Behind every training session, project activity and international partnership, there are young people trying to understand where they want to go and what they can become. Their voices reveal the real meaning of HorizonCraft.
International projects are often described through partnerships, work packages, indicators, activities and results. All of these elements are necessary. But they are not the reason HorizonCraft exists. Behind the formal structure of an international cooperation project are young people thinking about their future, questioning their abilities, discovering new skills and trying to find their own place in the world of work.
The training activities recently implemented in Alexandria by Have A Dream and CEEBA – Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations offer a clear example of what this means. Participants worked on design thinking, inclusion, cultural awareness, problem solving, teamwork, adaptability, entrepreneurship, digital skills, financial literacy, green skills and AI-assisted work. But their testimonies show that the most important outcomes cannot always be reduced to a list of competences.
For Marina Ayman, the experience became an opportunity to understand herself better and identify the professional skills she wants to continue developing. She describes a training journey that encouraged her to participate more actively and gave her greater confidence as she continues to build her career.
For Osama Elfekry, ten days in Alexandria were a journey of learning, collaboration and growth. What remains is not only what was learned during the sessions, but also the people encountered along the way and the renewed energy he wants to bring into his future projects. Other participants describe something even more subtle: a change in perspective.
Aly ElKhayat explains that the programme made him reconsider ideas he thought he already understood. The experience was not simply about acquiring knowledge, but about learning how to think, communicate, collaborate and approach problems differently. He also highlights the value of learning from other participants, from discussions during activities and even from conversations during breaks.
“Learning isn’t only about adding more knowledge. Sometimes, it’s about changing the way you look at what you already know.” That sentence perhaps captures better than any project indicator what capacity building can mean.
The same idea emerges from Rawan Waleed’s experience. She describes HorizonCraft as something that went beyond traditional technical training and helped connect professional preparation with adaptability, communication, collaboration and real-world problem solving. Just as importantly, she highlights the network created during the programme: different people, perspectives and professional relationships that may continue well beyond the training itself.
And sometimes the meaning of an experience can be expressed very simply. At the end of the ten-day programme, Shehab Sherif summed it up in a few words:“I am leaving with new skills, great memories, and new friends. Ready for the next step!”
His testimony also underlines that the programme was not only about theory, but about teamwork, exchanging ideas and learning through real-life situations. This is the human side of HorizonCraft.
The project will continue to produce training activities, matching processes, internships, reports and results across Egypt, Lebanon and Italy. But behind each of these steps there will be individual stories: expectations before an experience begins, doubts along the way, relationships built with others, moments of difficulty, discoveries and sometimes a new confidence about what may come next. Communication should make these stories visible because they explain something that figures alone cannot.
HorizonCraft is ultimately about young people who are trying to build a future for themselves. The institutions, organisations, trainers, companies and partners involved in the project can create opportunities, provide tools and open doors. But it is the young participants who decide to walk through them.
And it is through their voices, experiences and ambitions that HorizonCraft becomes more than an international cooperation project: it becomes a living story of people preparing to take their next step into the world of work.
Last Update
05/10/2026
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