I’ve always dreamt about seeing big cities on the West side of Germany and Erasmus+ gave me a chance to see them and make amazing memories for free!
In days 8-15 of August 2023 I had such opportunity in city of Cologne, being a participant of Youth Exchange „Change starts from you – bECOme active” founded by Erasmus+ programme. Participants from Poland, with people from other countries like Germany, North Macedonia, Cyprus, Romania, Italy and Bulgaria spent their week in this city, discussing environmental topics, comparing their experiences and learning from each other. I learned a lot about the ways how to be more „eco-friendly” and how to lead an green lifestyle. I also had an opportunity to take part in organising activities, met fantastic, competent people, living across all Europe. We were creating short movies, improving our digital skills. Those experiences changed the way I see environmental challenges we face and made me more mindful about them.
In free time, I have been getting to know each other, spending time together and learning about other cultures. I even learned some German words and improved my language skills.
This experience was life-changing, I’ve learned a lot, met friends that I’ll keep in touch with for a long time, changed the way I treat Earth as my home. I am very grateful for this and hope that it’s not my last Youth Exchange.
Hanna Papiernik – participant of the exchange
