We wanted students to learn to celebrate cultural diversity as well as learn to take pride in their own culture. They have learned not only about food and local products in both countries, but also about history and traditions. They have got to know entrepreneurs and they have been given a chance to compare entrepreneurship in the two countries. They had a chance to try their hand at planning a business of their own. Working together in transnational groups has boosted students' skills and confidence.
The two countries taking part in the project, Italy and Finland and the two cities, Isokyrö and Cittanova, are situated far away from each other and are in many ways opposites to each other. We both appreciate our national and local specialities, and we want people on the other side of the world to get to know them and learn to appreciate them, too. We chose two themes we wanted to address: food and local products (handicraft), and they were bind together by entrepreneurship. Local products draw inspiration not only from nation's history and traditions, but also from the area itself. Both Isokyrö and Cittanova have a lot of small-scale industry, and by giving students a chance to get to know local products, they have learnt about history and geography, and about sustainable living. Being an entrepreneur requires capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas, and to transform them into something concrete. This can be a useful skill in the future labour market, too.