YE “The Looking Glass”

Our Estonian team of 6 spent 10 days, from July 1st to July 10th, in the charming Slovenian town of Brezice, a place with lovely architecture, rich history, and delicious ice cream. Besides our group of six, there were 30 other participants from Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Finland. The project aimed to share our knowledge and learn to create and facilitate effective workshops — all through crafts and art. Everyone brought something new and exciting to the table, which we could incorporate into our daily lives.

For some of us, this was our very first Erasmus+ youth exchange experience, while for others, it was one of many. Nonetheless, the program's structure ensured that everyone gained something new. During the project, we saw many excellent examples of great workshops. One of the most memorable was the Tribes workshop, where each group had to come up with a tribe and create a story around it. Everyone enjoyed not only presenting the outcome but also the planning and preparation of it. The primary focus of the project was for each national team to create their own workshop. For most of us, it was our first time designing and presenting a workshop like this, so we learned a lot from the experience. It also brought us closer together, as it required significant teamwork even before the project began.

A major part of youth exchanges is not only the program but also the people and the environment around you. Although six countries were represented, we all came from diverse cultural backgrounds that enriched the group. For many of us Estonians, it was our first time spending time with Finnish people, even though we are neighbors. Our combined Finnish-Estonian cultural evening revealed many similarities and even more differences in our cultures, food, languages, and more.

Despite the hot weather and short nights, we all took away so much from this project. We cherished the small gifts from our secret friends and the little letters and notes from our envelopes. Most importantly, we left with lasting friendships, invaluable experiences, and unforgettable memories.

- Lauri, Anita, Anna-Lorete, Hanna-Maria, Lisette & Alari