The search for freedom according to participant Sára

Searching for Freedom by Participant Sára

This article is about a youth exchange called "We are looking for freedom", which gave me the opportunity to be with people from 7 different countries for 17 days. The exchange took place in the Austrian mountains, in a small village called "Klaffer am Hochficht". It was a beautiful part of the country with lakes and breathtaking greenery. The project was full of diverse people, cultures, opinions, values, traditions, and personalities. For me, however, it was mainly about self-discovery and defining the concept of "freedom". Each of us tried to find answers to the questions:

Who am I? What are my values? What do I want? What is my motivation? What do religion and ethnicity mean to me? What is truly important to me?

So many different questions, and everyone had their own truth. Later, we got on the same wavelength and came up with a common answer:

"Everyone simply wants to be happy!"

The moments by the fire and under the open sky and stars were amazing. We sang, danced, played guitar, and most importantly, we laughed. During our free time, we often went swimming in the lake, played volleyball, and tried to practice yoga. We saw several sunrises and sunsets. We didn't care about age, nationality, or whether someone was a leader or a participant. We talked about everything together. From favorite foods to beers in our countries... about relationships, schools, childhood memories, and also about the good and bad moments and experiences in our lives.

During the day, we had many workshops focused on serious topics. For example, we had one workshop with a refugee, Munjid from Iraq, where he talked about his escape to Austria. Thanks to him, I no longer condemn refugees and have a new, more open opinion of them.

I am truly grateful to our leader Sonja, who organized this project. She was a friendly and open woman full of empathy and positive energy. In fact, everyone there was very kind, and thanks to them, I discovered one important thing:

"If you want to find your own freedom, you must also respect the freedom of others."

It was my first youth exchange, and I am completely satisfied with it. I have several new friendships, perhaps for life. My English is much better than when I arrived. Simply put, when I evaluate the whole experience, it was an unforgettable one.

Thank you to the European Union, Sonja, my Slovak group, and the sending organization Youthfully Yours SK. Thank you to everyone who was there with me. Thank you.