News
Between August 23 and 31, seven volunteers from Romania took part in the Food4Health youth exchange in Dinan, France.
“On the first evening after our arrival, we had the chance to get to know the participants from France and Germany during a picnic dinner on the beach.
We started the first day with some energizers and icebreaker games, then we set the house and community rules for the upcoming week. This was a different kind of project, where we, the participants, had to cook lunch and dinner every day, meals planned according to the dietary restrictions of the group. Each day, every team had time to prepare the dishes for their assigned meal.
The second day began with a nutrition workshop led by Aurélie, a nutrition expert. It was a pleasure to have her with us. The day continued with preparing the menus for the whole week, including the festive dinner for the intercultural evening.
Day 3 brought us all together with games about the impact of our food on the environment, a world café, and debates about nutrition.
The next day took us to Bréhat Island, a day dedicated to exploration, together with Lucie, an expert in plants. Lucie explained the different types of edible and toxic plants, where they can be found, and how they are prepared. We held a cooking workshop in the forest, followed by a picnic where each participant took part in preparing the food, and later on the beach we enjoyed a dessert, also prepared by participants.
On the 5th day, we visited the local market to discover what healthy foods can be found in North-West France and to get a glimpse of the local culture. In the afternoon, we could choose between a jam-making workshop, a sports workshop, or a visit to the museum in Dinan.
On the 6th day, we all created a recipe book together, in English, Hungarian, Romanian, French, and German – handwritten pages with beautiful illustrations. At lunch, we had the opportunity to taste vegan dishes at a restaurant in Dinan, also learning about the story behind it.
On the last day, we shared our final moments together, held the Youthpass ceremony, and later attended a seaside concert.”