Youth Exchange “Come together”, Bansko, Bulgaria.

From the 19th June until 27th June 2021, 50 people from 10 different countries gathered together for one amazing project in Bansko.

The Youth Exchange “Come together”, hosted by Active Bulgarian Society (ABS) in Bansko, Bulgaria just finished, it’s was very informative, interesting and fun 8 days. During this time youngsters from 10 different organizations in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latvia. The idea of the project was to create a playful environment in which you will be encouraged to explore your own capabilities, to put your values into practice and be inspired by yourself and others.

During the first 4 days, participants were working with their concepts, felling, they were learning how to give feedback and how to trust. Ana and Kristina (facilitators of the project) together with the help of group leaders prepared some activities. And more than that, all group leaders did their own workshops connected with the topic of social inclusion. Activities included role-playing games, presentations, group discussions, problem-solving activities, outdoor activities which were in the central park of Bansko. Each of us had fun while learning new things at the same time! It was amazing!

What comes to your mind when you think of Erasmus+ youth exchanges? Cooperation, different cultures, various experiences, new knowledge, friends for life etc. If your thoughts include these things then you are on the right way.

Here we will share some of the participants's feedbacks from their experience in Bansko:

Raya from Bulgaria : "My name is Raya and I'm 19 years old. I have already participated in 4 Erasmus+ projects, however I can frankly say that all of them differ. I can assure you that I never get bored of them. In my opinion, we are learning new things till the end of our life. Therefore, by participating in various projects you easily gain new knowledge about many cultures, learn to cooperate with people, find new friends and simultaneously to improve your skills as well. When it comes to the project "Come Together", as a group leader I can say that I definitely learned something new - you can work and discuss everything with your team instead of just leading them. We managed to cope with a variety of tasks - together. Furthermore, we enjoyed and organized many activities, went on hiking adventures together and shared a lot of positive emotions. One thing is for sure - I have no doubts that I will see most of these incredible people again!"

Victoria from Bulgaria: " This is my 2nd Erasmus+ project and it was astonishing. I admired this one week with those guys. Everyone of us had a different hobbies, duties and points of view, but at the same time, we were all kind, polite and respectful. We supported each other and learnt more about ourselves at all. We were hiking, swimming, dancing, playing games.. we were proactive which is wonderful. I will miss these people, but I realize that I connected with them and I also created a true friendship with some of them. I am sure that I will continue participating in that kind of projects because they are unexplainable magnificent."

Kiril from Bulgaria: "Hello I'm Kiril 20 year old student from Bulgaria. This is my 4th youth exchange however it doesnt matter wether this is your 1st one or 10th , the experience is always unique and full of incredible emotions and lifelong memories with some of the coolest people all around the world . I learnt so many new things from foreign people's cultures , being able to socialize better and improve my connections overall , to becoming one step closer to your true self. What i felt during the project was truly one of a kind, we became one big multicultural family , we were always there for each other and had so much fun playing games and learning new things. "

Anastasia from Bulgaria: "It was an unforgettable experience, which exceeded my expectations and made me feel truly free and happy. I am so grateful for the connections I made with so many incredible people and the memories we shared together will have a special place in my heart. "

Ainara from Spain: “My name is Ainara, I'm 21 years old and I'm from Spain. This is what comes to my mind right now. It is not what happens but what it represents, time is something irremediable, unattainable, fleeting and unalterable. And yet I always feel it differently. A week can be eternal if you live constantly in the present, luckily, my experience has been a gift in that sense. You can change the place but not the time. The only thing we have in our hands is the will to create, know, learn and feel. I suppose that in the end it's all about trying to know each other, to share. I have always thought that the most sincere, the most honest, the kindest thing is to share. Living in community should be a goal to pursue. I think that we have forgotten that feeling of community, being linked and united by something. I thank this project and the people who have organized it for giving us this opportunity and more in this difficult year. “

Jawed from The Netherlands: “The idea of coming to Bulgaria reminded me of the days when I just had moved to The Netherlands. Being surrounded by strangers whom I had never been with before sounded unpleasant. All of the fears disappeared upon arrival and it started with the sweet bus driver who brought us to Bansko from Sofia airport. While enjoying the scenery on our way to Bansko we learned our first Bulgarian word: “наздраве” ”

Latvian team: " This was one of the most eventful and memorable projects during which we learned a lot of useful skills for our future. We gained a lot of international friendships and would recommend any person to try projects abroad."

Lithuanian team: " Lithuania is saying THANK YOU to everyone who participated and helped us to come here. It was an extraordinary experience for all of us. We had no idea how people actually miss hanging out together after Covid and COME TOGETHER made it happen. "

Participants from Greece were also very pleased with the project:

"We are the Greek team which participated in the Erasmus plus program
“Come together”. Below we will describe how we experienced it and how it affected
us. However, we strongly believe that we will understand the impact of this project
in a few months from now. Maybe after some time, we will able to realise how this
program has helped us develop our personalities."

And a few more feedbacks from some participants from Hungary, Italy and

Milan from Hungary: "... Talking about new friends, 50 people coming together into
one place from 10 different countries is something everyone should try. Learning
about each other's cultures and making relationships is the best part of Erasmus+. I
think every youngster should try this experience at least once in their lifetime. If I
could, I would stay here with my new friends and experience it all over again!"

Tonia from Italy: " Participating in an intercultural exchange always means leaving one’s safe harbor to navigate through
unexplored seas..."

Khuro from Georgia: I do not want to hide that before starting the project I was worried about the fact that with my knowledge of English I would have difficulty communicating or adjusting to the project, I thought I could not come out, I could not express myself but the reality turned out to be different. I felt so comfortable and part of them now that I can hardly even think about having to leave them. As I think about these seven days, I look back on the games and activities that brought us together as a group, I look back on our family gatherings, which stuck well in my mind, and I really approached them as my own family. I'm glad I got this experience and it hurts that I have to leave it in the memories of the past so soon.

The team of Slovakia: "The program of the youth exchange focused on outdoor activities and that is the reason why we spent most of our week in the nice city park nearby our hotel. The aim was to learn how to cooperate in multicultural groups, where we had an opportunity to express our opinions, but also listen to and respect opinions of the others. All of these happened in an informal environment through entertaining games and sports activities, in which we were participants as well as administrators. It was enriching to see that young people from different countries could create such an amazing and familiar environment. "

All participants had fun and had a great time!

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