How did the student exchange of young leaders in Rzeszów (Poland) go?
Recently, UzhNU students returned from another trip under the Erasmus+ programme. From 9 to 15 February, young people had the opportunity to visit Rzeszow (Poland), where they attended a training on ‘Europe without Borders: Connecting Young Leaders’, organised by UzhNU in partnership with the association of international projects INPRO. The initiative is designed for students from countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary. This year's youth exchange included 7 girls from different faculties: Social Sciences (1), Philology (3), Information Technology (1), History and International Relations (1), and Foreign Philology (1).
The organisers made sure that the guests felt comfortable and, as the participants themselves noted, ‘even if you are an introvert, you would still find friends’. The programme was intense: in addition to the set learning episodes to facilitate cultural exchange, students also visited places of interest and spent a lot of time together. Sofia Slyvka, a second-year student majoring in 061 Journalism at the Faculty of Philology, and Julianna Dorosh, a fourth-year student majoring in 013 Primary Education at the Faculty of Social Sciences, told about the programme. ‘I remember most of all the communication with foreigners, which showed me that despite all our differences, we can work towards a common goal, complement each other in a team and generally share valuable life advice and be friends. During the week, we all became so close that we didn't want to say goodbye, and I think everyone would like to repeat this experience of simple conversations through which we complemented each other with our differences and diversity,’ Sofia fondly recalls. ‘The programme was very intense. We visited the INPRO centre, where we did interesting activities and met with the volunteers and project organisers - Lilith, Brian, Olga and Anna. It was a great opportunity to practice our English. Another big plus was the free time, which was enough to walk around Rzeszow on our own, explore the city and go shopping,’ Julianna shares her impressions.
‘Our students note that during their stay in Rzeszow they constantly worked in teams, which helped them quickly find like-minded people and friends. Most of the Uzhhorod students highlighted communication, namely the language barrier, as a challenge, but due to the large amount of practice and joint tasks, by the end of the term they felt much more confident in their own statements. ‘During this week, we had many discussions on various topics, played quizzes and shared experiences. This is all great, but it's not without its challenges. The biggest challenge was the language barrier. All communication took place exclusively in English. Not everyone was fluent in it, and I was one of those people. On the other hand, it was great because during this time you really improved your speaking skills. Whether you want to or not, you have to speak. The main thing is not to be afraid and to speak, to speak a lot,’ recalls Maria Frevlyk, a 2nd year student majoring in 014 Secondary Education “German Language and Foreign Literature” at the Faculty of Foreign Philology.
The programme schedule was not easy for our leaders. The next day after arrival, we had a meeting and a city tour, as it is necessary to understand each other better for productive cooperation. No mandatory activities were planned, so the young people could easily integrate into the new society and space and prepare for the main part of the programme. The second day of participation was more intense and was entirely dedicated to teamwork in the Urban Lab. The students had to make and present joint presentations on ‘How I see working with young people’. In the afternoon, the practical part began, where the participants acted out situations, modelling real problems that may arise in such initiatives, and looked for solutions. The third day was particularly productive, as the participants created their own NGOs: they thought over the concept, mission and activities of the NGO, and then presented their ideas. In the evening, there was an Open Café - a format of open meetings where different people come to discuss the proposed topics. The fourth day began with an excursion to the Lancut Castle. Next up was an open discussion on ‘Connections without Borders’ in the INPRO training room, the topic of which was the challenges that volunteers often face. The final part of the event was the final training, where participants learned about international opportunities - where to look for grants, internships and projects and how to participate in them. The event ended with a symbolic celebration of Valentine's Day, a joint photo shoot, and warm farewell words. Finally, we held a ‘Gifts for Secret Friends’ event, where participants drew out pieces of paper with the name of their friend who they had to prepare something for before they left. This contributed to a pleasant end to the exchange. ‘The impressions from the trip are just incredible, as it was an intensive day filled with various workshops: organising youth work, creating NGOs, we gained knowledge on how to develop them or where to write grants. There were some difficulties in understanding the other person, because everyone has their own special accent and different pronunciation of certain words, but this did not prevent us from understanding each other without asking and communicating better at the end of the week,’ says Michaela Bunda, a 3rd year student majoring in 032 History and Archeology at the Faculty of History and International Relations.
Student exchanges are a good chance for young people to show their abilities and test themselves. During such initiatives, you can gain special skills that will definitely come in handy in the future.
