The Youth exchange "From People to People" took place from the 26th of August to the 6th of September in a village called Milcoveni, in rural Romania. Seven young Bulgarians and 1 group leader took part in the project. Keep reading to live the experience from their perspective!

Mariela Busheva

My first Erasmus + project. There are so many things to be said. Firstly, our project started with name games when we got to know one another. They were all so amazing and unique. Then we searched for information about the village. We found out that there were not a lot of people living there, how old is the church and when the last train passed by the village. The days were passing. We got to know more about volunteering, planning voluntary work and collaborating. But my favourite moment was when we have a joy for the children by organizing activities for them. We were playing games, watching movies, doing graffiti and so on. On the last day, we were not able to say goodbye to the rest of the participants. We got so attached that we burst into tears. I hope I will meet all those fantastic people again one day.

Yoana Zapryanova

First I would like to say I enjoyed the topic of the project a lot. I believe everyone should volunteer so we as a society could live in a better community. I enjoyed learning how to be an active citizen, how to participate in meetings for the good of the community and how to organize activities. Second, as a group leader, I found it good that we had leader meetings every night and every opinion was valued. We had members that required special needs which were taken care of. I enjoyed how our group mixed with the other national teams. That
helped us not feeling segregated. Overall I think the whole thing was an amazing experience not only for me but also for everyone. If I have the chance I would do it all over again!

Simona Chakarova

On August 26, 2019, I came to an unusual place - beautiful nature, clean air, kind hosts and a group of more than 50 people, each in itself different and interesting. For 10 days I touched each of them in a casual atmosphere, around the evening fire, at the breakfast table, lunch, and dinner, outdoors. When one is in the midst of nature, age, origin, state do not matter, and so only the positive human qualities stand out. I was fascinated by the ease with which everyone talks about themselves, about their country, on the stage under the stars.

Veliko Fotev

After a 10-hours road trip with the coolest driver you could imagine (I call him Pedro because I don’t know his real name) my new friends and I arrived at Milcoveni village, Romania. Even though I’m from Dupnitsa, I was fascinated by the condition of the Romanian road - it was like a roller coaster - shaky and funny (and you throw up in the end). The first thing that welcomed us was the adorable dog of the campus - Daisy, the second was the most positive and supportive people I have ever met - our facilitators - Lilla and Michele.

In the morning we started the very first activities (name games and team building) - 56 strangers in the middle of nowhere and we immediately fell in love with each other. It was like a shower of positive energy. Even the constant smell of goats couldn’t take the smile off my face. This Youth Exchange changed my life. The nonformal educational methods of the program helped me gain a lot of new skills and improve my abilities. Talking in front of the crowd helped me gain so much self-confidence. I learned that we don’t need perfect perfect English skills to understand each other - I have talked to almost everyone in this small village, no matter it was in English, Bulgarian, with the help of Google Translate or just with a smile. Moreover, I learned so much about voluntary work and active citizenship. I learned how to initiate, organize and implement civic activities, which would help me make my own NGO project. This Youth Exchange broadens my horizons - for two weeks I was in contact with 56 smart and open-minded young people. They helped me break a lot of stereotypes, I get known to the situation of the people with fewer opportunities and those who suffer from social exclusion not only in Bulgaria but in the other European countries. I just can’t explain how much I gained during this YE, everyone should have an experience like this in its lifetime. The exchange motivated me to participate in as many projects as I can and I’m ready to go in the middle of wherever to be with the people I met in Milcoveni again.

Teya Ivanova

Most of you have probably heard of Active Bulgarian Society and maybe some of you have even been involved with some of their projects. I recently completed my youth exchange in Milcoveni, Romania, and wanted to share the perspective of someone who has just taken part in one. In signing up for the youth exchange, I stepped out alone into a culture unlike any I had experienced, leaving behind family, friends, and most of what was familiar to me. The time spent in Romania was very well organized and participant friendly. Each team had the opportunity to show and tell something related to their country. There were enough activities and enough breaks to learn something and at the same time touch everyone. During my exchange, I have learned there’s more than one way to do things, that things are not always black and white. Humans are the same everywhere, we just do things differently and speak different languages. On the inside, at the heart level, we are all the same. I learned a lot about myself through them and at the same time had the opportunity to get to know them and make good friends! By the end of the project, we were all united, and it was kind of weird that we had to split up.I am extremely pleased with the project and would love to participate in another! An unforgettable experience that exceeded my expectations! Thanks to everyone involved in the organization!

Krasimira Karastoyanova

My name is Krasimira Karastoyanova and I spent two weeks in Milcoveni, Romania as a participant in the project ”From people to people and from village to village we discuss voluntary work”. At first, I was extremely scared of the unknown. What will the camp look like, will I like the other participants, I was wondering if I was going to like it there but all those thoughts vanished instantly after we arrived and I met my roommates. We spent 10 hours traveling by bus to get there so I was exhausted when we got there. On the first day, we got to know each other. We had some fun activities such as team building, ”the name game” and many more! In the evening we would go to the pub nearby or gather by the campfire. We would organize various activities such as movie nights, cultural nights, etc. We also visited Reșița and Oravița. I was sick when we were in Reșița a and had to go to the hospital but the facilitators handled the situation very adequately so I was taken care of the best way possible. On the last but one day, we organized different activities for the local kids and they enjoyed themselves. To be honest, this was the most rewarding and fulfilling part of the project. On the last day, I was extremely sad. I wanted to spend another two weeks there with the other participants. We grew extremely close as those two weeks passed. I'll be visiting fellow participants in Italy and Macedonia. In conclusion, I want to say that I will never forget those two weeks and the people I met there. Being away from home teaches you how to be independent more than anything else could. I strongly recommend participating in as many projects as possible.

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