International Youth Exchange
“Shoot for the moon!”
On 06.08 a group of young people, representatives of “The Change is in You” Association returned from a youth exchange in Arges, Romania entitled: “Shoot for the moon! Empowering youth for a better future!” in which 37 youngster from 6 different countries took part.
The youths spent 8 days exchanging experience, ideas, good practices and positive emotions with people from Greece, Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. The organizer of the project is IMPREUNA DESENAM VIITORUL – a Romania NGO that aims to help young people discover their true life path and achieve happiness and peace of mind.
The accommodation was based on the Transfăgărășan road which connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia. The road is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world and one of the Romanian sights. The programme of the participants included a trip to the monastery of Curtea de Arges, a visit to the Vidraru lake, and a walk to Poenari Fortress, notable for its connection to Vlad the Impaler (Dracula).
The project aimed to empower young people with basic knowledge and skills that would make them confident enough to take their own decisions, be active and initiative.
The idea the project is built on is that the school education fails to offer young people essential life skills. The project concentrates on three dimensions: body, mind and soul. The topics will be explored with the help of participative methods of non-formal education such as role games, presentations or team work.
With the help of the methods of non-formal education, participants learnt more about and reflected over:
– volunteering and how to feel personal satisfaction by helping the others;
– secrets of communication and body language;
– how to write a good CV and prepare for a job interview;
– how to study efficiently for exams;
– how to dress for success;
– food, sport and right posture as an irreplaceable part of our healthy lifestyle;
– meditation and relaxation;
– values – a hindrance or the right path to happiness;
– methods for handling stress and anger management.
Apart from the sessions during daytime, the evenings were also dedicated to intercultural nights, when all nations shared their traditional food, drinks, songs, dances, etc. There were quizzes and some prizes for the winners, of course. As a result, most of the participants realized that the food, the drinks and even the dance steps are almost the same. Still, it is great to boast with something you consider national and traditional (no matter of the fact that 20 more countries have the same).
As a part of the Erasmus + programme, the participants received Youthpass certificates that recognize their non-formal education.
Български