AGORA

AGORA

Our journey began on the evening of April 6th in Calenzano, near Florence.
Despite some organizational chaos, we eventually arrived at the venue. Our home for the next 10 days was the picturesque church of San Gavino, nestled in nature, 5 km from the nearest village. The total of 40 participants included Slovaks, Lithuanians, Greeks, Dutch, and Italians.

Project activities focused on promoting sustainability, civic participation, cultural awareness, and highlighting opportunities for young people provided by the EU. Participants prepared activities for other participants. On some days, one country was responsible for the entire day's program. As the project took place during Easter, we talked a lot about our national traditions, and the Greeks even organized an egg painting workshop.

Evenings were dedicated to cultural nights, where everyone tried to introduce their country to us in an original way. We took a flight to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, tasting their traditional snacks, learning about Lithuanian history, and even experiencing some turbulence or other disruptions. The Greeks tested other nations' knowledge of their country and taught us traditional dances. The Dutch explained myths about their culture and taught us many games. And the Italians, needless to say, unsuccessfully tried to convince us not to come to Italy anymore.

During the project, we visited Florence and the nearby village of Barberino di Mugello, and also went on several hikes in the surrounding mountains. We spent our free time getting to know each other and our cultures, as well as playing volleyball or simply relaxing on blankets in the meadow in beautiful sunny weather. We ate more pasta than ever before and tasted Italian lasagna and ice cream.

On the last evening of the project, Greek Easter was celebrated by lighting candles with holy light, as in the Orthodox religion, Easter is celebrated a week later than ours. A fire burned all night as everyone said their goodbyes. We brought home many unforgettable memories, new friends, and also knowledge about other European cultures.