On Saturday, July 27, 2024, the Change in our hands program, in which I was lucky enough to participate, ended. Today, Wednesday July 31, 2024, as I write this text, I have not realized that this magical journey has come to an end. Through this I had the opportunity to travel to Bilbao and get to know a different culture. I also learned very interesting things about sustainability and the utilization of old and "useless" materials to create beautiful and useful objects. In addition, I acquired/developed the skills of cooperation and creativity and practiced my communication in English. However, for me, the most important thing that I will keep in my mind and heart are the children I met and the unforgettable moments we spent together. I will always remember our activities, jokes and laughter. Within a few days we bonded and made a great team. Of course, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the people who gave me the opportunity to participate in the program, the coordinators, who were always close to us and helped us to face any difficulty we had, the trainers, who organized the workshops, the volunteers, with the who we enjoyed in the activities and the people who made sure we had a very pleasant stay in Stratoni. The truth is that when I signed up I was hesitant, as I wondered if I would lose my vacation... So today, having calmed down a bit from the emotions of this trip, I can confidently answer to myself that it was one of the best decisions I have made never in my life! I will always remember this unique experience. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try it.
Agamemnon Podaras
In the past few days I took part in a program for young people. This program taught me things that I didn't know, like how I can make a difference with just a few materials or how to sew, but what will stay with me the most are the friends, the conversations and much more that we did together as a group because inside from this program I met new people and new friends. I also want to say that we were quite lucky to have Christina and Markella as leaders because they sorted out any issues that arose. Nevertheless, it was an amazing and very nice experience and I would like to experience more like them. See you in the next project!!
George Sarros
Hii everyone!!!My name is Manos and I'm from Stratoni in chalkidiki.The past 2 weeks I attended a youth exchange program at which I had so much fun at.
Firstly I got the chance to meet new people and make new friendships.The first week was in Stratoni,my home-village.I and some of my friends who also took part the program toured everyone around the village.It was easy for me cause I was familiar with the place so it was easier for me to adjust for what's coming.We attended workshops which main theme was to find ways to craft items with ''trash''.What I mean by that is that we took plastic bottles and we turned them into jewelry.We also made mosaics with things that can be found in the wild,smelt beads turning them into different kinds of art but we also worked with fabrics and eventually making phone cases purses or even scrunchies.The accommodation was pleasant ant the hosts were really friendly to us.Last but not least we also got the chance to socialise with other foreigners not only with the Spanish people or the Greek but people of various nationalities like Ukrainians and Georgians.
Weekend came and everyone went to their homes,the journey though had not ended yet.We still had one more week in Bilbao,Spain.The stay there was pleasant aswell.We got to meet the locals try their cuisine.I experienced a different way of serving the food and different ideologies,didn't mind it and I might as well say that Iiked it.We attended various activities like doing canoe or collecting microplastics with which we created ''a piece of art".We also attended various festivals in which we got to experience the traditional Spanish dances and habits.
To sum up being a participant of this program was one of the best decisions I've ever taken in my life.It is sure something that I would recommend to my friends and particularly USB.It is also something that I,myself would do again and it would be even better if I got to experience this again with the same people,the same leaders but in a different destination.
With much love and appreciation Manos Lykotrafitis
During the first part of the program in Stratoni I had an incredible experience meeting new people. We spend the days there doing really fun and effective workshops about Sustainability , for example we created some great accessories by reusing water bottles or we sewed scrunchies and phone cases with pieces of fabrics that someone would have thrown away. Besides the workshops we had a great time on our free times too as we had the opportunity to go swimming at the great beaches of stratoni or explore the village.
The last day we did an exhibition at the local park with the art pieces we created inviting the citizens of stratoni. My experience in stratoni made me for sure have a sense of environmental responsibility and interact with people that are willing to make positive changes.
In the second part of the program in Bilbao i had the opportunity to broadened my perspective and to improved my language skills. In one of our days in Bilbao we went to the local beach where we did water related activities but also cleaned the beach from any plastics or micro plastics that it may had. Besides the workshops we also explored the city of Bilbao and I have to say that I was really
fascinated by the city's unique blend of modern architecture and rich cultural heritage. Also we attended a festival where we watched dancers dance to traditional local dances and songs. This cultural event allowed me to deepen my understanding of Spanish culture and the local community through this.
Through our journey we were lucky to have the best leaders we could have ever had as they helped us with everything we wanted and made this experience even better that it could ever be.
Anastasia Kakhniashvili