Programme: ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: training course
Dates:: 30 April—9 May 2022
Venue: Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Please read the info-pack and the daily programme.
Hosting organisation: Youth Development Center-Mutual Aid
Participating countries: Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, Spain, North Macedonia, Sweden and Portugal
Czech team: Zuzana Gregorová
Project report:
The training course was organized by the Youth Development Center-Mutual Aid organization in the third largest city of Bulgaria, Stara Zagora, 30.4-9.5. The project brought together 15 participants from Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Poland, North Macedonia, Greece, the host Bulgaria and me, representing the Czech Republic.
We were accommodated in a nearby hoste on last minutel, because the youth center accommodated Ukrainian war refugeess. But I liked it because every morning it meant a walk through the square with a big park and a street full of trees.
We spent the first day getting to know each other and playing games to remember names, since there were 1-2 people from each country, practically no one knew anyone. We spent most of the day in the park in front of the youth center, as the weather was nice and sunny.
In the next few days, we had the opportunity to learn a lot about the job market, problem solving for us- young adults, mentoring and even a lecture on entrepreneurship. During the program, many of the participants shared their stories of what they are doing in life or how they are trying to find what I want to do, which was very inspiring for me.
It was surprising how quickly we became close, and during the week we went together just outside the city on a very unorganized trip to see perhaps the largest monument in all of Bulgaria. A Bulgarian woman told us that they are the “protectors” of Stara Zagora and showed us from which angles the best photos can be taken. We spent the whole afternoon there watching the sun set behind the mountains.
And even though I still don’t know exactly what I want to do in life, I think I have a much clearer idea of what I want to do right now and how to get closer to some of my goals. It’s good that I got out of the pressure I constantly have around me into an environment where it’s okay to have my whole future planned in detail and to shrug my shoulders sometimes.
Zuzana Gregorová
