As part of the accreditation for 2023, we carried out a total of four youth exchanges. We can state that young people show great — and even increasing — interest in our youth exchanges. The feedback from the programs implemented so far has been very positive, which makes us extremely happy. We strive to accommodate everyone and not to reject anyone, even in cases of higher interest from young people wishing to participate in one of the exchanges. As a result, the total number of participants in all four cases was close to or exceeded 40.

The first youth exchange, entitled “Difference is not Defect,” took place from 6 to 11 June 2023 with a total of 37 participants and focused on the topic of tolerance and mutual acceptance. This topic is very popular among young people and within our youth exchanges in general. Participants came from Romania (8 people: 7+1), Poland (9 people: 7+2), Hungary (10 people: 9+1), and Slovakia (10 people: 9+1).

The objectives of the first youth exchange were:
– elimination of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination
– increasing tolerance, solidarity, and mutual acceptance among participants
– learning about cultural diversity
– strengthening European identity

We wanted to introduce the participating youth to the customs and traditions of the partner countries, bring them closer to different cultures, develop their personal and key competences through good practice, and raise their awareness of the importance of diversity in society. We encouraged young people to take part in other similar projects, emphasized tolerance and mutual acceptance, developed a network of partnerships, and at the same time strengthened relations between the partner organizations involved in the project. We organized several workshops, which took place in mixed groups consisting of participants from different partner countries in order to foster unity and mutual understanding. We also discussed stereotypes, tie-dyed T-shirts, recorded videos, and organized various sports activities.