From 18th to 25th of November 2018 a youth group of 10 people from Lithuania, on behalf of “Innovation Office” (Lithuania) took part in the Erasmus+ project “European detectives” and traveled to Poronin, Poland. Project was implemented by “Fundacja Aktywni w Europie” from Sosnowiec (Poland). The aim of the project was to help students learn about the European Union. From day one the participants took active parts in discussions with the other international students from Bulgaria and Poland, took part in debates and completed all kinds of logical puzzles.
After the project we asked the Lithuanian team members to share their experience and reflect on the project:
Kristupas’ thoughts on the project:
All week we communicated with Bulgarians and Poles, they introduced us to their culture and we all experienced great emotions together. There were a couple of memorable moments for me, one of them was the “Bora bora” rule: when a group of people is made up of mainly, for examples Lithuanians, but there is also a student from another country present, then you must speak English. Another memorable experience was the logical assignments. I understood what it means, when everyone takes part in an assignment, I noticed how different we all are and how different are our opinions. The discussions really made you think and analyze more. After the discussions your opinion would change very often – that really left a big impact on me.
Picture author: Aleksandra Knapik, Lithuanian group
During the project the students learned about the history of the European Union, the most important moments that shaped the current EU, learned about how the most important EU institutions work, gained more knowledge about what it means be EU citizen and the path to become one, and discussed the future of the EU.
Augustinas’ thoughts on the project:
In the beginning there was a little bit of fear associated with the trip since there were a lot of unfamiliar faces. I was afraid I won’t get along with these people, but after just a few hours on the bus we became best of friends. In Poronin we were welcomed warmly and got along with everyone perfectly. We all made new international friends from Poland and Bulgaria. I really loved the Lithuanian international evening when we introduced our international dishes that we prepared to other participants. We also showed them our national dances, songs and traditions. I learned a lot from the youth exchange, for example – “not to judge a book by it’s cover”, to not make assumptions and how to think on your feet. It was an incredible experience that actually changed me a lot and I’ll never forget it.
Picture author: Dominyka Kaselytė, Kristupas and Augustinas enjoying traditional Lithuanian food
Ugnė’ thoughts on the project:
This was the first time I’ve ever traveled to a project like this and I can bravely say that from the first moments of the project I had no doubts on why I chose to travel there. One of the best parts was the mentor of the project Mateusz Górecki. He used non-formal education as a tool to train the youth, for instance – energizers, group workshops, discussions, debates and presentations, daily reflection on an individual and group level. The new experiences, new people and fun times shared with those people will forever stay in my memories. And the beautiful nature of Poland was the sweet cherry on top of everything!
After coming back from Poronin the group was very happy with the priceless experience they received and the chance to understand the culture of other countries and to make new friends. Thanks to “European detectives” they gained new competencies, attitudes, and knowledge that will help them be more aware citizens of the EU.
Picture author: Aleksandra Knapik, group picture
Article written by Augustinas Drapeko, Kristupas Vėta, Ugnė Maziliauskaitė
If you want to know more about the project, please contact: projects@inovacijubiuras.lt
