Success stories

New entrepreneur:
Eda Gulsen (Austria)
Age: 24
Company name: (Start-up)
Sector of activity: Legal, fiscal and other consultancy services

Host entrepreneur:
Jaap Hamburger (Netherlands)
Age: 71
Company name: EAJG - Een Ander Joods Geluid | https://www.eajg.nl/ (12 years of experience)
Sector of activity: Legal, fiscal and other consultancy services

Jaap Hamburger is co-owner of Een Ander Joods Geluid (EAJG) - A Different Jewish Voice, a Dutch Jewish organization advocating in the Netherlands for a just and comprehensive peace solution in Israel-Palestine based on international law and international human rights. Through other Dutch human rights organisations, he discovered the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme and decided to try it out and register as a host entrepreneur. Eda Gulsen has a degree in international law and heard about EYE from a friend and found out about it online. Eda decided to participate in a business collaboration with Jaap as a new entrepreneur to gain valuable experience after university and better understand what skills are needed to start similar non-profit organisations.

During the five-month collaboration, the two entrepreneurs established good relationships with potential business partners by exchanging ideas on networking platforms and at meetings. Eda familiarised herself with the case law of Jaap's business and other relevant human rights frameworks, identified opportunities for research projects, successfully completed projects, compiled legal documents with the help of the host, conducted legal research and investigations for litigation, wrote reports and articles for Jaap's website, and participated in meetings with journalists, stakeholders and lawyers. With Jaap's support and guidance, Eda acquired the necessary legal and research skills in the field of human rights and deepened her knowledge in a number of related areas of law (e.g. European Convention on Human Rights). Both the new and host entrepreneurs benefited from each other in many aspects of the work, through cooperative and independent work.

As a result of the involvement in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, the new entrepreneur gained priceless knowledge on how to build a successful business organisation to protect human rights through research and practice. She also learned what skills, knowledge and attitudes are needed to run and organise a business in general, and gained practical knowledge on how to provide legal advice to potential clients and how to conduct in-depth legal research for organisations and individuals. Eda also built a network of human rights lawyers and organisations with whom she can develop successful business relationships in the future. Most importantly, she learned how to communicate effectively with these different stakeholders and how to do business successfully in general. Jaap also benefited from the EYE programme as Eda brought a fresh perspective to his already successful business.

For more information, please contact the local contact points involved in the exchange:

New entrepreneur's contact point:
AMADEUS ASSOCIATION (Vienna, Austria)

Host entrepreneur's contact point:
Quarter Mediation (Utrecht, Netherlands)

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