„EU is coming“ - my Erasmus+ Youth Exchange experience

At the time I decided to participate in my first Youth Exchange, I was writing short texts for my organization’s website and had very little knowledge about the world of Erasmus+. It was something that I remembered hearing about in high school and I knew that it included travelling.

But when it came to travelling, my Youth Exchange experience was a little bit different, since I didn't actually leave the country, but went on a car ride to Duga Resa, a town next to my own. But even though I was just 10 km away from my hometown I got to experience a week of multiculturalism and diversity.

The name of the youth exchange was „EU is coming“ and I came back home with new knowledge about the European Union, its institutions and policies and the opportunities it has to offer to young people. Being a young person myself, I found this incredibly useful since we do not have adequate education about such topics within our elementary or high school programs.

We used non-formal methods, which made this learning experience very fun: we made our own podcasts, some of which also came with very creative videos. We had a treasure hunt, a human library activity – where different people who were more experienced and knowledgeable about Erasmus+ shared their knowledge and advice with us. We also participated in a live event on the Facebook page of DrONe organization, where we held a podcast about Youth Exchanges in general, what they are, how they work and also talked about the Youth Exchange „EU is coming“, which had been taking place at the moment.

These kinds of activities that included speaking in front of a large group of people were not just a step, but an entire leap outside my comfort zone. But it was precisely those that were of most value to me in the long run. Now that I am back at college, I feel much less pressure about having to perform in front of my peers and I’m able to express my opinions and ideas more freely.

In other words, besides learning more about the actual topic of the exchange, I learned a lot more about myself. More than I expected and more than I initially realized during or right after the exchange. I got a clearer picture of what I'm good at and which areas may need a little more work. I also got a new confidence and learned that I am capable of much more than my mind allows me to believe.

I would definitely recommend Youth Exchanges to anyone who wants to get to know themselves better and learn more about their interests and strong suits. I believe that travelling and being immersed in different cultures, living with a group of people from different countries for a week or two all while discussing important issues is a very valuable experience in the development of any young person.

Updated on Tirsdag, 17/02/2026