ERASMUS+, Key Action 2: Partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of practices: Small-scale partnerships in youth
Project Reference:2024-1-TR01-KA210-YOU-000253076
- meeting: Afyonkarahisar, Turkiye, 23 June—1 July 2025
- meeting: Taurage, Lithuania, 15—23 August 2025
- meeting: Czech Republic, January 2026
Czech team: 4 participants
Partner organisations: Gelişimci Genç Psikologlar Derneği (Turkiye 🇹🇷), Viešoji įstaiga Žmogaus socialinės integracijos centras (🇱🇹 Lithuania), Evropské Centrum Mládeže Břeclav/European Youth Centre Břeclav, z.s. (Czech Republic) 🇨🇿
Project description:
Objectives
With the implementation of our project, we aim to reduce racism and discrimination, create social awareness, increase empathy and cultural awareness, improve international cooperation and language skills, use information and communication technologies in education, increase visibility by using social media and media news, and empower young people. Our project aims to create positive change among young people and play an effective role in the fight against racism.
Activities
The project’s main activities include introductory meetings with young individuals, a cultural exploration event centered around bread-making, debate sessions, online surveys, an academic conference, thematic film production, international communication, local outreach initiatives, mobility programs, and the issuance of Youthpass certificates. These activities are designed to enhance young people’s cultural awareness, combat discrimination, and promote international collaboration.
Impact
The project contributes to the individual development of young people by fostering social skills, promoting awareness of societal issues, and establishing cultural connections on an international scale. The project outputs create awareness in society, and the acquired knowledge will contribute to educational systems and youth initiatives. With a sustainable model, the project supports young people in actively and effectively combating racism and engaging in intercultural communication.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
1st meeting: Afyonkarahisar, Turkiye, 23 June—1 July 2025
This time our flight took us to Antalya in Türkiye, where we got to taste one of the country’s most famous dishes – Döner kebab. But that is not the main reason why we went on the plane. The place we were headed to was Afyonkarahisar, where our project: Embracing diversity was held. There were people from three different countries: the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Türkiye.
This was my very first project and although I didn’t know what to expect, I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Our project started by fun, meeting activities where we could get to know people from different countries. It didn’t take us too long to make new friendships and start working together.
Then we followed up by introducing organisations from each country, their work and main goal. Then we moved on to the main focus of this project which was to discuss and learn more about diversity, about challenges and difficulties that can be faced with diversity – which is important, since we will always meet with some kind of diversity in our lives. It’s necessary to point out that diversity varies a lot. It’s not just different cultures, but it can also be different physical appearance, different view on life, different age or different gender. All of those things can make a person excluded. We shared our own experiences with diversity, perspectives and discussed the differences in each country. Education, empathy and being open to differences were some of the main values we all agreed on that are necessary when faced with diversity.
My favourite memory will definitely be our visit to Ayazini city, where we had bread making workshop at a local shop. We had a chance to get to know and visit a family with a lovely and kind grandma. It was such a unique experience to see how the local family lives. This city also has some historic places – like a rock-cut Byzantine church and many more. We also spent one day having a picnic, where we had some typical Turkish food, tea and coffee, but what was valuable was the time we spent with one another and learned about our cultures. We also visited Pamukkale, a city with great history dating back to the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis.
Getting a chance to learn about this country and cities through this project was an unforgettable experience. What definitely made it special was all the people we could meet and have worked together. We are definitely looking forward to our future cooperation in different countries!
Petr
2nd meeting: Taurage, Lithuania, 15—23 August 2025
Welcome to the land of forests, lakes, traditions and warm hospitality. It was my pleasure to travel to Lithuania with participants from different countries for the project Embracing Diversity in the summer of 2025. Our teams comprised participants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. Thanks to the excellent preparation and organisation of our Lithuanian hosts, everything went smoothly, and we enjoyed a well-structured and meaningful program. We got to know each other better during many activities and learned to cooperate as a team. We visited several youth and social institutions working with people from diverse backgrounds, which gave us valuable insights into how to work and support diversity in practice. Apart from the professional program, we also experienced traditional Lithuanian activities – kayaking, tasting local food, visiting museums, and even meeting the mayor of Taurage. The kayaking trip helped strengthen our team bond since teamwork was essential for survival. 🙂
The project was also an excellent opportunity to practice English, improve our teamwork and communication skills, and face new challenges together. We had the chance to present our project to the public in the town hall, which helped us gain confidence and experience speaking in front of an audience. All in all, the Lithuanian project had something truly unique. Everything was well organised, inspiring and enriching – sometimes it felt like being in a different world. What was truly remarkable was the cooperation between nations and the realisation that, despite cultural differences, many of our challenges are very similar. The most important outcome was the awareness that every participant can contribute to making our societies more open, tolerant and inclusive.
During the project, we visited local organisations, exchanged ideas and experiences, and worked together on activities that helped us understand diversity in practice. We also had the chance to discover Lithuanian traditions, explore nature and enjoy unforgettable cultural moments. For all of us, this was just the beginning – now, back at home, we can share our ideas, spread what we have learned and continue to put diversity and cooperation into action. To foster teamwork, we engaged in efficient and diplomatic conversations within workshops, focusing on collaboration and understanding each other’s perspectives. The participants are preparing for the project’s last phase in the Czech Republic, where we will film a movie and conduct interviews with people on embracing diversity. We aim to present this film at local schools and NGOs to spread awareness and initiate discussions.
Throughout our time together, we faced a lot of differences, especially in the work sphere, as everyone is accustomed to working in different ways. However, despite these challenges, we achieved our goals for this mobility, demonstrating that we can successfully work through our differences with open communication and mutual respect. To sum up, without Erasmus+, such inspiring projects would not be accessible to everyone! A big thank you to everyone who made this mobility in Lithuania possible!
Anežka
