ERASMUS+, Key action 1: youth exchange
Dates: 8—16 November 2025
Venue: Uzana, region Gabrovo, Bulgaria
Czech team: 4 participants + 1 group leader
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Europe in Your Hand
Information regarding the Youth Exchange
What is the main goal of the project?
Our goal is to encourage the active participation of young people in organizations and clubs by providing them with the opportunity to actively participate in initiatives, trainings, voluntary actions on the topics of environmental protection and eco-economy, as well as in discussions and meetings with local and national representatives of power. For us, it is extremely important that young people think about their personal relationship to nature and their surroundings, as well as the ways in which businesses could benefit from recycling, reusing resources and using more environmentally friendly raw materials. The activity is aimed at the environment, climate change and increasing the ecological culture of the participating youth, because the information they receive is grossly inadequate, limited or publicly speculated. The aim is to develop projects focused on the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Plan for restoring Europe in the ecology part.
Who will participate?
Participants & Partner Organizations
Country Number of participants:
The youth training will consist of 35 participants from 7 countries:
- Bulgaria 5
- Italy 5
- North Macedonia 5
- Romania 5
- Serbia 5
- Spain 5
- The Czech Republic 5
When will the project take place?
Participants’ Arrival day: 8th November 2025 before 17:00 (PM) in Sofia.
Start of the program: 8th November 2025 at 21:00 in Uzana.
End of the program: 16th November 2025.
Departure day: 16th November 2025.
Project report:
The youth exchange Clean and Healthy – ECO Youth in Uzana brought together participants from Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Czechia and Bulgaria. From the very beginning, the atmosphere was friendly and open, which made it easy to cooperate and discuss the environmental challenges we all face in our countries.
Throughout the week we took part in activities focused on sustainability, ecological responsibility and critical thinking. We calculated our ecological footprint, talked about the difference between needs and wants, explored the 5R principles and analysed how social inequality influences our everyday life. A simulation activity showed us how difficult it is to find solutions when different social roles — politicians, activists, journalists or business leaders — must cooperate.
We also learned about the origins of our clothing, the impact of cotton production and the reality of greenwashing, especially in the technology sector. Besides the workshops, we enjoyed the Bulgarian nature, visited Gabrovo, the Šipka monument and the geographical Middle of Bulgaria.
One of the most creative parts of the project was the campaign development. Our group created Stop Plastic Overuse, focusing on the enormous daily production of plastic bags. We designed a concept of recyclable multilayered paper bags with a waterproof beeswax layer and supported the campaign with social media posts and videos.
What made this project truly memorable were the people and the atmosphere. Cultural evenings, mountain walks, sunset moments, laughter, dancing and heartfelt letters created strong friendships that made leaving very emotional.
This project opened our eyes not only to ecological issues but also to the importance of cooperation, respect and personal responsibility. I am extremely grateful for this experience, for the knowledge we gained and for all the amazing people who made this week in Uzana unforgettable.
Kateřina O.
