We are excited to have been granted an Erasmus+ Accreditation, which will now allow us to organise mobility activities on a regular basis within the next two years with our youth! 

The week of October 14th – 19th we spent in Murzasichle, Poland where our first mobility took place, for which we partnered with “Oriel” and “Globers”!

20 participants from Poland, Spain and Italy worked on their individual goals related to taking their first steps in leadership throughout the whole week. The program was tailored so that each person could grow in their communication skills, leading a group with confidence and stepping out of their comfort zone. 

They had a chance to test in practice how they feel taking on different youth leaders roles – both by rotating each day in taking care of the smooth running of scheduled activities as well as by planning and conducting activities in short Open Space blocks. These were both designed to share knowledge with the rest of the group and to try initiating ideas in a safe environment.

For our group from Poland, which consisted of young adults who regularly work with our foundation, including taking part in a few of our Erasmus+ projects before, this was an especially important trip. This mobility was a way to prepare them for taking on roles of more independent youth leaders in the future. We can confidently say that they showed a great deal of initiative and reliability and we are excited to have them as part of our team and to have seen them develop so much during this week!

During the work sessions we also learned about Non-Violent Communication, crisis management, giving and receiving feedback. Each day there was an opportunity to reflect on the highlights, challenges and key learning moments of that day. 

This was also an opportunity to share our cultures with each other. An Intercultural Night took place for each country, during which we shared our countries’ histories, culture, nature and food. We tried to show the heritage of Poland to our guests from Spain and Italy by spending as much time outside. A definite highlight was a visit to the Tatra National Park where the whole group took on a challenge of a hike with an experienced guide, which strengthened the group’s appreciation of the natural environment, and knowledge about the laws of the natural world, which is especially important in the times of a climate crisis. 

As this was a mobility for people working with youth, the group was diverse in age, ethnicity and social background, which made for a wonderful blend of varying perspectives and experiences that all participants got to share with each other. We are grateful and amazed by the group that came together for this mobility!