25th February 2019 – 2nd March 2019
Idrija, Slovenia
Youth Exchange
Youth Exchange in Slovenia
On the 25th February 32 young people from 5 different countries gathered in Idrija, Slovenia to complete the workshop titled: ‘How to survive real life’. Hosted in hostel Idrija, all the participants had the opportunity to discover and analyze the challenges of the 21 century, as well as the skills required to thrive in the modern world.
The Workshop
The workshop ‘How to survive real life’ can be summarized through these four basic competences: creativity, communication, cooperation and critical thinking. Various activities and challenges were assigned by the workshop’s organizers, both indoors and outdoors, from creating new ways to reuse materials we no longer use, to hiking to Divje Jezero. We were divided into different groups with which we completed the various assignments. Although challenged at first, due to the fact that we had to find common ground amongst our teammates in order to communicate effectively, each team succeeded in completing every task, but most importantly we had all succeeded in encouraging each other to create and communicate our ideas freely and selflessly.
Introduction to Zero-Waste Lifestyle
The participants were also introduced to the philosophy of zero-waste living and its relevance to the modern world. By minimizing our own waste we become part of the solution in reducing pollution and thus defeating climate change-the most severe threat facing our planet!
Living in Slovenia
Apart from interacting with people from different cultures, we also had the opportunity to explore Slovenia, especially Idrija -where the workshop took place- and Ljubljana (the capital), which we visited for an entire day during our stay. Both towns are rapidly progressing in their government’s action on reducing their landfills’ volume by recycling, reusing and reducing their waste.
The Experience
Reflecting on the whole journey, I must admit it was quite an unforgettable, life-changing experience, where 32 participants had the opportunity to grow, evolve and step out of their comfort zone in order to express and articulate their ideas and gained skills that will accompany them for the rest of their lives. Skills that will not merely ensure their survival, but also their success.
