Erasmus+, Key action 1: youth exchange
Dates: 6—15 May 2026
Venue: Riposto, (Catania), Sicily, Italy
Czech team: 5 participants + 1 group leader
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: InformaGiovani
Project report:
This spring (6th – 15th May), I had the opportunity to participate in a Youth Exhange Erasmus+ Project in Sicily, Italy called „Climate Chain.“ The main focus of the youth exchange was to empower young people for environmental sustainability. The topic spoke to me in a way I could relate to, as someone who is aware of the issues surrounding our wasteful and often ignorant way of living as a species.
I found out about this project thanks to a friend who encouraged me to fill out and send an application form. Much to my surprise, I actually ended getting picked as one of the participants. The idea that I could travel to such a beautiful place essentially for free was wild to me. Not only that, but to also get the chance to meet like-minded people of various backgrounds felt incredibly intriguing.
This project was supposed to be just a much needed step out of my comfort zone at first, but over the course of my stay there, it turned into something much more than just a means of espace from my regular life. I’ve made genuine connections with others and deepened my understanding of not only them and their cultures, but also some of the main topics at hand.
The day of arrival was essentially just about settling in and taking in the atmosphere of the accommodation and the surrounding landscape. First impressions were a little all over the place for me, but that faded fairly quickly during the next day. The program began with a few ice-breaker games, which made it easier for us to get to know each other better. The next couple of days were mostly centered around climate change and sustainability. My only complaint is that some of the information presented felt a little surface-level, but that’s to be expected considering the fact that not all participants were at the same level of understanding of the topics.
On Sunday, we were also taken to Bosco Aci, where we were introduced to the public water reserve and learned more about Etna. On Monday we went to Catania where we could all go and do whatever we wanted for a couple of hours.
Among other things of note regarding the stay were the exceptional organizers and staff at the accommodation. They were all unbeliavably helpful and forthcoming every step of the way. I am extremely grateful to all the amazing people who took part in this project and even more so especially to the ones who made it happen. Thank you EYCB and InformaGiovani.
Daniel M.
