ERASMUS+, Key action 1: youth exchange
Venue: Rakszawa, Poland
Dates: 15—25 July 2024
Czech team: 7 participants + 1 group leader
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Fundacja Ornament
Project report:
The ecoImpact project took place in Rakszawa, Poland, between 15 and 25 July. The event was organized by Ornament foundation and brought together 9 countries from other parts of Europe. The countries included Poland, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Macedonia, Ukraine, Romania and Turkey. Groups of 6 to 8 young people were sent from each country.
There was a precise schedule of lectures on the project. They were 3 per day, the topics of the lectures were mostly about ekology and climate change. However, there were also familiarization activities that introduced us all and helped us to work together. Before each lecture we had an energizer, a game to work out the muscles and the mind. My favorites were ninja and a Czech game called frost.
Although there were 60 of us we got to know each other very well thanks to the varied program. We spent all of our free time together, discussing not only our private lives, but also the common theme we had all come for.
Every evening one state had its cultural night. The Czech one was the last one and was in the spirit of Czech humour and good mood. Each country did its own cultural night in its own way, which made each night unique.
The first day started with a late arrival for the Czech team. We missed dinner and got acquainted with the local shop. On Tuesday they started the name games and our personalities. Not only as a Czech team, but also between countries we started to get to know each other and figure out what kind of people we would be spending the next week and a half with. Every day we got to know each other more and more, but from Wednesday onwards the program we came here for started. Not only were we finding out what is bad for our planet and how to protect it, but we also learned how to start, run and promote our own petition or oraganization. Halfway through our journey of discovery, we even helped nature and our surroundings, when we went to our beautiful facility to pick up trash and plant seedlings.
On Monday 21 August we had a free day, so we could do whatever we wanted. However, we did have the opportunity to visit the nearby Lancut Castle, which has free admission on Mondays. The castle was beautiful and we enjoyed our visit immensely. Since we had a few hours before we had to go back to our accommodation and get ready for the Italian night, we decided to go to the nearby town of Rzeszow. Where we explored the secret corners of the city and the local park. However, while trying to get back we were surprised by the size of the local bus and couldn’t all get back in time. So the Czech, Polish and German teams stayed behind and arrived later for the cultural night. The Italians, however, were incredibly understanding and waited for us.
However, this stay wasn’t just about learning, it was also about meeting new people and cultures, so we made the stay fun with the rules we followed, great music and games. The main and most popular game was secret friend. This consisted of each person randomly drawing a person and bringing them small gifts, notes or simply giving them a hug for the rest of their stay. However, since it was a SECRET buddy, physical contact or even gifts were passed through a third person.
Overall we enjoyed our stay immensely, learned a lot of new information and made contacts all over Europe.
Justýna H.
