From TRADition to Employment: Food Products TRADE CUISINE

10th – 20th May 2018

Kannavia Village, Cyprus

Youth Exchange

“From TRADition to Employment: food products” with an acronym : “Trade Cuisine” was an Erasmus+ youth exchange project that took place in Kannavia village in Nicosia District of Cyprus on 10th until 20th of May 2018.

The project aim was to guide participants to food-related traditions and professions, providing

them with inspiring ideas regarding employment and entrepreneurship and empowering them with skills and self-confidence for fighting today’s unemployment. We focused on food practices because there is an advancing need to return to healthier lifestyles. Also, traditional food professions and products have long history in the villages, such as the one hosting this exchange as well as the home towns of many of the participants, and we believe we have a lot to share with, and receive from, all partner countries. This project provided also the opportunity to connect with the eldest of the

community that carry valuable knowledge on these traditions, as well as, involve youth and other residents of rural areas. We aimed to connect these communities at not only local or

national level but also European, taking full advantage of the impact of a European youth exchange.

“Trade Cuisine” involved 36 young participants from Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Italy and Greece, primarily oriented to youth in risk of unemployment or with certain geographical or economic obstacles. It was particularly promoted to young people in rural areas as well as young people willing to explore the entrepreneurial path through tradition and culture.

The project was funded by Erasmus+ and Youth Board of Cyprus.

Our activities were based on hands-on workshops about traditional food recipes and meal preparation, healthy eating habits, entrepreneurship ideas and examples of good practices. We organized entrepreneurial study visits, workshops with local practitioners (young and elder) and presentations of different practices amongst the participating countries. Project activities were focusing on enhancing creativity and personal development of participants through a

variety of games, role-plays, team-building activities, group discussions, brainstorming, and everyday reflective sessions. To encourage inter-cultural dialogue and bonding we organized cultural evenings and spend time together learning the basics from each other’s music, dance, and language. We further organized a one-day exhibition of our products and activities to disseminate results and exchange ideas with the local community. Making use

of the social media, maintained a platform of shared practices for facilitating dissemination in our home countries and encourage future collaborations.

Trade Cuisine has been awarded with the label of European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.