From the 15th until the 22nd of June, the annual Keric youth exchange, funded by Erasmus + and organized by volunteers from Keric took place in Slovakia, in the cottage Ladonhora. It brought 35 participants from Latvia, Portugal, Italy and Slovakia in order to raise world and self awareness through different workshops about arts, inclusivity, emotional intelligence and global understanding.
Thanks to Erasmus +, 3dfriends (Latvia), Link associazione Link (Italy), AJP (Portugal) and Keric organization, we utilized various methods to achieve our goals. These included workshops, interactive sessions, group discussions, cultural activities, team-building exercises, guest speakers, and experiential learning opportunities. The program incorporated elements of non-formal education, such as role-playing, storytelling, and creative expression, to engage participants in exploring and developing their emotional intelligence and understanding of global issues.
The power of emotions
Throughout this week, we covered many topics related to emotional intelligence as a foundation of connections with our peers and personal growth. Through many workshops, we defined how we can understand and manage our own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of those around us. One of the activities about this topic that marked the most participants was the Eye’s contact game, which consisted of stopping and looking one person into her/his eyes for one minute. “It was so powerful and intense, I loved it”, declares one of the participant.
Raise global world awareness :
One of the highlights of the program was the opportunity for participants to explore diverse aspects of our world. With activities like world café or world timescale, it enabled each of us to gain more knowledges about what is going on all over the world and get deeper into intercultural connections. We also learnt about youth goals, which was one of the main topic for the final activity.
Team building and skills acquirement :
The main project to come out of this youth exchange was the organization and presentation of an event that the participants could implement, either locally or internationally. In groups of a few, they spent an entire afternoon working on the design of this event, which was supposed to be in line with the youth goals and topics covered during the exchange. Participants also took part in a workshop about inclusive theatre to help them out with oral skills and public speaking.
Foster intercultural and deep connections :
Beyond the educational and pedagogical aspects, this youth exchange also aimed to encourage intercultural exchanges between the different countries through intercultural evenings featuring dance, cooking, quizzes and more. “It was amazing ! All these people from different countries opened my eyes on so many things”, says a participant from Italy. We also went hiking in Slovak nature and visited Žilina, as part of the cultural and educative discovering.
To sum up, the purpose of the youth exchange was to provide an opportunity for young individuals to learn about global emotional learning, develop their emotional intelligence skills, and foster cross-cultural understanding. It aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to contribute to a more empathetic and interconnected world. It also taught us how to make the world safer at our own scale. “I know I can’t solve war, neither end up poverty, says a participant. But at least, thanks to this youth exchange, I know there are a lot of small actions I can take to make and contribute to a better society".
Watch a REEL on our Instagram and find out how it went!
Join us for more adventures !
You want to know more about Keric's stories, and perhaps, join us for the next project ? Follow us on our social media :
You can also keep up with our mates from Latvia, Portugal and Italy at the following addresses :
- https://www.instagram.com/3dfriendslv/?hl=en (Latvia)
- https://www.instagram.com/associazione_link/?hl=en (Italy)
- https://www.instagram.com/associacaojuvenildepeniche/?hl=en (Portugal)
And if you are interested in taking part in Erasmus + project, you can check it up at :
