Bettter Together » Our first Youth Exchange"Log in to life"

On January 16-22, 2023, our first youth exchange, "Log in to life", took place, in which 37 people from 6 countries participated - Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Romania.

Within 7 days, our participants integrated, gained new friendships, developed new skills, made a snowman, organized a snowball fight, walked barefoot in the snow, learned how to breathe properly, and even put on skis for the first time in their lives! January 16. First day of the exchange. The participants met in Krakow, from where they were transported by a hired coach to the center in Poronin. After dinner and accommodation, we met for an official welcome. We learned our names, we learned something about ourselves. We presented the exchange schedule and created common regulations.

January 17. Second day of exchange, first day of classes. The weather was perfect for us, so we could move the integration classes outside. The participants introduced their names again and everyone tried to repeat them all - surprisingly, almost everyone succeeded! Then we conducted a short test, which was an introduction to the topic of our project - we checked their attitude to the Internet and social media.

After the test, we had a competition for the best snowman, which resulted in a snowball fight. After lunch, for further integration, the participants went to Zakopane.

source: https://infinitygreece.com/blog-en/log-in-to-life-erasmus-youth-exchange-poland-en/

The evening ended with a cultural night of 3 countries - Poland, Romania and Greece. January 18. Reset Day - a day that was prepared by our participant, black belt karateka - Paweł Kmieć. The day was entirely dedicated to detox from technology, focused on physical activity, healthy lifestyle and good habits. Paweł started the day with outdoor activities. He gave a short lecture and then explained and taught the methods of correct breathing. For the brave, he proposed a few-second stay in the snow barefoot. To our surprise, there were a few volunteers 😱

Participants also worked in groups, where they developed the topics assigned to them, and then presented the acquired information to the others. Each topic started a few minutes discussion.

After exhausting presentations, it was time for some vitamins. Freshly squeezed juice was a brilliant idea that made our participants very happy. They spent the evening relaxing in the hot springs under the stars.

January 19. Another intense day of classes. This day was devoted primarily to recording videos - advertising spots that are to encourage or make young people aware of specific activities:

Encouragement to physical activity

Encouragement to healthy eating

Encouragemen to face-to-face communication

Encouragement to self-acceptance, increase self-fulfillment and self-esteem

Social media - making people aware of hypocrisy, filters, depression

Showing the effects of Internet addiction - encouragement to fight it

The results of the activities will be published soon. The evening ended with the second cultural night - this time Croatia, Cyprus and Spain.

20th January. The exchange is slowly coming to an end. We devoted the morning classes to face-to-face communication. Participants in groups practiced communication skills. In the afternoon, we took them on a small lesson of highlander Polishness - a sleigh ride with a bonfire, traditional dishes (oscypek, bigos, sausage, pickled cucumber) and a highlander orchestra. It was a great experience for foreigners.

"I think the highlight was the sleigh ride, as we rode on sledges holding fire torches, admiring the snowy landscape, consuming traditional Polish drinks and food around the lit fire and having fun listening to traditional music with the other participants. Many thanks to InfinityGreece for the choice and the experience!"

Stergios A.

source: https://infinitygreece.com/blog-en/log-in-to-life-erasmus-youth-exchange-poland-en/

21 stycznia. Ostatni dzień naszej wymiany. Pogoda pokrzyżowała nasze plany i z powodu 3. stopnia zagrożenia lawinowego, musieliśmy zrezygnować z zaplanowanej wycieczki. Po konsultacji z uczestnikami, na ich prośbę zgodziliśmy się na wycieczkę na narty. Pomysł okazał się doskonały - ta aktywność fizyczna idealnie wpisała się w temat naszego projektu. Wiele osób, ku własnemu zaskoczeniu, świetnie dawała sobie radę.

After returning, it's time for evaluation and reveal secret friend. Each participant received a Youthpass certificate.

Those were very intense days, but wonderful at the same time. We are sure that the participants "logged into life".