YE Bridges, Not Walls
YE Bridges, Not Walls
The Youth Exchange (YE) part of the project 'Bridges, Not Walls' took place from April 20th to 29th, 2026, at an idyllic rural retreat near the Lithuanian village of Luoba.
The goal of the project was to learn how to build bridges, meaning to connect with people and their unique situations, foster understanding, and develop empathy skills.
The project was designed with non-formal education in mind. Each participating team prepared an activity to teach the other participants about a specific topic they chose and were experts on.
The participants took the preparation of activities seriously, and each activity was rich with insights and information that taught us topics ranging from active listening and identity discussions to debating the effects of social media.
The activities were part theory and part practice, so participants could immediately begin trying out the new knowledge or techniques they learned.
The participating countries were Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, and Lithuania. A very Eastern European project, but we believe it made our experience more special and unique.
The project took place in the Lithuanian countryside at a beautiful location that also serves as a wedding venue when it's not hosting Erasmus youngsters. The venue featured an artificial lake and gorgeous, vast nature. The rooms were comfortable with double beds for each participant, so everyone had plenty of space to sleep.
Participants' opinions:
The most memorable moments for most of us were the Cultural Nights, when each country prepared a dinner and a cultural presentation full of traditional dances, food, and history. The Slovak Cultural Night was especially memorable as we worked extra hard to include dinner practices from Slovak Christmas and Slovak traditions. We prepared the burning of Morena, a traditional Slovak dance, and a singing performance. Our presentation was full of all the information that makes Slovakia an interesting and unique country to us.
Overall, this project was an amazing experience, and we are sure everyone will remember it for a long time and think about it with positive thoughts whenever they recall it.