Programme & action: ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: Youth exchange
Venue:Thessaloniki, Greece
YE Dates: 16 – 22 November 2016
APV Dates: 24 – 25 October 2016
Participants: Lucie Firlová, Monika Gregorová, Tereza Navrátilová, David Ježek, Andrea Nováková
Group leader: Pavel Tomáš Řehák
Please read the info-pack & daily programme
Participating countries: Greece, Romania, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal
Hosting organisation: Youth in Advancement
Project report:
Hello guys. I am sending you greetings and warm hugs from autumn — however still sunny — Greece and its known northern city of Thessaloniki. I spent a great time there with amazing Czech group made of four other people, and namely Moni, Terez, Andy, Lucy and also a boy David. We traveled to Greece for a good reason and it was a youth exchange, the Erasmus+ project called 3R – No time to lose! Reduce, recycle, reuse that happened between 16th and 22th of November 2016.
To make this project real we were not there alone but of course with several other countries and their participants from Greece, Italy, Portugal (Madeira), Spain and Romania. Altogether 40 people were there.
Now what about the project itself? It was really well done and we enjoyed it so much. I appreciate a lot the effort of the participants, their (pro)-activism and enthusiasm to make something bigger in a topic of environmental behavior towards nature and our surrounding and waste sorting that is so linked to the project topic. Unfortunately not everything went well about timing of us – from abroad – or from the side of the Greek organization. The program could have been more organized or prepared better but I think we managed that and that’s why we enjoyed the time there so much. Some participants knew many practical ways how to work with waste so we created our own wallet or book covers. It’s also because as a group made up from so many different countries we worked as one body and it’s good, right? J
We had an opportunity to see the city many times, to taste the food from different parts of Europe. We have visited a local vineyard and we’ve tasted wine as well. International nights were not only about the food and drinks but about tongue twisters and quizzes or dancing too.
To sum up everything we experienced, I believe and I feel that we learned at least something about the environmental way of thinking, that we made new contacts and friends for sure and gained some important professional and personal skills, knowledge and experience. It’s important to share our cultures, background, customs and languages with other countries around, no matter how far they are. The project was so good, great and awesome because this sharing really happened. It happened because of the people. Thank you Thessaloniki and I am sending big thanks to EYCB, the Czech sending organization because without them, we don’t have such good feelings or experience now.
Pavel Tomáš Řehák
