Are you curious about what happened in Gaziantep (Turkey)? Well, Wings for Youth NGO, represented by: Madalina-Elena Stratone (group leader), Georgiana Maximov, Ruxandra Pasare, Adrian Suciu, Eduard Manolache and Theodora Grigore, attented a Youth Exchange that had art and culture as main topics.
The project was financed by the European Commission through Erasmus+ Programme, took place in Gaziantep (Turkey) between 7-14 of April and brought together youngsters from Romania, Turkey, Poland, Macedonia and Italy. The main aim of the project was to raise awareness about the importance of art in our daily life and to develop the skills/competences/abilities of the participants (such as: public speaking, communication in a foreign language, digital competences, creativity). There were used during the Youth Exchange diverse methods of non-formal and informal education, including: energizers, icebreakers, visits at official institutions from Gaziantep, intercultural nights, outdoor activities, workshops and role-play games. The participants had also the chance to go in a cultural trip, where they visited Nemrut Mountain (which is considered by UNESC one of the World Heritages), Severan Bridge and Karakuş Tumulus.
For some of the participants, this was their first Erasmus+ project; after they came back to Romania, they told us about their experience, what they have learned or improved and what they have discovered about the other cultures, about the importance of art and also about themselves.
Ruxandra Pasare: “The project „Art in the sky” held in Gaziantep was an eye-opening experience for me, from both a personal and a cultural perspective. On the personal level, it made me realize the important role that art is playing in my life, a role that I often neglect, and how my emotions affect my behaviour and the process of interacting with other people. On the cultural level, it gave me the opportunity to discover the Turkish customs and tradition, something that I didn’t know much about and what I thought I knew was mostly stereotypes and prejudices. I loved the diversity in the activities we had, the involved, friendly and open attitude of the trainers, the amazing and very interesting people I met and how we manage to create a safe and blooming space for self-expression. The project really succeeded in charging my batteries which were anyway running low before coming in Turkey and it motivated me to get more involved in the field of youth work. I am glad and thankful for this experience and for the lessons I’ve learned over the past 7 days.”
Georgiana Maximov: “This was my first Erasmus+ experience, and I can say that it will forever represent an important moment of my life. What I liked the most is that, even if we all came from different countries which are having different cultures and traditions, we behaved like we knew each others from a lifetime. What did I learn from this project? I have learned that I can do anything if I believe in myself, that I should think out of the box more often. Besides the fact that I’ve learned a lot of new things, I had fun and, the most important thing is that I started new beautiful friendships that for sure will last forever. Also, I would like to mention that the hosts and the facilitators of the projects were exceptional and I want to thank them for the warmth and respect that they offered me. I recommend to all of you to have this kind of experience at least once in your lifetime!”
Eduard Manolache: “The moment when I made the decision to be part of the project was one of pure spontaneity. I did not think twice, I did not come up with any type of expectations and I said to myself that I should start saying yes to things more. And as it is said in wise words, if you don’t let opportunities pass by, great things might happen. So without expectations, the unexpected happened. Weird, beautiful people started showing up on the path. The new places where I found myself kind of living in were triggering old and rusty judgement mechanisms of mine, but after taming them down, the sight seemed so particular. Actually welcoming. Since this was my first project of this kind, it broadened my perspective on the world a lot, after learning about other cultures through direct contact. It gave me peace too, when seeing that the roots of their actions are the same as ours, that we are all citizens of the world.”
We wanted to thank everybody for being part of this project and for sharing their experiences. Can’t wait to see all of you again in future projects!
