How does democracy actually work?

How does democracy actually work?

Democracy has been functioning in Slovakia for several years. We only learned that it works differently in each country at this AllforDemocracy youth exchange. But how does it actually work? Our Slovak team discussed this very question with peers from four European Union countries and Turkey.

The All for Democracy youth exchange took place in Aninoasa, Romania, where we spent ten beautiful days in May. Perhaps you're thinking now: "Romania? What would I do there?" Honestly, we didn't know what to expect from this country beforehand either. Our sending organization Youthfully Yours SK provided us with all the necessary information before our departure, but we experienced life in the Balkans for ourselves. The country looks similar to Slovakia. Although it has beautiful nature, we wouldn't trade our homeland. However, we came to Romania for a youth exchange that far exceeded our expectations.

What useful things did this project give us? First and foremost, we met many young Europeans from whom we learned about life in their countries. For the first time in our lives, we spoke with Portuguese people and sang the famous song Dragosteadintei with native Romanians.During the rich program, we developed our critical thinking, and presented our opinions and experiences to an international audience. We mainly addressed the issue of democracy, the principles that must be met for a state to be considered democratic. In doing so, we uncovered visible shortcomings in the political systems of the participating countries. Thanks to the presence of our peers from abroad, we gained insight into global problems from their perspective as well.

The Romanian organization Asociatia Be You enriched our program with a visit to the nearby town of Targoviste. In the historic center, we met with the local mayor and expanded our knowledge of the European Union. At the end of the exchange, we even created a video campaign for the upcoming European elections to increase youth voter turnout.

This youth exchange filled me with incredible energy that lasted long after my return to Slovakia. I definitely recommend trying a similar project, as it's a great opportunity to improve presentation skills and meet amazing people. Not to mention, you'll see unknown corners of Europe and taste excellent local cuisine.