From 15th to 26th of June 2022, five of us from Macedonia participated in this youth exchange “Not much different we are” that took place in Karpacz, Poland and that was organized by our Polish partner – Youth Support Centre. The Guesthouse where we stayed in Karpacz was situated in the end of the village surrounded by forest and green nature but close to the main streets.
10 beautiful days fulfilled with amazing people, friendships, learning, new cultures, lots of dancing, unforgettable memories and the beautiful village where we stayed at is what made this project awesome.
The Youth Exchange was designed for 24 young participants with leaders coming from Macedonia, Hungary, Turkey and Poland, who are active young people within their local community. The methods of work during the project were based on non-formal education – workshops, meetings, written or drawn summaries, working in international teams, ice breakers, team building games, energizers, open space, discussions, integration games, presentations, theater, direct contact with the local community, mind-maps simulations, exhibition, reflections, debriefing, sharing feelings, creating videos, evaluation sessions.
Of course, the first day started with breaking the ice and getting to know each other and remembering our names, which was the hard part but also fun with lots of outdoor activities. We had team-building activities. So we could work together and build trust, break barriers, improve communication and leadership skills and also boost the team spirit. Each day we had different workshops, on day 5 -devoted to sharing our traditional dishes and recipes. In the morning we collected the kitchen rules so our work and use of kitchen equipment are safe and then we did cooking presentations and later tried the delicious food that we prepared from each country.
Mostly on this project we talked about the country profiles in international groups we discussed the different religions and beliefs we know and then later represented and also created a diagram with % of the religions we have in each country, other about country profiles we discussed and presented the migration ways from and to our countries and then in international teams we compared our countries to see the similarities and differences in education and health system, social care, labour market and national celebrations. We visited the Local City Library where we could present our photos and also have a look on the books and interiors. Just next to it we also visited the Museum of Toys collected by Henryk Tomaszewski, a Polish artist and theater actor.
And of course, let’s not forget to mention our visit to the Wang church which we did on day 4 and on day 6 we started our mountain walking – firstly we reached the lift on Karpacz Kopa with the aim to reach the top of Sudety and their beautiful Sniezka Peak, It was not easy, there was a cold wind, rough paths, rocks and general tiredness but we managed. We felt so proud and also super tired.
And finally, the intercultural nights we had, where we presented about our country where we showed our traditional dances and songs and of course the most important the beautiful delicious food. Learning new facts about other countries through quizzes was a great way of remembering information.
As they say, the most beautiful things pass quickly, 10 days seemed a lot but they passed so quickly with the right people. Forever grateful for this amazing experience the 5 of us had and all the memories we gained. The project and the people we met there will forever have a special place in our hearts.
