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Unforgettable experiences, new friendships, laughter from morning to night, beautiful landscapes and of course an insight into the artistic word. In a nutshell, that’s what our last week in lefkada was all about, we’ll try to describe the feeling that surrounded us in a little more detail, but we won’t promise anything, since we all know experiences can’t be passed on, they have to be lived. The adventure started late on saturday night, when we set off not completely unknown (actually but:) ) into the also unknown big world. Three „little boys”, a young adult and a middle-aged lady. Sounds like a good pairing at first, doesn’t it?? We proudly dare to say that it was the best pairing, age is just a number, the saying is true.



The participants of the program were made up of 6 different countries – Turkey, Spain, Poland, Estonia, Greece and Romania – we were a very colorful team. Not only because of the different nationalities, but also because the leaders of the program thought of sensitizing the young people, we could learn sign language and help our peers.
On monday we got to know each other with the help of some team-building games, we had to show our artistic talent here, because we had to draw each other on an envelope, which later included anonymous messages, making our stay there even more exciting.
On tuesday, the three main themes were presented, within the framework of which we had to create on the following days of the week. We could choose between acting, painting and light mapping, several members of our team – Robi, Misi, Ilonka, Anett – choose acting, because there were people who could try themselves in this field for the first time in their lives. But in addition to all this, Misike also gained an insight into the world of light mapping and digital editing. And in the evening we got to know the flavors of different cultures better and of course we also prepared a couple of domestic delicacies, Ilonka’s divinely delicious pityoka tokány and cucumber salad, we didn’t have enough, they even asked for the recipe, but I think turkish and polish delicacies after that we couldn’t even fit a little home.
On wednesday morning, we started putting together the play, everyone got their role and the rehearsals went full steam ahead, as we had to present a finished play to the big audience by friday evening. In order to increase motivation, we went to the most beautiful beach of the island in the afternoon, then we were able to go to the city and, to the greatest delight of the boys, we were also able to taste the real gyros.
On thursday, the drama was assembled by the lunch break, Misike also progressed very well with the task assigned to him in the light mapping group. and in the evening we were able to show the finished piece to our big team.
On friday, we presented our weekly work to school children and their parents in a small village. the background for the actors was provided by the light mapping team, and the props were provided by the painting team, so everyone’s work could be seen in front of the audience
In addition to work, of course, we had plenty of time to get to know each other and our culture better, every day we could learn the basic expressions of different countries, drink real turkish coffee, fortune-telling was done from our palms and coffee bags, we could learn and teach traditional dances, we talked late into the night and had big we could swim on the nearby beach during our lunch break. A week rich in emotions and impulses is behind us, we learned a lot of new things and perhaps the best thing about it all was that we were able to live it together, so we can stay in each other’s hearts forever.

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It is summer time! That means we have to welcome the high temperatures, the fruits, holidays, summer camps… and also the short-term volunteers. Yes! 12 new volunteers arrived at Cristuru Secuiesc during the last few days to begin a new exciting project.

The team is formed by young people of 4 different nationalities, Marina, Íñigo, Inés, Ainhoa and Mael come from Spain; Cara and Malena come from Germany; Mathieu, Nolwen and Julien come from France and last but not least, László and Hédi come from Hungary. The twelve of them will be living for the next two months and a half in this town participating in an ESC project.

The main purpose of them being here will be the organization, preparation and coordination of the different summer camps organized by ATA association that will take place in Cristuru and the villages around, there will be a total of 5 camps. In order to prepare them for the upcoming work during their two first weeks they will participate in different team building activities so a good work environment, group cohesion and coordination is developed between them. During this time they will also receive different talks about different topics that can be really useful and applied during the summer camps, these topics include: event management, non-formal education, emotional management and communication with kids and  video editing and social media.

We hope you are just as happy with this news as we are, and will continue to follow our work during this period.

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Okay, do you know what we heard about you? That you really love to travel and get to know new cultures. That you are motivated, ambitious and want to add your footprint to a far-away community. If our info is correct and all this is true, come to the land of vampires, castles and mountains, join our 10 months long volunteering opportunity in TRANSYLVANIA.

Who are we, and why should you choose Cristuru Secuiesc as you ESC volunteering place?

Our organization, the Youth Association from Transylvania was founded in 2011, and throughout our long journey we hosted more than 300 mobilities and participated in international projects countless times. The objective of the association is to enable youth from the Romanian region of Transylvania to take part as hosts and sending organization and be involved in European projects. Currently there are eight of us working in the office, you can see our wonderful faces here:

As you can see, we are missing two very important people, but with a good reason! Réka is currently awaiting the arrival of a new life in their family. In case you decided to embark on this journey with us though, she will be a frequent face you see and who supports you. On the other hand, Attila and his wife just welcomed their little bundle of joy, hence his absence on this photo. But we can assure you he is a great person, with excessive knowledge and experience. 

Okay, so what will your responsibilities be here? You will be joining an 8-person international team from all around Europe. We await the arrival of 4 inclusion support volunteers and 4 NGO support people.

Inclusion support volunteer: Your task will be to organize daily non-formal workshops for children & youth to teach English, while at the same time will pass along environmental awareness & up-cycling, recycling knowledge. You will be working in 2 kindergartens, 1 local and 2 rural primary schools. The ages of the kids vary, but we are open to realize your own initiations and workshops, helping you organize concrete activities regarding your passions. You will also volunteer in Háromgalamb disabled centre, teaching these wonderful humans practical skills, like gardening and cooking, while supporting

A couple of sentences from Nerea Ruiz Garcia, our last inclusion support volunteer, who spent 10 months here: “Being an inclusion support volunteer has expanded my horizons more than I would have ever imagined. I’ve been given the chance to work with people from different cultural and economic backgrounds, which has helped me become more aware of much work still needs to be done in the world. However, now that the end of my project is closer, I can definitely say that I think I have learned more from them than what they will have probably learnt from me. People in this community are full of values and kindsness, and places like this are where you can truly find knowledge and achieve self-discovery.”

The kindergarten and school where you will be working at:

NGO support person: you will support our numerous local activities and improve our online communication and marketing, by increasing our social media presence. Since we frequently organize international mobilities, you will also help our staff in these.

Here is what Quentin Reinette says about his experience with us as an NGO support person: “As an NGO support volunteer, my work revolves around helping the association organise events, writing articles about Transylvania, and working at the library. We also work with the town gardener and a herbalist weekly. I enjoy working here, we do lots of different things and get to meet people.”

Sounds too good to be true? Wait until you see where you will be hosted! We have a big office in the centre of our town, that is called the Yellow House by the locals because of its bright yellow walls. Now, the staff is working on the first floor of this iconic building, hosting mobilities and organizing events, while you and the 7 other volunteers will be living on the second and third floor of the house.

The house is fully furnished with:
-a spacious kitchen that has 2 fridges, stove, microwave, dishes, glasses, furniture, etc.
-3 bathrooms that have toilets, showers, washing machine and other cleaning appliances
-5 large bedrooms that have furniture and beds in each.
-the house also has electricity, gas, hot and cold water, internet connection with a Wi-Fi connection

If you feel ready to embark on this journey with us, send you CV and motivation letter to office.ata@gmail.com, and fill out the online application form found in the infopack, or by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/CEJnod9yndfK89iB6

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us via email, Facebook, Instagram. 

 

 

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This year’s first Youth Exchange took place between 20-27 June with nearly 40 young people from 7 different countries. Participants came from Hungary, Spain, Latvia, Slovakia, France, Turkey and Hungary. Within the framework of the 8-day program, we continued the topic of our April training, the social entrepreneurships and soft skills played a major role.

The first day of our youth exchange was about getting to know each other, as it was important to start working together with participants learning more about each other, the concept of Erasmus+ a little better, and participating in team building activities. At the end of the first day, we closed the program with an intercultural snack evening, where participants presented traditional snacks and drinks from their own countries. On the second day, we started working together, defining social entrepreneurship and social entrepreneur, and playing logical team games that showed the usefulness of soft skills necessary for the operation of a businesses. On the third day, we visited social enterprises active in the region and gathered information about their operations. Halfway through the program, we had the opportunity to explore the area, the participants visited Praid, including the Salt Canyon, the salt mine and other attractions. On the following days, on the fifth day, we processed information about social enterprises and played other strategy games that emphasized not only the importance of soft skills, but also team thinking. Over the next two days, participants created promotional materials about the social enterprises they visited, including a short video, graphic material, T-shirt designs and other promotional product designs. On the last day, the 8 key competences of Youthpass were discussed, participants completed the final evaluation and the Youthpass questionnaire. The eight-day program was closed with the Youthpass ceremony.

In addition, during the Youth Exchange, two evenings were dedicated to traditional folk dances and the presentation of countries, so everyone had the opportunity to present a piece of their culture.

The Youth Exchange was implemented within the framework of our association’s youth strategy with the support of the Erasmus+ program.

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This year’s Summer Camp of the Youth Association from Transylvania started on the 3rd of July. Just like in previous years, there was a lot of interest and not without reason. The five days were very eventful, and our 36 participants were very sad to note the end of the camp on Friday.

Huh, where do we start… Our camp this year was built around fairy tales, every day we puppeteered and acted out nostalgic stories, and noted the lessons learnt from them through games and interactive tasks. On Monday, the day was spent getting to know each other, as not only were there new faces among the children, but the little ones didn’t know our 7 local and 8 international volunteers either. After the namecards were up, we divided the small ones into six teams. Each team was assigned a leader from among foreign and local volunteers, so the children could learn English throughout the week and overcome the language barrier together. The first task of the six teams was creating a unique logo and flag.

Since we puppeteered the stories every day, the children could also try themselves out in this ancient craft on the first day. The little ones completed pre-prepared sampled stories, and created their own puppets while deciding on their traits, characteristics. Main rehearsal – and LET THE PUPPET SHOW BEGIN! The six teams presented six short stories to their peers. Then we ended the day with our dance together.

On the second day, the little tried on the shoes of chefs, and under the guidance of Serife, our volunteer from Turkey, they prepared delicious chocolate biscuits in the morning. Small and large hands took their share of the work, beating eggs, pouring flour and kneading dough. In the end, delicacies that Gordon Ramsey himself would be envious of were prepared. But of course, no sweets before lunch! While the biscuits were getting golden in the oven, everyone moved to the Gyárfás garden, where we dedicated the day to sports. There was football, frisbee, and hide and seek, and by the time we retired to the Yellow House, nothing could have been better than our freshly baked cookies made by ourselves.

Of course, we didn’t linger on the third day either. We started this day at the Molnár István Museum, where the children could learn about the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves in the performance of Javi and Dani. For those who have already forgotten the iconic sentence, the tale of Open Sesame, the Persian protagonist had to utter these words in order for the treasure-filled cave to open. Well, as a result of this, our little participants also went on a treasure hunt in our city. As an association, we consider it important that the children of Székelykeresztúr get to know its famous places. For this reason, we set up the stations of the treasure hunt on these, as our list included the library, the station, the museum, the sports field, the Gyárfás garden, and the fountain. By completing the tasks in these places, the kiddos could put together the sentence that opened the gate to the golden cave. We can announce that all the little people successfully completed the challenge and each of them returned home with three golds at the end of the day.

We spent the fourth day with world-famous fashion. For those who have not yet received the information: Székelykeresztúr has today’s trendiest designers and seamstresses. We wanted to guide the children to the path of recycling, so they had to create clothes, jewellery, and accessories from paper. Although this may seem like a big challenge at first, as soon as they see the results, they realize how creative the children of our city really are. And who were the models? They all came from abroad! We ended the day with a fashion show, where we asked the opinions of the small designers and voted for the coolest outfit. We want to congratulate the Green Leaves team on their victory!

The fifth and last day was both the most diverse and the saddest at the same time. Sad, because on this day we had to say goodbye to each other, as we are closing this year’s ATA camp. At the same time, we were also preparing for an extraordinary challenge, as we set up an obstacle course on Sóskút. Our fighters had to dodge lasers, solve puzzles, and at the end, we rewarded them for their efforts. Each little participant received a gym bag packed with chocolates and candies. After that, we returned to the Yellow House with our participants and sang our song one last time, then closed our 2023 Summer Camp. We would like to thank the Harghita County Council for their support, without which this program would not have been possible. At the same time, we sincerely thank our local and international volunteers for their help.

Finally, nothing proves the success of our camp better than the opinions of the children themselves. Emma Mátéffy said this about our program: “I liked it so much that I want to be a volunteer when I grow up!” I think there is no better recognition than to encourage the little ones to do good themselves and dare to add to the community.

Marielle, our volunteer and organizer from Sweden, added the following regarding the week: “I’m proud and happy with the results of the summer camp week, because the children seemed to enjoy the activities just as much as I did! During the week, I made memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life”.

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From 18th to 24th June 2023, five young people from Transylvania had the opportunity to participate in the Gender 4 Youth Erasmus+ program, hosted by the Portuguese city of Águeda. Alongside the Portuguese hosts, teams from Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden also took part in the project. The week-long activity centered around gender equality and gender roles, aiming to provide young individuals with a comprehensive understanding of gender identity and its expression.

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The Youth Association from Transylvania has participated in a Partnership Building Activity in Hungary, to be more exact in Tata. It took place from the 19th to the 23rd of June. The activities brought together representatives from Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The event aimed to foster collaboration, exchange ideas, and establish strong partnerships between the participating organizations which were Hungarian NGOs from the above mentioned countries.

The event started with some kind welcome words, and a quick introduction to the activity place, accommodation and the topic and aim of the gathering. This was followed with a quick introduction among the participants. On the second day onwards, it was real business time. Each representative had the opportunity to provide a brief overview of their organization and its objectives, also their roles and responsibilities in the organization.

A series of workshops and presentations were also conducted, focusing on various topics related to partnership building and collaboration. Participants from each country shared their experiences, best practices, and success stories in forming effective partnerships. We engaged in interactive sessions, discussing challenges, and brainstorming strategies to overcome them. We also had plenty of opportunities for networking throughout the activities allowing us to connect with each other on a personal and professional level. We also had the chance to explore the local surroundings and experience the cultural heritage of Tata in the form of a walk to the lake and some wine tasting in the evening.

Overall, it is safe to say, that we closed the program knowing that we planned seeds of ideas and the potential for collaborations is strong. We cannot wait to see how and when we will meet again with our new friends from our “neighbourhood”.

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Our small team from the Szekler land packed their suitcases and set off for sunny, warm Valencia, in the south of Spain. Despite the sunshine and idyllic surroundings, the small team of four did not go on vacation, as they boarded a plane for work. VET PACT, our Erasmus+ supported program, had an expert meeting. If you follow the news about our project, you may have already heard that we are currently at the end of the research phase. All partner countries, namely Argentina, El Salvador, Colombia, Hungary, Romania, and Spain, are trying to complete the surveys and interviews, but detailed results have already been obtained. These results were analysed and discussed during the event.

The first day was more about getting to know each other. Getting to know each other, as this was the first time our experts had the opportunity to meet in real life. Getting to know our hosts and their office, the Jovesólides organization in Spain took care of us during our stay in Valencia. Also, getting

On Sunday and Monday, on the second and third days of the meeting, the focus was on evaluating and processing the research results, and discussing what improvements and tasks await the partners after the meeting. On Tuesday, we got to know and got to discover the city. In the morning, we had the opportunity to take a guided tour where we could learn about the history of this wonderful city and see it’s not-so-hidden treasures.

On Wednesday (actually, on Monday) we changed locations and visited the vocational school in Spain, which is also a partner in the project. We could see what the facilities of the Spanish school are like, we could compare the teaching methods there with those at home, and good practices were shared by the teachers there.

Overall, we had a successful meeting where we could gain insight into the global reality of vocational education, share and listen/see good practices. The work did not end with the trip home, as there is still a year and a half left. We will be back soon with more information about what awaits us after the end of the research period.

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Next week, on the 20th of June this year’s first youth exchange of our association will begin, which is the continuation of our training course organized in April 2023. During the program we will talk about social entrepreneurship and soft skills with the participation of nearly 40 young people from Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Turkey, France, Hungary and Romania 

The eight-day programme gives young people the opportunity to get to know each other’s cultures and ways of thinking better and to work out together the final products of the Youth Exchange. On the first day, young people will participate in team building activities and will learn more about the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ programme. Furthermore, non-formal methods will be used to process the concept of social enterprises, the responsibilities and personality types of entrepreneurs, also the business plans prepared at the training course will be analysed. After processing the plans, we will visit 7 social enterprises around Cristuru Secuiesc, and promotional materials will be prepared for these in the last days of the program. We close our Youth Exchange with the Youthpass ceremony and final evaluation. 
 

In addition, young people will have the opportunity to try traditional dances and taste traditional dishes of the participating countries, as well as to see the natural features of the Salt Region. The Youth Exchange will be organized within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme. 

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During the time I have been living in Cristuru Secuiesc, I have noticed quite a few differences in how children behave here and how they behave in Spain. Although children are children regardless of their race, country or gender; there are always noticeable differences in how they live their childhood.

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