Our Romanian partner, the Liga Studentiloreth Din Iasi, organized a youth exchange entitled “Anti-discrimination, on the right side online for NEET” in late November and early December, as part of the Erasmus+ program. For 8 days, participants from Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria debated the issue of discrimination and hate speech on the Internet and discussed how to counteract it, individually and more broadly.
Here are some testimonials of the participants from Poland:
“When I heard about the project, I was very sceptical. I didn’t know all the details and didn’t know what it was all about. Before the trip itself, I was very stressed. The trip to Romania was long and tiring, and the first hours with new people were terrifying. The next day showed me that the others felt similarly insecure, and I realized that I was not alone in my fears. Over the next few days, I learned that other people were nice, funny and smart. Everyone had something to offer, and we started telling each other jokes that no outsider would understand. I felt part of the group, a person fully accepted by others. I had a wonderful time, I felt alive and responsible for myself. The session about our experiences with discrimination was a breakthrough for me. Talking with friends, people we seemed to know, became group therapy. We all had traumas behind us and feelings of being wronged. At the end of the day, we felt that we really knew each other. I hope this experience will give me strength in Poland.”
“I’m very grateful for the people I met, the memories we made together and the opportunity to look at the problem of discrimination from a different perspective. I learned a lot and I will definitely share this knowledge with others. The eight days I spent there was an amazing experience and I will never forget those moments <3”
“I took part in the project to get away from my routine, but the project gave me even more. I met new friends from abroad while honing my language skills and learning more about their countries. Thanks to various activities organized by the leading team, I gained deeper knowledge about anti-discrimination, such as why it occurs, how it affects people in different countries and how it changes those affected by it. All of it in a form of non-formal education. The best experience was given to me by an opportunity to get to know all the people, share our thoughts and inspire each other. In the end, I left Romania with a bunch of beautiful memories, important knowledge and better hopes for the future.”
“This was my first participation in an Erasmus+ project. Before the trip, my parents were worried about me, but the organizers helped with the documents and answered all our questions. I would like to thank them for their attentiveness and understanding of each project participant. In Romania, we were accommodated in a hotel in the city centre. I enjoyed the local food very much. I also liked the organization of the events. It was interesting to attend each session and learn something new. The organizers’ respect for the participants is also important. Those of us who could not attend each session for personal reasons were not forced to participate, although each session was interesting and engaging. I found the exchange program a little lacking in excursions or simply walking around the city together. All in all, the trip was very successful, and I hope this was not the last meeting for us!”
#erasmusplus #antidiscriminationYE
