Lidia, Luka, Andrea, Jovche, and the volunteers of “Bitola na tochak” – Mosaic, EVS project

“We helped this initiative to become more active, helping them with their cause in every possible way. This meant helping them promote their activities on social networks, creating flyers and leaflets, and distributing them in local cafes along the main pedestrian street in the city (called “Shirok Sokak”). good ideas to the end, and let’s record them. And another thing we did, since we participated in the critical masses. – Luca had a lot of experience with bikes and made sure the bikes were always ready.

We also helped at the camps of YMCA Bitola, providing mainly logistical assistance. We made sure all the camper tents were in order, helped with what was needed in the office and the warehouse where the camp supplies were kept, and also went to the campsite to take various things there, and also visited the nearby beautiful town of Krushevo.

The third important aspect was the fact that we were given space to explore and show some aspects of our culture, we were given a lot of freedom for this, and we devoted some time to this to see what would happen.”

Tamara, Viktor, Davor, Mia, and Sarah – Game on – Olde Vehte, Netherlands

“When we applied, we expected it to be a normal project, but as the days passed, we realized that this would be some of our best moments! It all started with a dynamic game and then continued with several conversations we had with people from many other countries, people of various origins, etc.

We were all enthusiastic, excited, and running around Olde Wechte with big smiles on our faces. After some time spent with many new friends and even more happy moments, we went to the part where we had a chance to be creative, innovative, and imaginative. We all had fun playing games that we made ourselves, which proved that we are capable of doing things that can give us a lot of excitement later on.

It was quite a challenge for all of us, but in the end, it turned out to be the most fun weekend of our lives where we got to know the Dutch culture and gained some important skills!

As we were closing the project, we were looking back at all our memories from these two weeks – and we would like to recommend everyone to apply for a youth exchange like this one in Olde Wechte.”

Ivo Damjanovski – training in Hungary, organized by Egešek (Hungarian Youth Association) – 22-31.05.2019

“This training introduced me to coaching in more detail and thanks to it I understood the differences between mentoring and coaching, I practiced the tools and techniques I learned in the several coaching sessions, I found the bridge coaching style and I improved my communication (verbal and non-verbal).

The training was good because every technique learned was followed by a space to practice it, meaning that the knowledge was not only applicable, but I also had the chance to try it out and experiment with the various techniques on the spot. I can apply the knowledge from the part of communication in my everyday life, but it is also very useful for working with young people, as are all the other tools from the part of coaching that we learned.

Indeed, this was quite a useful training!”

Bojan Velevski – EVS – Olde Vehte, Netherlands

“I studied art history at Saint Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. My hobbies are hiking and photography. I have never lived abroad before, so I was looking for an option to go somewhere, and Wider Horizon was a great opportunity for me. Also, I wanted to participate in the Event Wise event.

I remember that when I arrived in Olde Wechte without being quite hospitable. My first impression was amazing. I will be here for two months! At first, I was excited, confused, and happy at the same time. But I know that I wanted this and that it will all be okay. After two months I was genuinely sad that my Wider Horizon was ending because we connected very well with the whole group and it was wonderful to live together with those people. We had so much fun and so much sharing between us. There are several reasons why I decided to go for long-term EVS. When I first came here and saw how people live here and what kind of things are happening, I was just impressed. Another reason is that I met my girlfriend here during the “Wider Horizon” project and we both decided to come back.

I learned so many new things, new techniques, and skills. I improved my language skills and cooking skills.

I plan to work in the kitchen as much time as possible and also do some of the training, I also want to do a photography project and support the organization as much as I can.”

Simona Stojchevska – Training – “Train your team by training yourself” Ravnogor, Bulgaria 22-29.10.2019

“We were participants from about 10 countries, and the goal of this training course was to expand the participants’ knowledge of different methods of training/learning/teaching activities. Different topics were covered: coaching and mentoring, communication and learning styles, setting goals for conflict management, teamwork and leadership, honesty, excuses and lies people play. The program offered us a wide variety of one-on-one coaching techniques. the participants had the opportunity to try the techniques and methods alone, we worked in pairs or trios, allowing us to experience each of the techniques in the role of a coach, participant, and objective observer in indoor and outdoor group activities where participants were able to experience many of the concepts of teamwork and leadership, mostly through body movement and non-verbal communication and rarely through verbal communication. In addition, each of the participants was part of an international 5-member coaching group that met every evening and provided a reflection on the past day and a safe space to share. All this formal and student part was followed by the informal evening part, when the participants played card and board games, danced to music, or simply spent the evening talking to each other. And after returning home, we had a dissemination activity in the MladiHub area. It was fun.”