My Tour4Youth journey: Phoe Htet San

Locally based internship with a global perspective

Phoe Htet San carried out his internship at Europe Direct Pohjois-Satakunta in Kankaanpää, Finland. Europe Direct information centres inform and advise citizens on matters related to the European Union’s institutions, legislation, programmes, policies, and various funding instruments. The information centres promote dialogue about the European Union and its policies at the regional and local levels.

Phoe -or Felix, as he became known to everyone, gained hands-on experience in creating targeted social media content, planning and organizing informational events and workshops, and managing outreach campaigns for EU initiatives under the guidance of Krista from Europe Direct. He expresses his deep gratitude for the opportunity to both Krista and Tour4Youth team. Felix benefited from a rich learning environment at Europe Direct Pohjois-Satakunta.

“I learned significantly about EU communication protocols, project management for public events, working within an EU network structure, and effectively tailoring complex EU information for diverse local audiences.”

Tour4Youth and Europe Direct provided a well-structured and valuable framework for an international experience without leaving Finland.

“I chose this placement because of its direct connection to the European Union and not only its strong focus on engaging local citizens, especially youth, with opportunities, and values but also event planning to connect with local citizens as customers including youths to adults.”

Felix was positively surprised by the high level of engagement and interest in EU topics from local youth and organizations in Pohjois-Satakunta.

A diverse set of tasks and genuine responsibilities

The diversity of tasks and the real responsibilities given, made Felix feel like an active contributor, not just a trainee. The internship has not only been a stepping stone in the career path of Felix, but also a truly transformative professional and personal journey. Looking ahead, Felix hopes to pursue a career in tourism management, project coordination, or youth-focused international work — ideally within European institutions or NGOs. The internship has strengthened his motivation, gave him concrete skills for his CV, and helped him build a professional network in the EU sphere. Felix also feels that challenges are an asset to learning:

“The sheer volume and complexity of EU information to process and communicate effectively was initially more challenging than anticipated, though it became a key learning point.“