Riste Gjordjievski – Olde Vechte, Netherlands

“I think that the EVS projects of Erasmus+ are generally a good idea and an opportunity for young people from all over Europe and Macedonia to be able to travel more easily, to upgrade themselves culturally, to learn more about themselves and about all cultures in Europe. In the Olde Vechte center in the Netherlands, there is even more than that, there is too much socializing, enjoyment and fun, and sometimes work, which is still an opportunity to improve practical knowledge, improve English and communication skills, learn a word from the languages ​​of almost every country.

I met people from Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, France, and Italy, all the way to Norway. After these EVS projects, you can meet and create friendships with young people literally from all over Europe. Through various games and entertainment held every Wednesday in the organization, I learned a lot about the Netherlands, and about the cultural differences and similarities of young people in all of Europe.

I have many friends and acquaintances who went to EVS projects in different places in Europe, but I still think that I made the right choice by choosing this particular organization and I got too many life experiences that I will never forget.”

Pece, Nadica, Andrej, Marijana and Slave – Natural

Like in the Hollywood industry – when a movie becomes a hit, you have to make a sequel! Well, last year’s hit was Natural (only one person reprises a role in this year’s installment of the franchise, and that’s Pece).

This summer, we attended a youth exchange seminar that dealt with both employability and outdoor activities. We shared our ideas with 50 other people from 10 different countries and we all interpreted their experiences differently, but we were eager to share our impressions with each other. The entire project was divided into four parts.

This exchange is truly life-changing, as we have experienced life at both its highest and lowest levels, and found it to be the same.

After all, life is life and we are the ones who hold the key to it. We own the future, and the future owns us.”

Iskra, Angela, and Anastasia – Innovation Camp in Switzerland 2018

“Again in Leysin, Switzerland, from September 20th to 24th, this year the innovation camp was held. This camp covered the same topics: youth and parliament, environmental action and advocacy, mental health, and youth empowerment. We as ex-campers of GLOW were sent by YMCA Bitola, to continue our involvement by creating clubs in some of our local towns, where ex-campers are present. These clubs are a new initiative and sharing the experience with others has been very productive for us.”

Gordana Blagojevska – EVS experience in Aalborg, Denmark

“It was a pleasure to be a part of KFUM-KFUK in Aalborg, in these 8 months I spent here, I had an amazing time, and experience meeting many people. I saw the Danish culture, the differences we have, but also many similarities. I am very lucky to have been a part of an amazing organization and to be surrounded by amazing people from whom I have learned a lot, I hope others have learned something from me as well. I just want to say thank you very much to everyone.”

Filip Cvetanov – Caring to communicate – Czech Republic

“After returning from this event, my adaptation to daily routines was fine, although I noticed that people tend to be attracted to me more than usual. I also noticed in my family that they become calmer than usual. What remains alive from this experience is the fact that if I’m not in the right energy, things are done around me without my participation in them. The experience has brought me awareness of how I can be more in tune with what is happening around me. I think this is the most important experience I got from the entire training that will help me shape my own path better.

For me, returning to my daily routines was a bit strange, because we spent 10 days in a completely different environment, it was 10 days of love, appreciation, calmness, non-judgment, and being aware and feeling everything around us, like a different dimension of freedom. My surrounding home is usually not always like that, it was disappointing because now I knew how things could be. However, I decided to work on myself and try to implement what I learned and improve more and more. It was hard to adjust at first, but now I’m trying to use what I’ve learned and make it work. I can’t write everything I’ve implemented or learned because it would take too long, but I’m grateful for everything.”

Andriana Aleksovska – training course in the Netherlands

“The camp in the Netherlands was an amazing experience. Its purpose was to improve our camping skills and learn new things about this area. We got to know many different games and information about camping, dangers and consequences, and how to escape from them. A lot of attention was dedicated to leadership as well. We stayed in tents and it was a unique experience, anyone who wants to be a part of our camps like GLOW or YMLP must experience it. We learned a lot of new things, which will not only help us in organizational camps but also in everyday life.

I just love these camps, because they help you not only improve your skills in the area that is our main topic but also give you a priceless opportunity for self-development.

From Macedonia it was me, Marija Luseva, Mihail Naskovski, Fatlinda Zekiri, Valenja Ilevska, Andriana Aleksovska.”

Martin and Radmila – “Free ways” – Netherlands

“After being part of the short program called “Free Paths” of the Olde Vehte Foundation, we decided to continue our stay in the Netherlands. We did it through the EVS program of the Erasmus+ platform. We were happy and able to contribute and help in the existing activities in Olde Vechte. Martin helped with the workshops, while I helped with the tasks in the kitchen. We gained more experience and friends than before. We also visited other European countries.”