The Erasmus Youth Training program in Pecsvarad has been a very informative, active and pleasant experience. Every day was full of team building exercises, social interactions between the participating members and abundant information on the ways of attracting youths in local areas. The participating countries were Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Slovakia and the host was Hungary.
Members that took part in the training were of different age groups who had variant experience levels, a unique opportunity to learn from more skilled and trained individuals. The hosting party consisted of enthusiastic young people, full of energy, positive attitude and will to solve any occurring questions or problems. They also bridged skillfully the language barrier between the Hungarian people in Pecsvarad and the European teams.
The Hungarian training program had planned our participation in the local festival which was a wonderful opportunity to work with children, plan and participate in the games and inform the public on the Erasmus programs. The hike on mount Zengu was a valuable chance to observe the natural habitat surrounding the Pecsvarad area as well as to socialize and bond with the other team members.
Through the various activities that were planned throughout the week we learned new ways of how to contribute to the local community and we acquired knowledge on multiple different tasks that focus on the attraction of the youth in the local communities. During the program we discussed different ways of attracting youths for volunteer work in our area.
Overall, the experience was very positive with many welcoming, social and friendly people. The exchange of information between the program members gave a clear picture of how other countries support their youth through funding and programs.
Achilleas Tissink
