ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: youth exchange
Venue: Pāvilosta (near Liepaja), Latvia
Dates: 21 February—2 March 2023
National team: Veronika Zejdová (GL), Vít Švéda, Karolina Wehowska, Šárka Koudelková
Please read the info-pack. Please view the project video and read the project handbook.
Hosting organisation: RASIO ”Perspektiva”
Project report:
On February 21st, our Czech team consisting of 4 members gathered together to experience the next 10 unforgettable days in Latvia on the project called Green Footprint. It was the first Erasmus+ project for most of us but we quickly realized that there is nothing to be afraid of because a very strong friendship bond was formed between us the moment we met. But this did not apply only to the Czech team, we had the chance to make friends from many other countries, because apart from the Czech Republic, also Greece, Slovakia, Portugal, Lithuania, Poland, and Hungary were part of this project.
After our plane landed in Riga, the capital city of Latvia, a few more hours on the bus were ahead of us to take us to the town of Pāvilosta located on the west side of Latvia by the Baltic sea. Pāvilosta is also called the “windy paradise corner of Latvia” and after getting accommodated in the beautiful and unique Butterfly house which formed a part of an old beer factory, we had the opportunity to discover the town and its landscape and conclude that it really is a windy place and really is a paradise.
The program of the project organized by the local Rasio Perspektiva organization was focused on the protection of the environment, sustainability, and the personal aim to leave a “green footprint” on this planet. The variety of ways we were learning about these topics did not leave anyone bored. We were very often learning from each other, discovering the differences in the national approaches towards sustainability through conversations, having fun designing our dream sustainable house, creating an informative brochure and a movie about recycling, and discussing many other topics that included renewable energy, green transportation, waste management and more. This hands-on learning also included helping to remove trash from a natural protected area in Pāvilosta which we attended for a study visit or interacting with a local school community that prepared fun activities for us and gave us the space to talk with the pupils about their opinions on sustainability.
However, the wonderful thing about this project is that besides learning much new information about sustainability, we bring back home more knowledge about the participating countries that were shared through the cultural presentations, we bring back friendships that were formed through cooking our meals together and we bring back so many wonderful memories. We are very grateful for having the opportunity to participate in this project and a huge thanks belongs to everyone that made this unforgettable experience possible.
Veronika Zejdová
