Ten-week internships for young people from the twin town Leiria completed
Rheine. They have been back in their home town of Leiria for a few days now: Fabiana, Ines and Joao. For ten weeks, they were guests of the town twinning association Rheine to gain work experience in various places. From January to March, three young people from the “Escola Secundaria Francisco Rodrigues Lobo” spent the first part of their internship in Rheine until mid-March. As in the previous year, the town twinning association gave six young people from the Portuguese twin town Leiria the opportunity to experience the world of work in another European country and gain experience as part of a European Erasmus program. “An exhausting, challenging – but also very enjoyable time for everyone involved,” sums up Reiner Wellmann, Chairman of the town twinning association. The young Leirianers flew back home with many positive experiences in their luggage. “It was a great experience,” was the overall conclusion at the final meeting.
“I felt like I was part of a big family here!” Joao Borges pays Iris and Thorsten Grünberg, owners of the Echtzeit café, a huge compliment. And he also refers this to the team he worked in for ten weeks. “He was a great team player, determined and willing to learn,” says Iris Grünberg, praising the 18-year-old. “We always had the good feeling that we could rely on him,” Grünberg continues. Joao has even asked if he can come back in the second half of the year to earn money for his studies. The Grünbergs were happy to agree – but there is one problem: Joao still has a Brazilian ID card. And it’s not that easy to get a job in the EU, even if only for a few months…
Ines and Fabiana gained other experiences at TV Jahn Rheine and the Europe direct Center in the Steinfurt district administration. At the latter, Fabiana Aragao was mainly involved in preparing for the European elections. “Overall, Fabiana was a great asset to us. In addition to her great and reliable support in the many activities for the European elections, her presence was a benefit for the cooperation in the team of the Cultural Office in general,” reports Martin Schmitt, Head of the Europe direct Center.
Cristina Alvarez Blanco and Dinis Antonio Caseiro went straight into the world of work. They began their internships in architecture firms in Rheine, Ibbenbüren and Neuenkirchen.