Network’s projects move like waves: it is a powerful natural force, which we can only watch, swim by, but not control.
Y-E-N Waves is the name of our first time ever made research on the impact of Y-E-N’s project on young people’s life.
I was working in Y-E-N’s office for an internship when we were preparing the research, about two years ago.
To me, thinking for a proper name for the research, wasn’t just about finding “the name”. In Y-E-N anything is thought “just because”. There is always a long process of researching and deep reflection behind everything we do.
Y-E-N waves: moving fast or slow but always bringing new surprises.
Since I attended my first project in 2012, I remember how fascinated I was by the amazing opportunity I was having. I travelled for my first time to Strasbourg, I was being welcomed by nice people and most of all, I was working for seven days with 30 other young people from everywhere in Europe! How incredible for a 17th years old girl to be in such a space with people from different countries, all speaking different languages.
That was the beginning of an incredible journey.
On the last day of that project, I wanted so much to speak with a trainer from Y-E-N and say: this is what I want to do! This is where I want to be!
I got great support and motivation.
Since then, I attended more than 2 projects per year, met INCREDIBLE people from all over Europe, learned about Human Rights, elected member of the board, being the vice-president, and facilitate the creation a local group of young people in Rome within my organization Affabulazione.
More than that, I learned about Humanity, Integrity, Motivation. I would never EVER be today the woman I am (personally and professionally) without the experience in Y-E-N. This network gives you a unique gift: sense of responsibility.
A sense of responsibility not just for yourself, but for the society we live in, for the community around us.
It is definitely a long journey, but every step is incredibly rewarding.
When you understand about integrity and responsibility no-one EVER can take you this things off from you: they are forever yours, no matter which challenge life presents you.
Today, after taking the decision of leaving the board, I never ever feel to leave the network and I want to contribute to feed its creativity, its uniqueness.
I look back at that 17th years old girl in Strasbourg looking at the window and wanting to be in Y-E-N so much, and I look at myself today and still, wanting to be in Y-E-N vividly, sincerely, with a new vest.
All this, to say to every human being, that Y-E-N is is a human example that all together WE CAN make changes, defend our rights, promote our integrity, create a stable, creative and INCLUSIVE community.
This is Y-E-N, like a wave, its power never ends, it recreates itself.
I will always say: go beyond, be critical, and think for the others as well.
Be a Wave, be Y-E-N.
With Love,
Valentina”