From October 17th to 24th, the project ‘Be Active Youth in EU’ took place, bringing together young people from countries such as Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Italy for a cultural exchange in Chania, Crete.

The project focused on the workings of European institutions and active citizenship within the European Union, through interactive activities, team-building exercises, non-formal workshops, and much more!

The mission of the project was to engage young people and help them feel more connected to the European community.

GAIA, 24
“I would like to thank Eurodesk in Cinisello Balsamo for giving me the opportunity to participate in this project in Chania during the month of October. It was my first Erasmus+ experience, and I must say that I had a great time, both in terms of organization before the trip, with several video calls among the groups traveling, and during the trip itself and the stay.
I had the pleasure of meeting many young people from different parts of Europe and realizing that we were all there with a common interest: the European Union. This activity encouraged me to be more active in my community, and it made me understand how even a small gesture can be significant, and that everyone can contribute in their own way.
I highly recommend this type of experience and maybe I will do another one myself in the future.”

JACOPO, 23
“I find that the experience I had in Chania was very positive, thanks to the opportunity to meet new friends, try new activities, and recharge my energy away from Milan, in a place that was deeply connected to nature.
I also really appreciated the work done by Eurodesk, both because they acted as intermediaries between us and the organization in a very punctual way, and because they are young women with whom I established a very transparent and relaxed relationship. It’s not something to take for granted to have such an organized and efficient association acting as a liaison.
However, I must say that there were aspects of the experience that, in my opinion, didn’t work perfectly. First of all, it was difficult to socialize and build friendships between participants from different countries (unlike within the Italian group, where a great atmosphere was created and the possibility of forming friendships that I hope will last). In general, within each country’s group, people were quite united, but less so between the different groups. I think this was caused by several factors: some of the socializing activities didn’t have the desired effect, there was the gastroenteritis outbreak, there was no real common meeting point, and the sea created a more scattered environment. Looking back, I would have condensed the more formative activities in the morning and focused the socializing activities in the afternoon by the sea, so that even when free time began, we would all be together.
Also, although I greatly appreciated all the work the organizer did, I think the work on the topic wasn’t as effective. Some things I understood because I had already worked on the European Union, but for those who hadn’t (also based on conversations with others), I don’t think they took much away from it. Honestly, I think it’s quite difficult because the European Union is such a complex system; perhaps it would have been better to focus on a narrower aspect of it.
That said, I am very grateful for the opportunity I was given. It was truly vital for me to have had the chance to enjoy some carefree time during this period, and I’m also very happy with the people I met. In fact, when I returned, speaking with Giulia (my friend for years, with whom I study at university), we realized that we didn’t spend as much time together as we had imagined, precisely because we were so happy to meet and spend time with the other people who were there.
Thank you again.”

MENA
“The experience in Chania was very pleasant: the activities were engaging and facilitated communication and the creation of friendships within the group.
The location was welcoming and well-equipped, while participants from all the countries made the exchange memorable: a context where no one is judged for their weaknesses and, strangely, learning is fun and engaging.
Overall, everything was perfect; there was a balance between activities and free time that helped create many wonderful memories :)”

NADA, 22
“It was a wonderful experience. I felt very comfortable with the people and the environment that was created.
The exchange was very inspiring and motivated me to seek new future experiences in contact with other cultures.

HEBA, 18
“Thanks to this experience, I had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge on a topic I knew little about, as well as meet extraordinary people from different parts of the world. Additionally, I had the chance to explore a country rich in culture.”

GIULIA, 23
“The experience in Chania was very positive. I met many nice and interesting guys and together we shared both moments of relaxation and fun that moments of discussion and reflection.
The atmosphere during the week was always very chill and this made it even easier to get involved and express yourself without fear of judgment from others.
In general, the activities were always engaging and stimulating, even if due to the problem of the epidemic we had to scale back some projects.
I would recommend this project to anyone, both for Joanna’s management and organization that for the wonderful location.”