Programme: Erasmus+, Key Action 1: youth exchange
Venue: Protaras, Cyprus
Dates: 5—14 April 2022
Participants: Erika Náhlíková (GL), Antonie Myslivečková, Natasza Respondek, Agáta Bohatá, Adam Komínek, David Homolka
Please read the project info-pack.
Please also check out:
- project website: https://necicyprus.wixsite.
com/preventionsrb2022 - the project video: https://youtu.be/
X9sd58eGYzg - the project booklet
- participants’ reflections
- project flyer
Participating countries: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Romania, Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia
Hosting organisation: Network for European Citizenship and Identity
Project report:
From 5. to 14. April 2022 a team of 6 young Czechs got on a plane to Larnaca, to enjoy the see and sun, meet wit youth from all over Europe and most importantly, to learn and work together on a project about prevention of sexual risk behavior. The Youth Exchange „Think before You Go For It“ organized by NECI EU took place in Protaras, Cyprus and brough together 48 young people from Czechia, Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Serbia and Lithuania.
Every day we had several sessions related to the topic of prevention of sexual risk behavior or activities related to non-formal education. The sessions were led in an interactive way and for most of them we were divided into smaller groups to work in teams. Except for sessions on the topic of prevention of SRB we had teambuilding activities, icebreakers or talents groups. One day we also had a session with two youthworkers on sport and social inclusion where we learned more about EU Youth Goals and about the difficulties in the access to sport faced by some social groups such as immigrant children. Some other workshops were based on sharing information between national teams in order to gain awareness about the situation in other European countries, be it in terms of the numbers of cases of STDs or national campaigns on prevention of sexual risk behavior.
The international character of the Youth Exchange not only allowed for getting to know more about how sexual risk behavior is perceived in different countries but it was an opportunity to meet the people from abroad in person and share our cultures. During the intercultural nights all countries presented some facts, customs, traditional dances and typical food. Do you know what martenitsa, Guča or šakotis is? We do! The Czech team then, in anticipation of coming Easter, prepared a performance about how we celebrate it in our country – whip from palm tree and splashing water on boys included.
We also explored Cyprus during the lunch breaks. Most of us spent free time on one of the close beaches enjoying the sun that is so rare in our countries at this time of the year. One day we visited a sculpture park in Ayia Napa and we had rest on a popular Nissi beach.
After days of getting familiar with the topic of sexual risk behaviour and STDs, we started to prepare a campaign. We were divided in groups and every group prepared banners and games and other activities to engage with the passersbies. On the last day of the project a bus took us to a city called Ayia Napa, where we were raising awareness about the risks of unprotected intercourse, talking with tourists and locals and distributing condoms. The topic of sexual behavior is a tabu in our countries but after the many presentations and discussions we had during the youth exchange, we are not shy anymore to talk about it.
Erika Náhlíková
