Ovo je priča o Jeleni, Predragu i Slobodanu, 3 mlade osobe koje žive u Srbiji u različitim gradovima. Nisu se poznavali od ranije. Jednoga dana prijavili su se na omladinsku razmenu “Togetherness from Nature II” koja se održavala u Češkoj u periodu od 20. do 31. avgusta 2019. godine. Cilj omladinske razmene bio je da kreira zajednicu mladih ljudi iz 5 država- Češke, Ukrajine, Srbije, Rumunije i Grčke.
Sigurno mislite: “Pa, dobro još jedna omladinska razmena, mladi iz različitih država su se okupili i uče nešto novo. Zašto bi ova bila drugačija?”
Pa.. Drugačija je. Nudila je jedinstveno iskustvo. Učesnici su imali prilike da probaju tzv. “digitalni detox!” Proveli su 10 dana u eko selu, blizu mesta Hustopeče, 30 km udaljeno od grada Brna, u potpunoj divljini, bez mobilnih telefona i drugih elektronskih uređaja, bez interneta! Jedina komunikacija koju su učesnici imali je komunikacija “face to face”. Ali to nije sve! Spavali su u šatorima, kupali se pod solarnim tuševima, jeli vegetarijansku hranu spremljenu na vatri od lokalnih i svežih sastojaka, pravili sapune na potpuno prirodnoj bazi i još mnogo toga!
Jednoga dana Jelena, Peđa i Sloba su primili mejl da su izabrani učesnici. Bili su uzbuđeni i spremni za nove izazove i nesvakidašnje iskustvo. Bili su hrabri da se prijave i da odu. Peđi i Slobi jedan od velikih izazova bio je kako preživeti 10 dana bez mesa. Jelena nije imala takvih problema jer je vegetarijanac. Pomogla im je da prebrode krize. Rodilo se prijateljstvo. Šta je prijateljstvo ako ne biti tu jedni za druge?
31. avgusta 2019. godine završila se omladinska razmena. Vratili su se u digitalnu svakodnevnicu. Prva fotografija koju su poslali Vega omladinskom centru sadržala je komentar: ”Tužni smo što se završilo.”
Pretpostavljate sada, otišli su kući, svako u svoj grad i nisu se više vidjali. Ne! Upravo suprotno.
Zajedno su osmislili i 11. 10. 2019. održali u OŠ “Mladost” Vrnjci u Vrnjačkoj Banji eko čas. Podelili su svoje znanje i iskustvo sa decom, pričali im o Erasmus+ programu. Učili su decu o tome šta je “zero waste” i kako mogu u svakodnevnom životu smanjiti stvaranje otpada. Deca su učila o kompostu i zajednički su počeli da prave kompost u školskom dvorištu.
Vikend su proveli u Vrnjačkoj Banji, slaveći svoje uspehe i prijatejstvo. Teško je preneti utiske rečima, zato u skladu sa čuvenom rečenicom “Jedna slika 1000 reči” ostavljamo vas da pogledate slike sa omladinske razmene i eko časa.
Ovo nije “the end”. To be continued….
This is the story about Jelena, Predrag and Slobodan, 3 young people from different cities in Serbia which didn’t known each other from before. One day they applied for a youth exchange “Togetherness from Nature II” which was taking place in the Czech Republic from 20th to 31st August 2019. The goal of this project was to create an international community of young people from 5 countries – Czech Republic, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania and Greece.
You must be thinking, “Well, another youth exchange, youngsters from different countries come together and learn something new. Why would it be different from others?” Well .. It can be assured that it is different. This youth exchange offered a unique experience. Participants had the opportunity to experience the so-called “Digital detox!” They spent 10 days in an eco-village, close to Hustopeče 30 km away from the town of Brno in complete wilderness, without mobile phones, other electronic devices, or even internet! The only communication the participants had was face-to-face communication. But that’s not all! They slept in tents, bathed in solar outdoor shower, ate vegetarian meals cooked on open fire, made with local and fresh ingredients, made natural soaps and much more!
One day Jelena, Predrag and Slobodan received an email saying that they were selected. They were excited and ready for new challenges and completely unique experiences. They were brave enough to apply for it and go. For Predrag and Slobodan one of the big challenges was how they would survive without meat. Jelena had no such problems as she’s a vegetarian. She helped them to overcome the meat crisis. A beautiful friendship was created. What is friendship if not supporting each other?
On August 31, 2019, the youth exchange ended and they returned to their everyday digital life. First picture they sent to Vega Youth Center was with a comment: We are sad this experience has ended.”
It is easy to assume that, now they went home, each one of them to their hometown and that they will never see each other again. The end of a story. No! Exactly the opposite.
Together they designed a workshop and on October 11th, 2019, they held an eco-class at the elementary school “Mladost” Vrnjci, in Slobodan’s hometown, Vrnjačka Banja. They shared their experience, what they learned and about the possibilities of the Erasmus+ programme. They taught children about zero waste, and what they can do in everyday life to implement this way of living. Children learned about composting and together they started making compost in the school yard.
They spent the weekend in Vrnjacka Banja, celebrating their successes and friendship. It is difficult to convey impressions with words, so as they say, “One picture shows more than 1000 words”. Therefore, we invite you to look at pictures from the youth exchange and eco-class. This is not the end. To be continued…