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Another successful youth exchange!

From 19 to 26 June, 32 young people from 5 countries (Romania, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Turkey and Spain) came to our city for a youth exchange organised by us, with the main aim of discovering opportunities and ideas on how to spend their free time actively. During the 8 days we spent here, we introduced and practised several active activities with them every day, hoping to give them enough motivation to bring a little activity into their daily lives, in addition to passive pastimes.

The young people arrived on Tuesday in the lush green surroundings of Sóskút and tried to get to know the hostel and the forest environment as much as possible.

The first day was spent getting to know each other: after a short game to introduce the topics, they went on an exciting sightseeing tour in the afternoon, made even more interesting with a variety of fun activities. Particularly noteworthy was the religious diversity they experienced here. And in the evening, a very interesting and enlightening programme, the Intercultural Night, began. This consisted of a presentation by young people from each country of their country’s typical snacks and refreshing drinks.



The second day of the youth exchange started with an introduction to the concept of active leisure. Participants discussed what active leisure means to them and then were invited on a hike while discussing different topics. Lunch was followed by a book and film club. Here the participants had the chance to watch a Hungarian Oscar-winning short film, which they had to guess and write the ending of in detail before the film was over. In the afternoon, the day’s activities were evaluated, and the learning outcomes reflected upon. Participants shared what they had learned that day and how they could apply this knowledge in the future. The day continued with free time for everyone to relax, and after dinner we had the “Romanian Evening”, where the Romanian participants presented our country and different snacks.

The third day of the youth exchange started with an energizing breakfast, followed by a refreshing yoga class led by Anett Timár. Participants were refreshed both physically and mentally before embarking on the rest of the day’s activities. After a break in the morning, the participants engaged in podcast making. They learned how to make and edit their own podcasts, which could be a useful tool for them in the future. After lunch, the group went on a guided tour of Sighisoara. During the tour, they learned about the history and culture of the city and were given free time to explore the city individually. The day continued with free time for everyone to relax, and the evening was rounded off with a free activity, giving them the opportunity to spend time individually or in small groups.

The fourth day started with an energizing breakfast and continued with the making of bird feeders and bee hotels. This was followed by various intercultural activities where participants from each country presented their own games and cultural elements. After lunch, they spent time on body art activities, developing their creativity and cooperation skills. In the afternoon, lessons learned, and achievements of the day were discussed during the evaluation and reflection. The evening was rounded off with an event showcasing Slovak and Turkish cultures, where participants learned about the traditions, food and music of these countries.

On the morning of the fifth day, the young people enthusiastically threw themselves into the programme, which started with voluntary work. Organised in small groups, they painted the city’s benches in various locations, bringing a little colour to the streets. All this with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Cristuru Secuiesc. During the morning, they excitedly prepared for the afternoon theatre performance. After lunch, the participants were treated to an exciting and emotional theatre performance, in which they shared their own experiences and thoughts about certain generational issues. The evening continued with a free programme, giving participants the opportunity to socialise, make friends and have fun together.

On the morning of the sixth day, the young people started the day with various sports activities at the Berde Moses Unitarian High School. There was football, volleyball and even a little ping-pong. The sports were followed by a dynamic zumba class, during which everyone moved freely to the rhythm of the music. The rest of the morning was spent brainstorming and planning workshops. After lunch, participants evaluated the day together and reflected on their learning. Dinner was followed by an evening of Northern Macedonian and Spanish food and music, where they explored the gastronomic and musical treasures of both cultures. Dancing and singing went on late into the evening.

The seventh day was entirely focused on workshops for the young people. In the morning, the groups got together and started working on the projects they had dreamed up earlier. After lunch, the creative work continued, with everyone actively contributing to the common goals. In the afternoon, they presented the results of the workshops to each other, where they came up with exciting and innovative ideas. At the end of the day, there was a free programme where the young people spent time together, talking, playing and relaxing.

On the morning of the last day, the young people went on a joint visit to the local museum, where they viewed exciting and informative exhibitions. During the evaluation, they shared their experiences of the museum’s exhibitions. During the morning, the learning outcomes related to the Youthpass certificates were written, during which everyone summarised their experiences and knowledge gained during the programme. After lunch, the exchange programme and the Youthpass certificates were evaluated, with everyone receiving their certificates. The afternoon free time was followed by a farewell party where the young people celebrated the end of the programme together. Throughout the evening, many emotional moments were shared, friendships were made, and everyone looked back on the time spent with joy. Goodbyes are always bittersweet, and this time was no different, as everyone said a tearful goodbye to each other as the first group left for their own small town that very evening.

All in all, this youth exchange proved to be a very valuable and useful experience for young people who want to learn, as we can be sure that the few young people who participated in the youth exchange will live their daily lives as active and contributing members of society.

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Between 6-7 of June,  three resourceful young people – Gabi, Alpár and Máté – embarked on an adventure to the charming city of Pristina, Kosovo, to participate in a training course for teachers and youthworkers as part of the Youth INC project. This training also served as a meeting for 21 participants from the six countries involved in the project: Hungary, Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Germany and Israel.

„After an adventurous journey, we arrived at our pleasant accommodation in the late afternoon, where we took a quick rest before heading out to explore the city. After a short walk we quickly discovered that Pristina feels quite similar to the cities we are used to, making us feel at home, almost as if our favorite Transylvanian cities had been combined. Moreover, the local people were very friendly and helpful, surprisingly almost everyone spoke in English. The food also showed similarities to our cuisine, with the flavors reminding us of home. But enough about the city; let’s delve into the training content.

The two days were incredibly packed, but every moment contained the most valuable information. It is important to mention that the training in Kosovo was just a small part of the Youth INC project, whose main goal is to find at least three people in each partner country who tries to build and develop their community through everyday actions as an everyday hero, and to highlight these individuals from the invisibility of everyday life.

During the training, we learned about three methodologies:

– Interfaith Encounter

– The Way of Council

– Philosophy for Children/Communities.

The trainers throughout these methodologies aimed to prepare us for future work with young people and to gather enough experience to be able to pass on the knowledge acquired in Pristina to at least 10 colleagues and fellow teachers.

After an icebreaker and a fun introductory game we attended a content-rich and very useful lecture where we were introduced to the concept of Youthpass and how to articulate the learned and developed competencies through self-reflection.

The first introduced methodology of the day was Interfaith Encounter, which focuses on getting to know each other better and sharing our relationships with our own cultures and traditions.

The second methodology, The Way of Council, consisted of two parts: a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part interestingly became interactive enough, involving meditation exercises to determine the best methods for everyone for clearing one’s mind. After a short break, the second part of the methodology was even more exciting and sometimes very touching. Each participant brought a personal item that means a lot to them, such as a book, a stuffed animal, a picture of their child, or the key to their home. The first question was to tell a story about why the item was important to you. It was particularly surprising how openly everyone shared their personal stories, even though we had only known each other for couple of hours, and the sincere thoughts expressed during the exercise brought tears to our eyes. The second question was related to exclusion and inclusion, with participants sharing stories of when they felt excluded or included based on their social, geographic, cultural, personal, political, educational or racial identity in a community. Both parts were simultaneously uplifting and thought-provoking.

As a worthy end to the first day, after a short sightseeing tour we had dinner at a local restaurant, where we could taste fantastic authentic dishes.

On the second day, after another quick fun energizer, we got to know the third and final methodology, Philosophy for Children or you can call Philosophy for Communities as well. This practice was also divided into two parts. In the morning, we created the rules for the session, and then we moved on to the practical part. All tasks aimed to promote and develop creative thinking, teamwork, and critical thinking.


One of the most exciting tasks was when we received a fact-based text and by dividing into teams we had to share our initial thoughts on the content, and then formulate a general philosophical question based on the story. It was fascinating to see the different questions that arose from the same text. Then, wach person received three sticks to vote on which question to debate within an organised framework. The ideas were basically focused on the issue of freedom, but it was still difficult to choose. The winner was: “Where is the boarder for free speech?”

To conclude the day, we went to a local pizzeria where we once again enjoyed delicious meals. After dinner, we took a stroll through the city before returning to our accommodation, as everyone faced a long journey home on the next day.

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This year’s second Youth Exchange will start soon, from 18-27 June, with the theme of active leisure time. Our programme will bring together young people aged 14-17 from 5 countries, Turkey, Spain, Slovakia and obviously Romania.



During the 8-day exchange, participants will have plenty of opportunities to try out different leisure activities such as zumba, yoga, sports or podcast making.

The main objectives of the exchange are to teach young people to use their free time wisely, to build productivity, self-confidence, self-awareness and different learning methods, all approached in a non-formal way.



Of course, the programme will also give room for learning about the cultures represented, tasting traditional delicacies and learning dances, thus enriching the programme and the experience of the participants.

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Would like to try yourself out in volunteering? Ready to work for a community and make lifelong friendships even? You are in the right place! In this post we are going to introduce you to some amazing opportunities for volunteering in France for 9 months!

1. The Europ’Armor organization located in Saint Brieuc is looking for volunteers – the mission for the volunteers would be to encourage and inform the young generation about the possibilities of volunteering in Europe. You can learn more about the program HERE
2. The Steredenn FJT located in Dinan is looking for people – to organize intercultural events, inform the youth about mobility in Europe and to make their own project about a topic close to their heart. Apply and read more about it HERE
3. Ensemble scolaire St. Yves located in Saint Brieuc is looking for young enthusiastic volunteers – the task is to educate the young people about mobility, initiatives around Europe and opportunities for them to discover international mobility solutions. Apply and read more about it HERE
4. Ville de Lannion is hosting more than one opportunities for volunteering both located in Lannion

                                      – Working with people with disabilities, their caretakers and elderly people. Organizing inclusive events for them, and helping smoothen their participations on those events and activities. Learn more here HERE.

5. Lycée Saint-Joseph Bossuet school is looking for creative volunteers for the next 9 months – to support the students and the teaching teams in arts, culture, technology and so on. Support of students in the creation of projects (video editing, capsules, photo, radio) and to host workshop for and with them. Apply and learn more HERE
6. Lycée Jean Moulin located in Saint Brieuc is recruiting young individuals – to raise awareness of citizenship and international solidarity issues. The volunteers will help in the organization of the Festival of Solidarity, support students in their internship abroad and informing them about international mobility. Detailed information is available HERE.
7. The Lycée St Charles la Providence in Saint Brieuc is hosting volunteers for – organizing cultural and intercultural events and activities for the students, also promoting international mobility and informing them about the topic. . More information is available HERE.
8. The Habitat Jeunes en Trégor Argoat association in Lannion is looking for volunteers – to engage in residence activities, lead cultural and linguistic programs, and participate in youth projects. Volunteers will also help animate Le Pixie bar-expo-concerts and Le Piksel digital studio. Learn more and apply HERE.

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Here is a really good opportunity for the nature lovers!

The Al Hamam Association is offering a volunteer program this year in September in Cortijo Los Baños, located in the area of influence of the Tabernas desert (Almeria).

This volunteering project aims to promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, raise awareness about the conservation of European rural cultural heritage, and foster an inclusive society based on European and permaculture values. The project focuses on environmental preservation through traditional techniques, combating climate change, and enhancing biodiversity. It also encourages sustainable living practices, community cooperation, and intercultural communication, while educating participants on the importance of ecological and holistic health. The project aspires to create a replicable model for future sustainable development and social inclusion.

Volunteers will engage in hands-on activities such as building dry stone walls, improving irrigation systems, reforesting areas, and caring for native farm animals to restore and preserve the environment. The project emphasizes learning through direct interaction with nature, fostering personal growth, systemic thinking, and holistic health. By integrating healthy habits and promoting intercultural dialogue, the initiative aims to create a community of informed and engaged individuals ready to tackle global challenges like desertification and climate change.

The project activities starts from 3^rd of September until the 23^rd (not including the travel days) and they will host a Health and Culture day on the 21^st of September.

In case you are interested, you can get more information from the info package right HERE.

You can apply by filling out the online questionnaire available HERE.

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Where do I start? Let’s begin with the week before the trip, shall we? Okay, so it was Tuesday when we received the email with information about the mid-term evaluation (an assessment halfway through your volunteering project). Upon getting the email, we immediately gathered to discuss our travel plans: should we go by train or use BlaBlaCar? We definitely had the train option since there were four of us, and no, I didn’t want to be crammed in a BlaBlaCar with them. Don’t get me wrong, I like my colleagues, but personal space is important to me. So, the first step was to buy train tickets, which were very cheap as expected—83 lei or 16 euros from Sighisoara to Bucharest, a 6-hour journey. I wanted to die. Let me tell you, I’ve been on a 36-hour bus ride, but this train drained my soul and left me dizzy, which is unusual for me but, well, acceptable, I guess.

The only important information we got was the hotel location and the dates. It felt like one of those blind trips where you pay for everything upfront and could end up in Cancun or Scotland. Finally, after a long 6-hour train ride, we arrived in Bucharest. We ordered a Bolt because it’s cheap and we were four people. I indicated that there were four of us in the app, but the Romanian driver who arrived seemed a bit annoyed that someone had to sit next to him. Despite some awkward moments, we arrived at the hotel, which was somewhere between fancy and creepy (it reminded me of a game of Backrooms on Roblox, to be honest).

Upon arrival, the receptionist provided the crucial information we were missing: meal times. Breakfast was from 7-10, lunch from 1 PM, and dinner from 7 PM. I thought, are we British? I’m Spanish, and in Spain, a normal dinner time could be between 9 and 10 PM, or even later. After checking in, we went to our rooms, and luckily, each of us had a separate room. The rooms were fancy, with carpeted floors and plush pillows. It was very cool. We left our things there and went for a walk because we were hungry and had nothing to do until the next day. We didn’t even know what we were supposed to do or with whom we were going to do it. There was a lot of uncertainty.

We walked for about 25 minutes and ended up on a commercial street full of food stores—the good kind, like those bakeries surrounded by bees. We went to a Korean-Japanese store, which was very expensive but super cool, with all kinds of ramen, sauces, sweets—everything was on point. However, the only BUT, they only had BTS/Blackpink photocards, nothing from Twice, Le Sserafim, or New Jeans. We ate some good things like a cheddar-gouda cheese bagel, which was damn good. We returned to the hotel and hung out in Alejandro’s room until it was dinner time. Dinner was an experience: the dining room-restaurant seemed to be hosting either a baby shower, a baptism, or perhaps a bar mitzvah—it was hard to tell, but it was noisy.

If my memory serves me right, dinner was chicken breast with potato salad and quinoa or couscous. The food was pretty decent. After a long day, we went to sleep, wondering what awaited us the next day. We woke up and, as planned, went to eat breakfast at 8:30 to have a good sleep and enough time to eat calmly. Breakfast was definitely the best meal of the day. It was a buffet with all kinds of food, from yogurt with fruit and cereal to onion rings and tater tots. My go-to was scrambled eggs, tater tots, and toast with turkey ham and cheese, followed by coffee and a cereal bowl. I felt kind of heavy after that but thank goodness because we had a lot to do. Of course, I made a turkey ham and cheese sandwich to keep in my room—if I eat dinner at 7, I’m going to be hungry by 11.

After hours of not knowing anything, we received a message instructing us to come to the 6th floor, to the first room. That was scary, but the email hadn’t seemed like that, I promise. We arrived and met two people, Andrei and Mariann, who introduced themselves and had us play some icebreaker games. They explained our first activity, a mission (im)possible. We had to complete a lot of tasks, such as making a list of 20 things that are better in Romania than in our home countries. For example, Romania has some of the best internet in Europe. We also had to take a group picture with something indicating we were in the Carpathians. There were many activities, and I’ll share some pictures here.

When we finished our activity, we had a coffee break. The coffee was very good but so hot that I had to wait the entire 30 minutes for it to cool down. The cheese biscuits and jam biscuits were okay but nothing special. When we returned to the meeting room, we finally did the task we were supposed to complete before coming: presenting our association. The first team was the Mediterranean team—Chiara, Laura, and Carolina (they’re from Portugal, Spain, and France). They presented a video about their association, covering where they come from, what they do, who they share rooms with, etc. They are the luckiest because they live only an hour by bus from Bucharest, so they can explore the big city every weekend.

The second team was the Baia Mare team, Zeynep and Bogdan. They talked about their association’s activities, which are super cool. Every week they prepare a themed event, like a Harry Potter week with activities in schools and centers for the disabled. The third team, consisting of Oussama, Diana, and Tasnim, is from a place I can’t quite remember, but they also did cool activities, like helping in a nursery and taking care of kids aged 1 to 3 years old.

The fourth team, the Timisoara team—Benjamin, Anna, and Iasmina—does activities similar to ours. They are two Serbians and one Romanian, and since they live near the Serbian border, they speak Romanian fluently. Finally, there was our team: Abde, Murat, Undine, and Alejandro, representing Keresztur and Ata. We do a lot of things, which you can read about on the blog where you’re reading this.

To wrap up the day, we had lunch at 1 PM, like the British. Lunch was not impressive. As a Muslim, I found limited options: only chicken wings and lettuce salad, while everything else was pork. There was potato salad with pork, pork in creamy sauce, pork ribs, and chicken wings without any sauce, plus lettuce with oil and salt.

After the day’s activities, we went out for drinks (non-alcoholic, for legal reasons). We were looking for bars to chat, drink, and laugh a bit. We started at a bar 25 minutes away and ended at one near the river. It was a super cool night to meet each other, talk, drink, laugh, and take pictures. Overall rating of the night: 9 (the Coca-Cola was 10 lei).

Starting with Tuesday, breakfast was the same as before: tater tots, onion rings, scrambled eggs, cheese, pork ham, turkey ham, cereal, yogurts, muffins, juices—a typical breakfast buffet. I chose the same every day: scrambled eggs and toast with cheese and turkey, juice, and coffee for later. The first activity of the day involved making a book where we would write everything we wanted to analyse about the past month of our volunteering. It was very cool, but the questions we had to answer in our journal or book were difficult. One question I remember was, “What is something you really didn’t like in the project and made you think of dropping out?” Honestly, I didn’t know how to answer because the project has been pretty good so far, with its ups and downs. Life is about consistency, so I had to write a fake story and pretend it was genuine.

Soon, it was lunchtime, and this time the food was somewhat better: Chinese rice, roast garlic green beans, and chicken thighs. It was good because we needed a lot of energy for the afternoon activity. We had to complete a list of tasks in the center of Bucharest, like taking a picture with the city’s kilometer zero marker, talking to a musician, and photographing things we liked and didn’t like about Bucharest. It was funny, rushed, tiring, and very busy. We had from 1:30 PM until 6:30 PM to finish as many activities as possible. I’ll include some pictures here.

To conclude this mid-term, the last day was probably the most boring but necessary. We talked about the future, the Youth Pass, and our plans after finishing the project. Many people are enthusiastic about continuing to volunteer, but we are only entitled to volunteer for 12 months in our lifetime, though short-term volunteering is unlimited. However, life isn’t just about volunteering—you still need to play an active role in society by working, studying, or doing something that contributes to the economy. While you can’t be a volunteer for life, you can cherish the memories forever.

On that day, we discussed the brain—how we think, how we experience joy, what love feels like, and the nature of our emotions. All of it can be summarized in one answer: brain chemistry. Pheromones, hormones, serotonin, and dopamine all contribute to who we are and influence our decisions. Did you know that 90% of our choices and decisions are guided by our brain chemistry? Interesting, right? (I know this sounds like a TED Talk, but that’s not my intention—I just find it fascinating.)

With all this adrenaline in our bodies and joy in our brains, we concluded the mid-term evaluation with new friends, new cities to discover, and new flavors to explore. We said goodbye to Bucharest with a strange aftertaste—it was an amazing time, but so short and intense that I just wanted to sleep. I have to admit, we were a bit late for my taste catching the train. We had a train scheduled for Thursday at 14:45, and Alejandro wanted to book the Bolt at 14:25, just 20 minutes before our train was set to leave. We could have ended up stranded! Luckily, there wasn’t much traffic, and we arrived just in time. The train was there, and I ran to catch it. There was no way I was staying in Bucharest and paying for another train ticket. No way.

That was our mid-term experience. I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I’d give it an 8.5 out of 10. Nos, viszlát és később találkozunk!

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If you are reading this post, then you probably already wondered about being a volunteer, want to improve your language and social skills, also you are ready to work for the community. Well, you have all these opportunities if you choose the European Solidarity Corps volunteer programs. Nevertheless, that you are improving your skills, your travel, accommodation, and food is all covered by the program.

In this post down below, we offer you these French volunteer opportunities:

1. Short term opportunity at Joie et Soleil, located in Ausbessagne – if you are open for organising summer camps for children between the age 8 and 18, also your July and August is free then this is the ideal program for you.
2. Long term opportunity at Hors Pistes, located in Marseille – if you are more interested in environment, social inclusion, organising local projects and workshops, then pack your things, for 12 months from 2024 September, this program is waiting for you.
3. The Youth Office of the DLVAgglo is looking for volunteers for 10 months starting from September, located in Manosque – if you would like to promote European values and mobility in local schools, organise workshops in your local community, it’s time to go to France!
4. Long term opportunity at La Gare Franche/ZEF located in Marseille – if you’re interested in plant growing and gardening, you can volunteer for 11 months in the wonderful city of Marseille.
5. 12 months in Marseille at Culture du Coeur – here you will mostly have office work, but you will have the chance to take part in organising book clubs and different local activities.
6. The Eclat de lire organisation is looking for volunteers for 10 months in Manosque – if you like to read, you can take part in organising book clubs, street libraries and other exciting events.
7. H.A.S. organisation located in Marseille is looking for volunteers for 12 months from September – activities against the isolation of women. If you choose this program, you will have a lot to organise and you can also get to know other local organisations too.
8. The Citizen’s House in Istres is looking for volunteers for 9 months – to manage solidarity, environmental protection, sports, cultural and artistic activities.
9. The Lycée Altitude located in Briancon is looking for volunteers for 9 months for educational activities. Your tasks will be hosting different out of school activities for the students on campus.

We know that this is a lot of information, but if you are interested in any of them, don’t hesitate to apply. You find the application form HERE.

Before sending your application, please read the English information package available HERE carefully to be fully informed.

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Ever wondered what life would be like without constantly checking your phone? Are you ready to break free from the digital world and rediscover the beauty of real-life connections?

We have an amazing opportunity to embrace the present moment, fostering deeper connections with yourself, others, and the environment.

In a quiet small town in Greece with a wonderful view of the Mount Olympus, the Detox Box youth exchange will take place between July 21 and 27, 2024 (including travel days), focusing on:

– disconnecting from the digital devices and experiencing the rhythm of real life

– forging meaningful connections, sharing and listening to stories that bridge cultural divides

– diving into music, art, and theater, rediscovering joy and expression without digital filters.

Who can participate in the training?

• Anyone who is between 18 and 25 years old
• Anyone who speaks English at a good communication level
• Anyone who fits the above-mentioned time frame
• Easy going personalities
• Willing to live and learn outdoors for a week
• Willing to disconnect from the technology
• Anyone willing to share what they have learned and achieved during the training after the activities
• Priority will be given to people with fewer opportunities

Participation in the training is free, with travel, accommodation, and meals provided by the Erasmus+ program. 

Before sending your application, please read the English information package available HERE carefully to be fully informed.

You can apply by filling out the online questionnaire available HERE until 31^st of May, 2024!