NOORTEVAHETUS

  Name of the project: “Voices of the Next Generation” Exchange

Date: 15th –  24th April, 2024

City/Country: Blansko, Czech Republic and Brussels, Belgium

What was the main topic of the project?

Elisabet Soone – European Parliament.

Alissa Vorobjova – Different European Institutions (like European Parliament, European commission etc.), how they work, what are they for and the connection between them all.

Gasim – The project was about promoting the values of the EU and to engage young people in a discussion about the future of the EU. Also, to encourage participation of under-represented groups of young people, such as those from vulnerable or socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, by providing them with opportunities to engage with politics and civil society and to become active members of the European Community.

Elina Varest – how does parliament work.

Elo Petron – European institutions/parliament elections.

What were the biggest learning moments of the event for you?

Elisabet Soone – I learnt a lot about how to adapt and create creative ways to present topics and tackle issues such as the European Parliament and overall issues facing Europe. For example democracy, far-right populism, value conflicts, listening to different point of views and understanding people’s experiences and where they are coming from while taking into consideration their cultural and national backround. It is a very judgement free learning environment where you can freely be yourself.

Alissa Vorobjova – Actually everything about European institutions, EU systems and issues. As a person from a completely different field that was so informative for me. What is more, quite often we all had to go out of the comfort zone (for instance simulating the protest and shouting infront of other participants or simply debating about given topics and giving decent arguments was hard).

Gasim – Understanding European values in-depth and how each one of the 3 main institutions related to those ensuring adherence to those values.

Elina Varest – when we were divided into parties and we held elections in parliament, made amendments, and debated .

Elo Petron – How do European parliament and commission interact with each other and how are European laws and regulations made and processed.

Do you have any plans to c0ntinue being active in the field? If yes, in which way?

Elisabet Soone – I will definitely use my chance to be apart of more projects to widen my understanding of different people and gather experiences for myself. I would like to gain more social and teamwork skills while learning about different topics.

Alissa Vorobjova – Absolutely! I never thought that EU institution systems and politics can be so interesting. I definitely want to learn more about it and vote on European elections.

Gasim – Yes, I plan to participate in follow-up activities and other projects related to the topic.

Elina Varest – I really want to participate in next projects “voice of the next generation”, to get more knowledge in this topic. So far, I’ve got these plans.

Elo Petron – Yes, I plan to apply for a traineeship in some European institution.

Would you recommend this experience to your friends? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Elisabet Soone – I would definitely recommend this experience to my friends because I feel it really helps people be more open-minded toward other peoples cultures. Also you learn a lot about yourself and other people while dong different activities together. Projects like this develop fun ways of learning while also creating new friends.

Alissa Vorobjova – I already did! That was so incredible. The connection and teamwork between all of us was so good, I felt so safe and comfortable with other people. The topic was such a dark forest for me but i never felt pressured about it, so i actually got a chance to learn something hard in a non-formal way and have a lot of fun! My friends know everything about the project already!

Gasim – I would highly recommend Erasmus+ experience in general and this particular project due to its nature which differs from typical youth exchanges. It was something in-between youth exchange and training course.

Elina Varest – Yes! Because I don’t know where I can get the same experience.

Elo Petron – Yes, this project had a really competent facilitator, good organising team and idea. By idea I meant organising a project in two places so participants could see more of Europe.

Other comments or anything else you would like to share? You can answer in your mother tongue, if you want!

This Project was financed by European Commission’s Erasmus + Programme