It´s on you – Idrija welcomed international students
A group of 35 students from Estonia, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Czechia and Slovenia participated in a youth exchange called “It’s on you” funded by a grant from the EU. Youth exchanges allow groups of young people from different countries to meet and work together on shared projects. The busy programme took place in Mladinski Center Idrija from the 6t until the 17th of May.
Challenging tasks – It´s on you
The main goal of the exchange was to learn how to live in a community, improve creativity, support cultural diversity and raise awareness about social prejudices. The students were involved in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities every day. The most challenging pursuit for the students was a stay in the cottage in the pristine forests of Idrija. They had to establish a new society and its rules without the aid of the organizers. The experience was even harder because they couldn’t use their mobile phones.
On top of that, they did not have access to hot water and, most importantly, electricity. They put up with the conditions well. After a short recapitulation, the participants concluded that they were better off without their phones. Their absence made them communicate with each other more and helped them connect with themselves through ventures like playing the guitar, singing and playing board games.
Who wouldn’t like national evenings?
Another part of the programme included the so-called national evenings. Every national team had to prepare and present a dish from their cuisine to the other participants and organize the evening’s activities with the aim of introducing their culture. They ate things like bramboráky from Czechia, pasta Carbonara from Italy and tortilla from Spain. They danced polka with the Czechs and horo with the Bulgarians. All participants tried to pronounce Estonian words and had a lesson on Italian gestures.
Trading like a pro
Everybody connected with the locals through an interesting task. The students received an apple and had to trade it for something of higher value. One of the teams managed to get speakers, a piece of mercury from the mine and some medicine. The people from Idrija were welcoming and open-minded. We would like to thank them for their contribution.
Overall, it was a great experience for the youngsters, and the organizers are already looking forward to next year’s edition.
