On the 8th of October, the association will be traveling to Valmiera for the 5th Regional Story Evening in order to share its global experience with the people of Vidzeme.

Venue and time: 17:00-19:00 at Café “Tērbata” (Tērbatas iela 2), Valmiera.

This time, we will feel the breadth of global experience by listening to the stories of Daniela Bandena and Aigars Laužs.

Daniela Bandena spent 10 years in Athens working for the Black Sea and Mediterranean region of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – promoting economic development, investment attraction, and trade between countries. Daniela has now returned to Latvia and, using the experience she has gained over the years, is working with a Greek management and consultancy company, establishing foreign companies’ representative offices and developing projects both in the EU and in specific regions outside the EU.

Aigars Lauzis is the CEO, co-owner, designer, and inventor of BeTriton. He holds Master’s degrees in Urban Design and Landscape Architecture. He lived, studied, and worked in London for 6 years (2007-2013), contributing to large-scale projects around the world. From 2013-2017, he cycled 30+ thousand kilometers from London to Tokyo with 4 stops in Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore and Shanghai, where he worked professionally to earn the funds to continue his journey. After 10 years of global ordeals and the trials of Spridis, he returned home to Smiltene and is now fully developing the amphibious BeTriton – a product that combines an e-bike, boat, and mini campervan, providing a completely unique and eco-friendly travel experience.

The association “Ar Pasaules pieredzi Latvijā” brings together those who have returned to Latvia or moved to Latvia, and for several years have been organising monthly story evenings in Riga. This year, made possible through funding from the Social Integration Fund, we are also visiting the regions of Latvia, so that the breath and experience of the world can reach as wide an audience as possible.

Miks Muižarājs, Chairman of the Board of the Association, says: “Remigration to Latvia has been on the rise in recent years, as shown by the latest migration data. Last year, more than 9300 people returned to Latvia, which is about 2500 more than the year before. Although most people move to Riga after living abroad, we also see remigration to other Latvian cities. For example, more than 100 people returned to Valmiera last year. It is important to create an environment and events where the stories of these people are made available to the wider public, thus normalizing the return process. We expect that the audience in Valmiera will be surprised by the experiences of the speakers during their absence and after their return.”

In total, 4 regional story evenings have already taken place – in Cēsis, Daugavpils, Liepāja, and Aluksne – where each event featured 2 prominent experts in their field who have spent some time outside Latvia, gained valuable experience, but decided to return to Latvia and continue their professional activity in their home country. Each event is followed by informal conversations, often lasting until late into the evening, sharing experiences and building new friendships.

AppLV was established in 2017, in order to create a network of remigrants (repatriates) in Latvia, encourage intercultural and thought exchange, as well as strengthen ties with people who live outside Latvia, but are thinking of moving here. Additionally, we welcome those for whom Latvia is a new home. Our association is the first and the leading remigration organization in Latvia. As such, we are actively involved in various public events, conferences, and discussions on topics of importance for remigrants and those with a global perspective.

If you are a returnee from abroad in Latvia and would like to expand your network with people with interesting professional experiences from around the world, this is definitely the event for you!

The event is financially supported by the Society Integration Fund from the Latvian state budget allocated by the Ministry of Culture. This article has been prepared with the financial support of the Society Integration Fund
from the Latvian state budget. The content of the article is the responsibility of the association “Ar pasaules pieredzi Latvijā”.