Empowering Journey

I attended a training in Berlin, Germany, called "Introduction Training for Newcomers to Youth Exchanges - BiTriMulti," from November 5th to November 10th, 2023.

By then, I had participated in international youth exchanges three times. I approached the director of the Tartu Youth Work Center to ask if I could become a youth leader in these exchanges, as I felt passionate about it and believed I could excel in a leadership role. The director sent me an opportunity listed on the SALTO-Youth website. I created an account, filled out the application, and waited for a response.

After some time, I received a message from the Estonian agency, expressing their willingness to support my participation, but I had to wait for a final confirmation from the German agency. The wait felt long, but eventually, a very positive response arrived. The Estonian agency began actively communicating with me, encouraging and reassuring me that they would be there for me throughout this journey. This was my first time traveling alone, and I was the only participant from Estonia.

On November 5th, I started my journey from Tartu at 2:30 AM and arrived in Germany just before 2:00 PM. Since there were no activities planned for the arrival day except for an evening meet-and-greet, I had time to rest for the upcoming days. The training lasted only three days, making each day intense and packed with workshops and discussions.

The first training day involved introductions, sharing our backgrounds, understanding what youth exchanges are, and learning how to support and engage young people in these exchanges. We also discussed the steps necessary for creating a successful youth exchange.

On the second day, we listed topics of interest for potential youth exchanges. This led to the formation of groups, where we began drafting a short version of a project. We had to choose a theme, set up partnerships, determine the number of participants, identify the target group, and decide on the location. Although it was a simplified version, it took almost two days to complete. The time constraints created a lot of pressure, and being one of the youngest participants in a group of seasoned youth workers initially made me feel insecure. However, I quickly realized that everyone was equal and that all ideas were valuable. It was heartening to see that our group members' ideas aligned, and we could start writing.

We had constant support from the trainers, who provided advice and encouragement. After the second training day, we all went to a museum and then out for dinner, where we had meaningful conversations. The evening went longer than expected, making it difficult to wake up on the third and final day.

The last training day was dedicated to making final corrections to our projects and meeting a set deadline for submitting them for review. The day started under significant pressure. Once we submitted our project, we awaited feedback. In the afternoon, we received insightful feedback, which boosted our confidence in bringing the project to life. After the feedback session, we reviewed the final steps and recapped what we had learned. The training concluded with a cultural evening and goodbyes, where we sang karaoke, shared stories, and reflected on the training.

When the day of departure arrived, it was hard to say goodbye as we had grown close over the week. However, I was also happy to return home, rest properly, and start sharing my experiences with other young people.

I am incredibly grateful for this experience, which has filled me with courage and determination to organize my own youth exchange. Who knows, maybe soon I will be sharing my experiences from an exchange I have organized.

Reelika Punkar

Updated on Martedì, 17/02/2026