Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the YENESIS activities were postponed to a later date, such as the apprenticeships or the local placements.
Some participants though, after some of the restrictions were lifted, decided to go for it and we asked them to share their experience with us. Below is the story of Rauno Rauniste from the Saaremaa island in Estonia.
My name is Rauno and I am from the biggest Estonian island called Saaremaa. In 2019 after graduating from high school, I decided to take a year off to decide what I would like to do with my life. I joined the Yenesis project because it is one way to explore the world of different opportunities. I participated in one-week-long training programme in January 2020, where I learned about various topics such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable tourism, business innovation and sustainable transport. I was inspired by the links that can be made between business innovation and green jobs and I further applied and participated in the business mentorship meeting under the Yenesis project. As one of the obligations under the Yenesis project is to complete a local placement, I decided to invest my time by further developing the street food booth called WIO Burger that a few years ago my friends and I founded. The Yenesis project pushed me and my team to focus even more on using local ingredients and products from local businesses and to make sure that we use compostable food packaging to reduce negative environmental impacts. As co-owner, it is important for me to maintain the cash flow circulation on the local island, at the same time contributing to the island’s sustainable tourism by providing a greener local food outlet where visitors can stop by. From all my experience so far participating at the Yenesis project, I have learned the importance of green jobs, clear communication and the effectiveness of time. WIO Burger gained a lot of positive attention during the summer and we will definitely continue to grow. Our homepage can also be found on Facebook.
