Youth 4 Solidarity

Youth 4 Solidarity

Young people from various countries around the world participated in the Youth for Solidarity project. In addition to Slovakia, teams from the Netherlands, Italy, Romania, and Turkey also visited Bulgaria. Our team managed to briefly admire Sofia before the project began. Then we headed to the project's destination, a mountain town called Bansko. In the evenings, we often relaxed with a refreshing dip in the hotel pool, and every day we looked forward to local Bulgarian cuisine.

This exchange program was an unforgettable experience and a great opportunity for all its participants. The project's theme was solidarity among European Union countries, and therefore it included activities aimed at discovering differences, as well as things that unite our countries. We learned a little about the problems affecting individual participants and the countries themselves.

Often, there was a passionate exchange of opinions on various topics, but everyone's opinion was respected and heard. Open debate allowed us to look at certain things from a perspective we had not seen before and to re-evaluate many things.

The program was diverse; we explored the nooks and crannies of beautiful Bansko, surrounded by mountains, and experienced the culture of other countries by tasting their food and dancing traditional dances. We gained valuable information that will help us in participating in future projects or studies. We met inspiring people from various corners of the world with whom we often had long evening conversations. We managed to learn a few foreign words from each language, and we also did not refuse the chance to spread the Slovak language further into the world.

The Slovak team was responsible for organizing a workshop called Europe and I. We started the program with a so-called energizer. In addition to an interesting and surprising quiz, we also opened a passionate debate about the European Union and its role in Europe. While preparing the activities, we certainly worked hard, but after a healthy dose of stress came a good feeling from a successful workshop that all participants enjoyed. This challenge strengthened us as a team; we learned to cooperate better, and we also gained some new knowledge.

On the plane home from Sofia, we sat tired, enriched with new experiences, information, friendships, looking forward to our families and friends back in Slovakia, and excited about the projects and opportunities that the future will bring us.

Youth 4 Solidarity