The Erasmus project “From Migration to Integration” in Lasinja, Croatia, took place from the 16th till the 23rd of September. Us, six greek participants had the chance to visit a new country for the first time, learn about migrant integration and make some new friends along the way. For four of us, it was the first time we participated in an Erasmus program and although we were quite fearful in the beginning, it turned out to be a great experience. I was one of the four for whom this was the first participation in an Erasmus+ program and I can’t even begin to explain how amazed I was by the end of it. First of all, we learned about the challenges migrants face every day and how difficult it is sometimes to overcome them. That was actually the main goal of the program, to make us understand their problems and sensitize us to that matter. But in the end, it’s not just knowledge that we gained from this program. It’s also experiences, memories, new perspectives and most importantly friends for a lifetime. In fact, on our first day, we were asked to write down some expectations we had from the program. Copying from the person next to me, I wrote “friends for life” but I didn’t actually believe that was possible when meeting people for just 7 days. So by the end of the 7th day, I was surprised by how wrong I was...I actually made friendships for a lifetime! (Konstantina)
For some of us this was not the first time we took part in an Erasmus+ youth exchange. However, when you are a frequent Erasmus participant, you know how every project has a special place in your heart. Every Erasmus experience has its challenges at first: you get to meet new people, you are worried you might not get along with most of them, staying at an unknown place is challenging and speaking English all day might be hard for some. Despite these worries, participating in this
project was extraordinary. The reason I chose to participate was the subject and that is what principally made me enjoy my stay. Besides the subject though, I have many things to remember. The gatherings after dinner, the games we played together, the dances and the jokes we shared. You know it’s a life-changing experience when you become a better person and that is what happened to most of us. (Miriam)
It is beyond doubt that this program was in many ways an experience that altered our everyday lives. Not only it was a unique opportunity to actually connect and bond with people from other countries and get to know their culture and ways but some of us made friendships that will last a lifetime. The projects we accomplished, the visits to the capital, the mayor's office and the refugee center, the fashion shows, plays and trips we did, only gave us a more memorable and valuable stay that will be cherished for many years to come. (Alina)
After our own experience with Erasmus+ projects, we now believe that youth exchanges can be helpful in changing the assumptions and beliefs in each society and that is because changes come from within our own society. However, our expectations and hopes didn’t stop at tumbling the prejudices about migration. Meeting new people and new cultures was a delight as well as improving our level of english. During our stay in Croatia, we gained a lot of knowledge about migration
and intergration, as well as about other cultures and points of view. We can most definitely say that this youth exchange program opened our minds and gave us memories for a lifetime. Staying in a small village doesn’t sound like the best idea in the beginning, but for us, this beautiful place next to the river was our home for over one week and the place where we created sweet memories. We went to Croatia but we learned how it feels to be an immigrant in many countries of Europe and what kinds of discrimination you may face both in foreign and in your own country. We got to know people from different countries and backgrounds, who openly shared with us their experiences and their culture and were also interested in our way of living and habits. What we will remember from this project is definitely the people we met and the experiences we had with them, the games, the fun, the dances and the dream of a better future that we share. (Elpida)
Getting involved in the refugee crisis that broke out in Europe in 2015 and continues to exist isn ‘t an easy task. For that reason setting this topic in the European agenda is at least necessary. Recently, i was given the chance to work together with
European youngsters in order to discuss how to overcome difficulties in the integration of those people, who are forced to flee their countries, in our societies. My expectations were met up to a satisfying point since the whole project focused on
what it was supposed to; the Migration and the Integration. This Youth Exchange (YE) helped me find out that the refugee crisis can ‘t be dealt with from each member state of EU separately. A common policy is required and I was glad that all
participants agreed to that. Through prototype activities we tried to show off the condition and suggest practical ways to that direction. (Grigorios)
From Migration to Integration, Erasmus Plus, Lokalna akcijska grupa (LAG) Vallis Colapis
