Nine days filled with fun, learning, discussions, open-minded people, joy, fun and delicious food. Six representatives from North Macedonia participated in the youth exchange “My European Passport“, which took place from 18th to 26th of November in Samobor, Croatia.
Each and one of us, chosen to participate in the exchange, is inspired to learn more in every field, so when we saw the call for this exchange, we were not mistaken that it is a great opportunity. The theme of this project was the European Union, its characteristics, opportunities and rights of every citizen. The main aim of the project is to motivate young people to raise their basic knowledge and awareness about EUs opportunities and competences, and therefore develop the sense of a common European identity. We believe everyone should get acquainted with the EU, in geographical, cultural and organizational terms and about the fundamental rights and duties of EU citizens.
The house where we stayed was in a very peaceful village called Vrhovcak, near Samobor, with a view of fields and local mountains, which we found perfect to focus on the topics we discussed. Participants were from North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. So many different minds and ideas which connected together to build a perfect team. The organization that hosted us – Pozitiva Samobor was very well organized and creative.
There were 7 workshops arranged in the few days we stayed. Each workshop started with an energizer to awaken our creativity during the day and the first one we did was a game to remember everyone’s name and hobby. The learning was based on non-formal educational methods (discussions, simulations, role-playing, presentations). The knowledge we gained was always presented via games, challenges and analysis.
Our contribution to the project was the first workshop, where we covered the topic on the basic facts about the European Union and its characteristics. We developed the topic through interactive activities and defined the European Union and its main functioning institutions. Some of us got to be facilitators for the first time in a presentation, which was very exciting.
During each conversation we had a chance to find out interesting facts about the Member States, their cultures, sights and ways of functioning. The most fun activity was the simulation of voting for a project proposal in the Mayor’s office, accompanied by an interesting debate in which everyone had a chance to get involved.
In the evenings, intercultural nights took the stage. To feel the national food and hear about different cultures was like traveling to each one of the countries. Learning new facts through quizzes was a great way of remembering information.
Summing up everything, we realized how productive this experience was for us. We met people who expanded our horizons, learned new skills and practiced being more patient, fun and understanding. We definitely want to state that it is the people that we met along the way that made us appreciate the journey. We felt an amazing connection with the group which motivates us to participate in even more youth exchanges and therefore promote the Erasmus + programme.
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