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Our little team visited the picturesque town of Amarante, Portugal, in order to attend a unique and captivating youth exchange, that brought together participants from five different countries, each with their own stories to tell. The participants had a chance to delve into the world of Digital Storytelling, a journey that intertwined creativity, camaraderie, and cultural exploration.

The first day was all about the location and the participants. The warmth of Portugal marked the beginning of a new adventure. The day was dedicated to ice-breaking activities, helping the development of connections, and getting to know both the fellow participants and the enchanting surroundings.

As the sun rose for the second day, the names games continued just for a little longer. After the participants learnt all the names it was time to move on. The basic storytelling concepts were introduced, setting the stage for the rest of our journey ahead.

A bit of adventure took place on the third day. Participants went on a kayaking experience, navigating through the calming river of Amarante. This was a must to try since the town’s kayaking team is very well known and highly respected. After our physical endeavor, it was time to move to a more theoretical field. The afternoon started with a storytelling workshop, where participants learned the intricacies of crafting complex narratives.

The fourth day started with the embrace of the waves of the ocean. And while it became obvious that not all of us were born to be surf champions, we had fun and that’s what counts. The afternoon was dedicated to cultural activities in Porto, deepening their connection with the Portuguese culture and eating some Francesina.

Transitioning into the digital realm, the fifth day was all about storytelling in digital form. Participants learnt about the basics of editing, collected visual and auditory materials, and learned how to create an amazing trailer that represents the participants and their dreams. This was one of the key moments in the creation of the short videos.

The penultimate day was dedicated to working on the videos. Some were still collecting materials to work with, others had already started the editing, few were working with the sounds and music. With newly developed skills participants slowly started to piece together their short trailers that offered glimpses into their futures, their dreams, and desires. This process was a testament to their growth, not only as storytellers but as individuals who had found their voice.

The last day, as always, brought a mixed bag of emotions to the activities. The youth exchange had managed to transform a group of strangers into a team and managed to help build friendships (and in some cases even more than friendship…). The participants finished up their digital creations and reflected on the skills acquired and the beautiful memories that they made. Goodbyes were exchanged, and the air was filled with nostalgia even know the participants only met one week ago.

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The ESC Short Term Summer Fun Team organized a 4-day camp in Varság, from the 28th until the 31st of August 2023. 12 educators and 24 children were present. Here’s a recap of all the fun we had!

On Monday we got to know each other and played games to remember our names. Monday was a very hot day, so in the afternoon we just had to go to the river. Once there, we played with water and water guns.



Tuesday’s morning break was special. We made fruit sticks! Banana, blueberry, grapes and tangerine, what a colorful mix.
This encourages children’s fine motricity skills and boosts their sense of touch using the different textures.

In the evening, there was a huge storm and we had a power outtage. That meant no more electricity nor light but also no
more running water, so we collected buckets of rain water to wash the dishes and flush the toilet. What an adventure! We sat outside to watch the lightning strikes. And it didn’t stop us from planning the next camp day!



Wednesday started under pouring rain. The volunteers were wondering how many children would come. Well, turns
out all 24 showed up, motivated as always, despite the unfriendly weather! So we did morning activities inside, such as crafting animals using toilet paper rolls. In the afternoon, once the sun was back, we switched to outside, to have more space to run around.


During Thursdays’ energizer in groups of 2 we learnt simple steps, practiced without the music and then turned the music on to try out our new skill. After lunch we did animal face paintings and then used our new faces for emotional theater.

After that, it was already time to say goodbye! As always, a lot of hugs and mixed feelings. As educators we were happy
that the kids had fun but as humans we were also sad to leave knowing we would never see them again.

Kids of Vargyas, we wish you all the best!

This project was also our last as a team and we will all go back to our countries next week.
Bye Romania, thank you ATA and the Hungarian community for the warm welcome you gave us!

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Monday, Our first day of the amazing adventure camp, started by getting the kids to know each other. After that, we divided them into two groups. One group started with the games (Team 1), which was a baseball-like game while the other group did a whole workshop on how to read a map and how to make an improvised compass (Team 2). After that, we switched groups (Team 1 did the map reading and Team 2 the baseball game). We did that every other day of the camp, so that all of us could have fun in smaller groups that are more manageable, playing and making the amazing workshops.



On Tuesday, after the energizers, we played a few rounds of Police VS Thieves and Capture the Flag. After the break, we prepared some origami: birds, frogs, planes, handfans… and a theater improvisation game in group of 4 of 5 with different situations such as meeting a bear in the forest!



On Wednesday we played a very exciting game called Gymkhana. This game had eight stations, where the kids in groups had to complete several tasks, like bowling cans, passing a balloon without using their hands, or building a card castle. And while that was happening we started making little markers/flags for our big game of the next day.



Thursday was so exiting, we started the day with energizer activities and a super obstacle race where the kids had to use their agility to finish first.
After that we did a treasure hunt, in which teams of different color were looking for their little flags that were hidden through the whole school. We finished the day with some more relaxing games and a paint craft inspired from pointillism,done with cotton buds.



It’s been a super fun camp, but we still had one final day to spend together, so we prepared a surprise: after playing under the sun we wanted to refresh ourselves so we made a Water fight with water balloons, water guns, buckets and everything to refresh ourselves, after that we made a special craft, a kite to fly through the sky or to decorate and hang in our rooms!!

Its been a super fun camp with lots of different experiences to remember and even thought it is ending, we are going to have a super cool shirts with lots of things written by all of us so that we all can remember this great camp

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Arts and craft fun time in Kőrispatak! The Short term volunteers stayed in the famous straw-hat crafting village of Kőrispatak for 3 days, and organized together with the local priestess, Somodi Anita, a camp and traditional craft activities for the kids from 6 to 12 years old.
The volunteers were very enthusiastic to offer kids another way to spend their holiday and connect with each other.

On Tuesday they welcomed the children and played games to remember each other’s names.



After that, craft time! We had 2 pieces of wood. Using 2 layers of white paint, we made sure it would look good and then applied table napkins, after which we put glue on top of it, to make the blank spaces transparent. Once it’s dry it looks like a painting!


On Wednesday we did a fun Spanish dance! A new instruction is added at each sentence and at the end we all looked silly but it was a lot of fun
The weather was amazing!



On Thursday, in the priestess garden, we did fun games and then crafted angels out of straw. That was quite easy as we had done braids with straws the day before.



We finished the day by playing active games such as Capture the flag and the Rock paper scissors race. Everybody ran, defending the flag of their respective teams and looking for the one of the other team. Both team blue and team pink demonstrated great team work!



Then came the moment to say goodbye, with a lot of great memories and some sadness too. We did a big circle and screaaamed all together to acknowledge all of the emotions we felt during the camp.

Thank you to Communitas for making this camp possible, to the priestess, everyone who welcomed us and all the kids who shared these nice moments with us.

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The ATA tent organized on town days could not be left out of the program offers of our association this year either, which awaited the youngest children and their families with a colorful program this year as well. Fun, laughter, skillful hands, beadwork, face painting, baby corner and a big smile at the end characterized the two days of the ATA tent. As usual, our international volunteers designed the tent program this year. For weeks they were fiddling and thinking about what they could do to put a smile on the faces of our little guests. They enthusiastically made the decorations to bring color to the life of the town days.

The tent was filled with life on Friday. First we put the decorations, then we settled in with the lemonade corner, created a playground for the babies, and another corner for the parents to wait until their children enjoyed the crafts. Some were happy to join the game and joined in handicrafts, beading or supporting their children in sensory games. Since we had a warm weather, cold refreshments were essential, which we did not only distribute to those who visted us, but everyone who asked for a glass.

In the second half of the day, face painting took place. Our international and local volunteers were eagerly waiting for the children with various creative paintings that transported the youngest ones to a magical world. Perhaps there were some who were sleeping like butterflies, spider-men, or unicorns.

Overall, we can say that the ATA tent was a great experience again this year, the many smiling and grateful faces were worth the effort. We would like to thank the parents and children for visiting us again this year during the town days, our staff, international and local volunteers for their persistent and sacrificial work, and the Municipality of Székelykeresztúr for their financial support for the realization of the event.

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The meeting of twin towns took place in our town between 4 and 6 August, to which 700 participants came from Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. During the three-day event, representatives of the twin cities discussed primarily the current economic and social situation of their settlements, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the community and economy, as well as solidarity actions against the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

On the first day of the program, presentations took place, then the representatives of the delegations discussed the aftershocks of the pandemic with the involvement of a specialist, and developed strategies for solving them. In addition, a photo exhibition was opened for those interested, and participants could also join a folk song evening. On the second day, the focus was on the sense of European identity, the participants talked about what kind of Europe they would like to live in, how Euroscepticism can be destroyed. The topic of solidarity was also an important aspect of this day, as European countries discussed how to counter the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. On the third day of the event, the presentation of the Europe for Citizens project type to the representatives of the region played a prominent role, while various sporting events were also held in the spirit of fair play. 

In addition to the above-mentioned topics, we considered it important to plant the seeds of European identity in children and young people, so we set up a separate tent for them for the entire duration of the event. Here, the children took part in handicraft activities, which we coordinated with the help of our international volunteers. We gave young people an interactive presentation about Erasmus+ programmes, youth exchanges and European Solidarity Corps volunteering opportunities they can get involved in. 

During the event, cultural experiences were exchanged, participants could listen to and learn each other’s folk songs, folk dance performances were held, and we could discover each other’s gastronomy in the framework of a cooking competition. All these events were aimed at mutual acceptance, appreciation and preservation of our cultural values and reflection of European diversity. In addition, visitors to the event and the guests joined the Petőfi Memorial and Community Run, promoting the importance of time spent together and movement, and a friendly football match was held among the inhabitants of the settlements in the spirit of fair play. 

Overall, we can say that eventful days are behind us. The event attracted nearly 5,000 visitors in addition to the 700 invited guests. During the presentations, roundtable discussions and brainstorming sessions, solution strategies were developed that can be put into practice by representatives of all settlements after their return. The tent launched for young people and children was a great success, and we hope that in the future these young people will also be able to experience a sense of European identity even more. We have summarized the event in a brochure that you can find here: SEUCTC brosura.

The event was supported by the European Union. 

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This week we had an amazing day camp with the theme: EXPERIENCE, so to pull off a memorable camp we encouraged the kids to prepare a play to perform for the end of the week.

Along with that we had some other activities and exciting games in store, such as a sportive version of rock-paper-scissors , where they had to jump into chalk rings and be faster that the other team.  On the first days we did some theater related activities, like pantomime, to bring their best acting skills on.

Early in the morning we began always with some energizers and there was never lack of singing and dancing. Then to prepare for the play the children formed four groups, where they could choose a theme: comedy, action or drama, and they came up with ideas with the help of the local and international volunteers.

On Wednesday we had a really interesting workshop about sound with our French volunteer, Mathieu. Using different materials he showed the kids how they could imitate sounds (like animal or action). Then they crafted some materials they will use in the play and they were really creative!

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Yesterday, on the 4th of August, the town twinning in Cristuru Secuiesc has started, with delegations from Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. The approximately 700 participants were greeted yesterday by the mayor of our town, after which the representatives of the delegations set to work.  

On the first day, each settlement presented itself with a presentation, detailing the current economic and social situation of their, talking about current challenges and good practices that can be applied during these challenges. In the early afternoon, they took the topic forward with the involvement of an expert, who talked about the social and economic effects of the pandemic, and later the group worked out solutions through brainstorming.  

The first day also hosted cultural activities, a photo exhibition in the Molnár István Museum, and joint folk song singing and learning was organised.  

Today the Petőfi Memorial and Community Run took place, where more than 100 participants ran for the poet’s name, commemorating his heroism and promoting the community experience. Today we continue the series of activities with regard to the conflict in neighboring Ukraine, the actions of European countries in the face of the conflict. In addition, young people and children can take a peek inside the ATA tent, where we offer arts and crafts and exciting opportunities. 

Today, cultural activities are not left out either, as folk dance groups on stage prove the existence of our cultural heritage. We are still looking forward to welcoming everyone who would like to join our program offerings. 

The event is funded by the European Union. 

News

The meeting of the twin towns will be held between 4-6 August in Cristuru Secuiesc, where nearly 700 guests will come from three countries: Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. The main topic of the meeting will be solidarity, European integration processes and the aftereffect of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The delegates of the participating settlements will discuss these topics through presentations, roundtable discussions and brainstorming activities with the involvement of experts. In addition, they will participate in cultural activities, such as folk song evenings, folk dance performances and the presentation of characteristics of folk costumes. At the same time, during a cooking competition, they can experience each other’s gastronomy and traditional flavors. 

The program also includes activities for young people and children, as our staff prepares handicraft activities for the youngest, while older and young adults can hear more about various project opportunities and volunteer opportunities provided by the European Union. 

In addition to the invited guests, we welcome the residents of the settlement and the region to the meeting, trusting that everyone will find the right program offer for them.  

The project is supported by the European Union. 

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As the children arrived at Sóskút for the Multikulti camp, they embarked on a journey that would take them to explore Germany, Spain, France and Hungary with the help of the 12 international volunteers. Through music, sports, crafts and games the young participants learned about each culture.

But first things first we had to get to know each other, so we presented ourselves through a spider web and sang our camp song: Bam bam bam, we’re in the summer camp!

In the afternoon we made our way to the forest for the game: Catch the flag, divided in two teams the kids had to run strategically to get the flag faster than the others.

On Wednesday we began with the cultural activities with the Spanish Team (Ahinoa, Íñigo, Inés, Marina and Maël). To energize in the morning the kids played the chairs game with Spanish music, then we painted the Spanish flag and placed some pictures around it.

The competiveness and team work was tested with some sports outside. But after a while we needed a rest and to cool down before lunch so we crafted some hand fans.

In the afternoon Laszló and Hedi made us travel all the way to Hungary with a presentation and a fun quiz to test the knowledge of the little ones, were they had to difference pictures of Hungary, France, Spain and Germany. Later it was time to get creative again making personalized bracelets.

On Thursday morning Cara and Malena introduced the German culture playing some really fun energizers were the kids even learnt some words in this difficult language. Before lunch the children crafted some really beautiful masks for Carnival, like one of the most known festivity in Köln.

In the afternoon the children experienced the best of the french culture through really active and fun games that Nolween, Mathieu and Julien prepared: Baguette Croissant, Banane & Pomme and an obstacle race. The kids showed their best creative side drawing in the french style of “Puntillisme”.

To finish off the camp in the best way the children could show off their talents with a performance that they prepared. The girls made an impressive gymnastic choreography and the boys a football show to the beat of “Ramenez la coupe à la maison”.

In the last morning before going home the kids enjoyed the breakfast together and wrote each other messages in a T-Shirt to keep an unforgettable memory of this camp.