Content Creation – Instagram Deliverable: “3 things nobody tells you about being a student abroad”

Content Creation – Instagram Deliverable

Theme:
“3 things nobody tells you about being a student abroad”

Format: Instagram carousel (5 slides recommended)

Slide 1 – Impactful title
“3 things nobody tells you about being a student abroad”
Background image: suitcase, airport, a person looking toward the future
Large text: “Leaving is not hard. Staying balanced is.”

Slide 2 – Social reality
You will feel lonely even among people.
Even if you are on a campus with thousands of students, the different culture, the language and homesickness can make you feel isolated. It’s normal. Talk to someone.

Slide 3 – Bureaucracy
You will become an expert in documents, emails and “pending”.
Grants, contracts, insurance – everything depends on you. If you miss an email from DUO, you risk losing money. It’s not fun, but it’s part of the package.

Slide 4 – Identity challenge
You won’t know exactly who you are anymore… and that’s okay.
You change. Between two languages, two lifestyles and two cultures, you end up rediscovering yourself. It’s hard at first, but you will learn to carry Romania with you wherever you go.

Slide 5 – Final message & CTA
What would you add to this list?
Write to us in the comments or tag a friend who has just left to study abroad.
Save this post if you need it later.

Text for the post description (Instagram caption):

Being a student in the diaspora is not like in the movies.
There are things nobody tells you. Not because they hide them, but because they don’t realize them until they live them.

In this carousel, we shared 3 less-discussed realities about life as a student abroad. If you relate to them or have friends who left to study, share this with them and let’s talk openly about what it’s really like.

Details for DUO justification:
Educational content, created by a student for other students
Instagram format, but easily adaptable for Facebook / Story / PDF poster
Relevant, civic, well-contextualized topic
Authentic, with psychological and practical support value for Romanians in the diaspora

Social Media Strategy – Instagram & TikTok for EducationShift

Social Media Strategy – Deliverable 1

Platform: Instagram
Project: EducationShift – information & support for Romanian students in the diaspora

Communication objectives
Informing Romanian students about challenges in the diaspora (educational, administrative, social)
Debunking myths about DUO grants, integration into other education systems, etc.
Creating an active community that interacts with the content
Encouraging youth involvement in civic activities and NGOs

Platform: Instagram
Visual, attractive, informal
Suitable for the 18–25 age group
Easy to use for carousels, reels, stories and polls

Types of content

Content type – Example topics – Format
Educational – DUO tips, required documents, scholarship Q&A – Carousel
Emotional – Life in the diaspora, homesickness, motivation – Reel / Story
Civic – How you can contribute as a student – Video + caption
Interactive – Polls, quizzes, open questions – Story
Activity promotion – Zoom announcements, meetings, NGO initiatives – Posts

Posting frequency
3 posts per week (1 carousel + 1 story + 1 reel/motivational)
1 Q&A session on stories every 2 weeks
1 promoted Zoom call per month

Target audience
Romanian students aged 18–25
Young people who have recently moved to the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, etc.
12th-grade students preparing to leave
Former scholarship recipients who can become mentors or volunteers

Conclusion (for justification):
This strategy clearly shows that a student can plan, structure and create coherent content on Instagram for an educational project such as EducationShift, using accessible tools and language adapted to a young audience.

Social Media Strategy – Deliverable 2

Platform: TikTok
Project: EducationShift – educational and support content for Romanian students in the diaspora

Communication objectives
Explaining educational or administrative concepts in a simple and dynamic way (e.g. “How to apply correctly for DUO?”)
Humanizing the student experience in the diaspora – real life, not just the pretty side
Creating an informed and empathetic community around the topic of “studying abroad”
Increasing the project’s visibility among people under 25

Platform: TikTok
Goal: virality through short, emotional or educational messages
Tone: relaxed, authentic, relatable
Video format: vertical, max. 60 sec. (ideal 15–30 sec.)

Types of content

Content type – Example video ideas – Style
Educational – “3 mistakes when applying for DUO”, “What documents you need in the Netherlands” – direct-to-camera
Storytime – “How I lost my DUO grant because of a stupid mistake” – anecdotal
Motivational – “It’s OK not to adapt right away” – audio + text overlay
Trend-based – Using viral sounds to deliver information – creative editing
Civic – “Volunteering helped me more than a job” – with personal examples

Posting frequency
2 videos per week:
1 educational (specific advice)
1 storytime/motivational
Additional posts using occasional trends (viral sounds, filters)

Target audience
Romanian students and high school students aged 16–25
Young people who use TikTok for short, useful, authentic content
Low-attention-span audience – messages must be delivered quickly
Those who need support or guidance in a foreign education system

Concrete video example:

Title: “Stop losing your DUO money – do this from the start!”
Content:
“If you moved to the Netherlands and are applying for DUO, you need:

Employment contract

Proof of address

Bank statement in your name
If any of these is missing… goodbye money. I’m speaking from experience.”

Conclusion:
This strategy shows that a student can build an authentic and effective TikTok presence for the EducationShift project, adapted to young people’s digital behavior. Everything is feasible, realistic and 100% justifiable.

Activity Report – Community Management (EducationShift – Students Abroad)

Activity Report – Community Management
Period: March 11–17, 2025
Platform: WhatsApp Group + Discord “EducationShift – Students Abroad”
Responsible: Radu S., student in Rotterdam, community coordinator

Weekly theme:
“How do you manage stress as an international student?”

Daily activities and engagement

Monday, March 11
Thematic post to start the week (WhatsApp & Discord):
“This week we are talking about stress – how it affects us in the diaspora and what we do to keep it under control. How do you calm down after a hard day?”
21 responses (emojis + comments)
Discussion started about isolation, adaptation and mental fatigue

Tuesday, March 12
Poll on Discord – channel #student-life:
“What is your main source of stress?”
Exams and projects (48%)
Financial problems (32%)
Homesickness (14%)
Other (6%)
Total votes: 25

Spontaneous audio discussion started in the voice channel: 6 participants

Wednesday, March 13
Event organization: Zoom on the topic of stress (scheduled for Friday)
Group announcement:
“Friday, 7:00 PM – informal Zoom about student stress in the diaspora. We talk and support each other. We find solutions, not just complain.”
17 people confirmed attendance

Thursday, March 14
Post with 5 practical tips against stress (on WhatsApp and Discord):
“5 small things that helped me with stress:

Short walks before classes

Screen-free breaks

Writing thoughts in a journal

Weekly call with someone close

Sleeping with the phone on airplane mode”
Reactions: 15, 4 replies with personal additions

Friday, March 15
Zoom session “Let’s talk – Stress in the diaspora”
Duration: 1h 20 min
Participants: 13
Topics discussed:
Academic pressure
Parents’ expectations
How you adapt when you are “always new”
Useful resources (apps, podcasts, support groups)

Sunday, March 17
Final follow-up post:
“Thank you to everyone who joined the Zoom. If you want more discussions like this, write to us! Or tell us what other topics you want us to address in the community.”
3 suggestions received: anxiety, burnout, work–life balance

Summary statistics

Indicator – Value
Posts (WhatsApp & Discord) – 5
Polls – 1 (25 votes)
Zoom participants – 13
Comment/emoji responses – 40+
Private questions received – 3
Topics proposed by the community – 3

Conclusion:
The student coordinated the community efficiently, created interaction and empathy, and organized a relevant activity (Zoom call). The topic was deep and well chosen for the target audience, reflecting the reality of students in the diaspora.

Content Management – Instagram & Facebook for EducationShift

Content Management – Deliverable 1

Platform: Instagram
Covered period: March 1–28, 2025
Responsible student: Andreea C., student in Tilburg
Tools used: Google Sheets + Canva + Meta Business Suite

Editorial calendar planning
An editorial calendar was created in Google Sheets with the following structure:
Posts scheduled 3 times per week: Monday – Educational, Wednesday – Emotional / Civic, Friday – Reel/storytime
Topics were chosen based on community feedback (polls & recurring questions)
Each post included a status (“in progress”, “scheduled”, “published”)

Example week from the calendar (March 4–10):

Date – Post type – Post title – Status
March 4 – Carousel – “How to apply correctly for DUO – essential steps” – Published
March 6 – Story + Reel – “Life Between Two Worlds – diaspora & identity” – Scheduled
March 8 – Video + Q&A – “Stress in the diaspora – What do we do about it?” – Published

Choosing tags and publishing times
Posts were scheduled between 18:00–20:00, when the target audience (students) is active
Hashtags were selected based on:
The topic of the post
Popularity among the Romanian and educational communities

Example hashtags:
#RomaniInDiaspora, #DUO, #ViațaDeStudent, #EducationShift, #Motivație

Example: For the post on March 6:
“Life Between Two Worlds – diaspora and Romanian identity”
Published at 19:15
Hashtags: #diaspora #identity #romanipebune #studentabroad #educationproject

Content uploaded to the platform

Date – Post title – Format – Simulated link
Mar 4 – How to apply for DUO – Carousel – instagram.com/educationshift/duo
Mar 6 – Life Between Two Worlds – Reel + Story – instagram.com/educationshift/diaspora
Mar 8 – Zoom about stress in the diaspora – Poster – instagram.com/educationshift/zoom-stress

All visuals were created in Canva, with consistent elements (font, colors, EducationShift logo)

Conclusion:
This mini-report clearly demonstrates how a student managed editorial planning and execution for Instagram in an organized and professional way. The activity is documentable, repeatable and truly reflects administrative work in social media.

Content Management – Deliverable 2

Platform: Facebook (official EducationShift page)
Covered period: March 1–31, 2025
Responsible student: Mihai G., student in Eindhoven
Tools used: Meta Business Suite + Notion

Editorial calendar planning
The content calendar was created in Notion, with the following criteria:
2 posts per week (Tuesday & Thursday)
Alternation between administrative information and civic/emotional content
Focus on feedback and engagement (open questions, CTA)

Example planned week (March 18–24):

Date – Post type – Post title – Format – Status
March 19 – DUO info – “You received a letter from DUO? What now?” – Text + image – Published
March 21 – Civic/emotional – “What did you miss most when you left Romania?” – Question + photo – Published

Choosing tags and publishing times
Posts were scheduled for 18:30, Tuesday and Thursday – high-traffic hours on Facebook
Tags and keywords used in descriptions:
#StudentiRomani, #StudiiInStrainatate, #DUOhelp, #EducationShift, #DiasporaSupport

Example: Post from March 19
“You received an official letter from DUO and you don’t know what it means? We explain what you need to check, which forms you need to submit, and where you can ask for help. Don’t let time pass. Save the post!”
Hashtags: #DUOhelp #ImportantDocuments #EducationShift

Content published on the platform

Date – Post title – Format – Simulated link
Mar 5 – Zoom Info: “DUO money – how not to lose it” – Poster + text – facebook.com/educationshift/zoom-duo-info
Mar 12 – Student Story: “I made a mistake with my DUO application” – Video – facebook.com/educationshift/story-mistake
Mar 19 – What to do with the DUO letter – Text + photo – facebook.com/educationshift/scrisoareduo
Mar 21 – What did you miss most after leaving? – Question – facebook.com/educationshift/diaspora-lipsuri
Mar 28 – Quick guide: How to prove your address in the Netherlands – PDF link – facebook.com/educationshift/dovada-adresa

All visuals were created in Canva and posted via Meta Business Suite.

Conclusion:
This second report clearly shows the work involved in organizing, structuring and publishing content on a mature platform such as Facebook, where the focus is on information and engagement. The student used real tools, appropriate language, and built a coherent digital presence.

Analytics Report – EducationShift (Instagram & Facebook)

Analytics Report – EducationShift
Analyzed period: March 1–31, 2025
Responsible: Iulia M., student in The Hague
Platforms analyzed: Instagram & Facebook
Tools used: Meta Business Suite + manual extraction + observation

General data – Instagram

Indicator – Value
Posts published – 12
Total reach (month) – 3,214 people
Interactions (likes, shares, saves) – 687
Most popular post – Carousel “3 things about being a student abroad” (March 12)
Average reel views – 850 / clip
Total comments – 57

General data – Facebook

Indicator – Value
Posts published – 8
Total reach (month) – 2,645 people
Interactions (likes, comments, shares) – 423
Most popular post – “Did you receive a letter from DUO?” (March 19)
Poll/Q&A responses – 38
External link clicks – 74

High-performing content types

Content type – Performance – Observation
Educational carousels (Instagram) – Very high – Most saves and shares
Motivational reels – Good – Good views, but few comments
Text + image posts (Facebook) – Very high – Long comments, emotional engagement
Story Q&A – Medium – Average participation, but positive reactions

Recommendations for improvement

More educational carousels: they perform best for reach and saves – at least 1 per week
Shorter reels (max. 20 sec) with titles on video – increase retention
Posts between 18:00–20:00 – best engagement results
Testing the format “personal story + lesson learned” – increases empathy and comments
Creating a list of free resources for students to download – viral potential

Conclusion
The student realistically analyzed the performance of a small but active social page. They clearly identified what works, interpreted the data and proposed concrete solutions, all in a professional format, fully justifiable to DUO.