ERASMUS+, Key action 1: youth exchange
Dates: 26 May—1 June 2025
Venue: lake Ohrid, North Macedonia
Czech team: 4 participants + 1 group leader
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Scout unit Mirko Mileski Kichev
Project report:
What was the project about?
The ARTISIN project was an international youth exchange focused on emotional expression, identity and intercultural understanding – all explored through the language of art. Participants used theatre, movement, visual art, and silence to explore inner landscapes and interpersonal connections.
This project was not only about art – it was about becoming through art.
What were the goals and how did we achieve them?
Main goals:
- Foster emotional literacy and empathy through art-based experiences.
- Empower young people to express emotions beyond language.
- Strengthen teamwork and intercultural understanding.
- Develop facilitation and reflection skills.
How we achieved them:
- “The Garden in Me” – introspective land-art workshop using natural materials to symbolise inner worlds.
- Absurd Theatre – using surreal prompts to unlock unconscious emotional patterns.
- Movement Games – building trust through playful physicality and collective challenge.
- National-led workshops – each team designed and facilitated a workshop, blending structure with creativity.
- Daily reflections – guided discussions that invited honesty, silence and emotional vulnerability.
Czech Contribution: Between Silence and Soul
At first, our Czech team approached the experience with some emotional distance. As one reflection said:
“We didn’t grow up in a culture of emotional expression. Inner children are forgotten. Vulnerability is often seen as weakness.”
And yet – through the absurd, the artistic, the silent – we opened.
Key moment:
Our workshop “Theatre of the Wordless Soul” asked participants to express emotional landscapes using only movement and sound. No words. No masks. Just presence.
“People said it was one of the most powerful workshops of the entire program – and honestly, we felt the same.”
Another defining moment was the “My Garden” workshop:
“Each item – a flower, a stone – became a message. A memory. A part of us. We laid it all out… and saw ourselves.”
What did we learn?
From a methodological perspective:
- Art is a universal medium. Even abstract prompts can reveal deep truths.
- Structured freedom works best. Energizer → Core Activity → Reflection.
- Non-verbal facilitation is powerful. Movement and silence can reach beyond cognitive filters.
- Reflection needs safety. Group trust is the foundation of vulnerability.
From a personal perspective:
- Emotions are a language – and we learned to speak it.
- Our inner child is still here – waiting to be seen.
- Slowness, presence and connection are transformative forces.
“For the first time in a long time, someone noticed I was dry.” – Barča
“I held my own hand – not just the child I was, but the woman I was afraid to become.” – Magda
✨ In conclusion
ARTISIN was not just a youth exchange – it was a journey inward.
“We leave with open hearts, teary eyes, and full spirits. We now carry a language that may not be spoken often in our home country – but it lives in us.”
Martina B.
