‘Future in your hands’ a Youth Exchange in Slovenia

In the end of September, SE.M.I association sent young italian participants to join an amazing Erasmus+ opportunity in Domzale organized by the association ‘Youth Center Domzale’. Coming back, they wrote their experience and outcomes to share them with other young people and their communities.

”From September 19th to 25th I spent a week in Dob, Slovenia, to participate in the Erasmus+ Youth exchange called “Future in Your hands”. The aim was to discuss the theme of future career and personal growth, by doing creative activities. It was my first Youth Exchange and I decided to participate in it, with a lot of curiosity and the purpose of practicing my English and get new insights. During this time, I met people from Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Spain and I shared with them a lot of beautiful experiences. We worked together on the topic of the project, but we also had time to share something about our different cultures, to learn to each other and to have fun. We took part in group work, creating workshops and presentations together, analyzing and discussing the topic of the project from different perspectives. We shared our ideas and feelings and we also spent good time by dancing, singing, playing sports, doing outdoor activities, cooking typical meals and visiting Ljubljana and the surrounding places. I really enjoyed this experience, because it allowed me to get out of my comfort zone, experimenting new interesting things, to develop communication and language skills, critical thinking and creativity, and to create beautiful memories, in the company of very nice people.” – Alessia

”The aim of the project was to discuss the topic of future career in an intercultural environment, through practical activities, games, brainstorming and reflection. There, I met people from Spain, Slovenia, Greece and other Italians: they were all extremely special, each of them in a different way and for different reasons, and that’s probably one of the biggest enrichments I got from this Exchange. I got to learn a lot about different cultures by seeing them through the eyes of the other participants; we shared our ideas, thoughts and points of view without ever overstepping each other’s boundaries; we learnt that stepping out of our comfort zone can have positive outcomes, and, last but not least, that there are people out there who share stories similar to ours, who share our thoughts and feelings, and they can be of great inspiration. If someone were to ask me if this project met my expectations I would say no, because it was so much better than anything I could have ever pictured. Each of us put a little bit of ourselves into the project, by implementing games and activities to make sure everyone was included. The activities would involve role play, brainstorming and active participation. We had time not only to work on the actual project but to also have fun, by cooking typical meals, learning traditional dances, singing and playing music together, playing board games and visiting the places nearby. Me and the rest of the Italian team spent one extra day in Ljubljana prior to the exchange, so we also got the chance to visit a new beautiful city. There are so many more things I could say about this wonderful experience, but the best thing about it was that I left as a different person than I was when I got there, and I’m going to treasure the things I learnt and the memories I made. ”– Carlotta

” I participated in an Erasmus+ project (Youth Exchange) called Future in Your Hands, which was held in Dob, a small town near Ljubljana from September 19 to 25. We were a group of more than 20 people from Italy, Spain, Greece and Slovenia who became like family in just under a week. To be honest, having had similar experiences before, my expectations were high and I was delighted that both the environment and the organization of the project lived up to. The opportunity we are given, through these kinds of projects, to meet people from all over Europe and beyond, for me is fantastic because it makes us citizens of the world aware of the diversity of others, teaches us to respect them, welcome them and make them our own. The goal of the project was to put a focus on our future careers, to understand what the future balance between work, hobbies and leisure time might be. It was a formative time of reflection for me, and I was happy to share my perspective with others, but more importantly to listen to the many different points of view and take the best out of each of them. As always, when you return home after such experiences you feel a mixture of melancholy and nostalgia, however, in the end I think we must always be grateful to have had the opportunity to meet new friends whom you will carry in your heart forever. ”- Giovanni

” A few weeks ago I attended an Erasmus+ project called “Future in your hands”. The aim of the project was to make young people think about the future and the choices they made during the course of life (inherent in their career). My expectations were more than met because I spent a wonderful week thanks to the Slovenian team who made all the guys feel at home right away. I discovered parts of me that I did not know and I got out of my comfort zone thanks to the different activities offered. We did both introspection work and outdoor sports activities. Really everything! The multicultural evenings were among my favorites. I was able to discover what is beautiful in other countries and also many new dishes and interesting things from other cultures. I’ve met great people I keep in touch with and have met on other occasions. I got to know different points of view and I think this is one of the most important things. I will never be grateful enough for this experience, I highly recommend everyone to do it at least once in their life. ”- Luana