ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: youth exchange
Venue: Store Klaus, Ganløse, Denmark
Dates: 25 July—3 August 2022.
National team size: 4 participants (aged 18—30) + 1 group leader (aged 18+)
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Copenhagen Youth Network
Czech team: Eva Gotalská (GL), Barbora Říhová, Jakub Janča, Oskar Klíma, Lukáš Kapinus
Project report:
On the 25th of July, me and four other lucky participants from the Czech Republic had an amazing opportunity to board an airplane in the direction of Copenhagen and join the youth exchange in Store Klaus, that was a definitely life-changing experience for each of us.
After arriving to the venue and feeling a little-bit nervous and anxious, we received a warm welcoming from the main organizer of the project Heresh and met other 30 participants from countries like Greece, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Turkey and Denmark. The ice was broken soon after we introduced each other by the bonfire and started a friendly conversation. Our chat lasted until late in the evening, even through our energy levels were low and everyone was tired from the flight.
The following eight days were filled with group games, energizers, discussions and team work. Each day was divided into a couple of sessions, where topics like tourism, entrepreneurship, intercultural background and many more were explored – but not in a boring, “reading-learning“ way, but in an unformal way of funny sketches, theaters, videos and interactive presentations.
As the main topic of the exchange was tourism, mobility and entrepreneurship, we had a task to film a video promoting Store Claus (the venue of the exchange) or to make an advertisement to a certain touristic destination. An important point was to place emphasis on sustainable tourism, which is the chief focus nowadays.
The highlight of the day was for most of us the intercultural night — every evening was dedicated to a certain participant country. Even through intercultural nights are pretty common on these types of projects, on this exchange, they were very special and each country tried to introduce itself in the most entertaining way, from typical national dances, cuisine and songs, to games, tongue twisters or funny competitions.
Other days included hiking in the forest, having a nice swim in the local lake and visiting the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. One day was dedicated to Erasmus+ program, where a lot of useful information was given and participants had a chance to share more about their sending organization.
To sum it up, it was an unforgettable week that made us step out of our comfort zone, build new connections and friendships, broaden our horizons and learn new skills.
In closing, we would like to say a huge thank you to EYCB for providing us the chance to participate in this youth exchange and giving us the opportunity to reach our full potential and become our best selves.
Eva Gotalská
