“They say that first times are remembered forever, and I completely agree with that. My first project was in Slovenia. It would seem that it is an inconspicuous country, a member of the European Union, but what beauty surrounds it… While riding the bus to the venue, we did not have time to film and photograph what we saw through the window: mountains, meadows and unearthly landscapes everywhere…
The team was hosted by the no less picturesque camping “Menina”. We even had the opportunity to meet its owner, who hospitably treated us to grilled corn. Like most Slovenians, he speaks English fluently. This was a nice bonus for us.
The youth exchange was devoted to the topic of environmental protection. For its comprehensive study, the organizers offered many informal methods of education. Participants of 6 teams from 7 countries of the world were present at the exchange: Ukraine, Sakartvello, Slovenia, Egypt, Malta, Philippines, Jordan. We performed various tasks that developed our creativity and critical thinking.
The most memorable for me was the development of business ideas for Jordan’s cultural heritage research sites. The Jordanian team talked about the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of their country, and our task was to offer environmentally friendly business ideas so that people can explore Jordan without harming the environment. The Ukrainian team proposed to create an eco-camping around the thermal spring. Our Jordanian friends noted that there is only one hotel around, whose visitors were not sufficiently informed about the importance of preserving the monument. And eco-camping allows you to get not only a place to live, but also an increase in the level of awareness.
I am very grateful to the organizers and participants of the program. This first youth exchange for me turned out to be not only informative, but also fun.
Erasmus+ is an experience worth trying at least once!” – Tetyana BOLOTNA, a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Marketing, shares her impressions.