Programme & action: ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: Youth exchange (YE)
Venue: Botassart-sur-Semois, Belgium
Dates: 31 August – 11 September 2018
Participants: Zuzana Reháková, Diana Urbášková, Gabriela Pilátová, Tereza Vacková, Petra Zemaníková
Group leader: Veronika Reháková
Participating countries: : Spain, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Czech Republic, Portugal and Belgium
Please read the info-pack
Hosting organisation: COALA association
Project report:
From 31st August to 11th September, me and other 5 girls from Czech Republic participated in a project called Forgotten Crafts of the Future, that took place in Belgium. The first part of the project was in Brussels. We met other participants at our hostel (called Jes sleep inn), which was very lovely and cosy. Together we discovered Brussels and found out, that it is an amazing, beautiful city that never sleeps. We also played games that helped us to get to know each other better and we started to prepare our projects.
After spending 4 days in the capital, we left to a very small village – Botassart. Although Brussels was really incredible, we all welcomed the change, because we were nature-lovers. Now it was time to start working on our projects. We were divided into smaller groups and each group worked on something different. My group, for example, was making musical instruments. At first we were a little sceptical, but at the and we managed to create an (almost)-functional guitar! Other projects were also interesting, especially food and drinks group, which was making beer, bread and conserved food, other group worked on a garden and created a compost and so on.
There were 6 participant of 6 countries – Belgium, Latvia, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Every evening in Botassart we had a traditional diner, it means that each nation cooked one diner. That was a great idea, because we could taste, what the other countries normally eat on diner (for example spanish dessert – fried bread in eggs and SUGAR!) and we also tried, how to cook for approximately 40 people with various dietary requirements, which was a very useful experience.
The organisers took us to two trips. The first one was a walk to a town and castle Bouillon. Such a lovely place! It was very nice to see how people live besides touristy Brussels. The next trip was smaller, but also very appreciated – the Semois river. The weather was so pleasant that most of us went swimming. It was an amazing experience.
These few days spent in Belgium with awesome people were so great. I will never forget this trip and I am so glad for the opportunities like Erasmus+.
Gabriela Pilátová
