This let me experience some wonderful days on a youth exchange in Türkiye, where I met people from all corners of the world……
CSometimes, when we expect quite a bit, but something doesn’t go according to plan, we feel a certain kind of disappointment. And when we don’t set ourselves against a particular scenario and go out into the world with an open mind – truly beautiful things can happen.
That was precisely the case with this project, for which I signed up somewhat spontaneously – though my intuition kept telling me I should be a part of it… and this let me experience some wonderful days on a youth exchange in Türkiye, where I met people from all corners of the world. Discussions on diversity, tolerance, fighting discrimination were intertwined with fun, group hikes and cultural evenings.
All of these events were set in the atmosphere of eastern Türkiye which has vastly different tradition, cuisine and culture.
I found out that vegetarians in Türkiye need to be cautious “since chicken is obviously not meat,” that language barriers don’t exist, and that the energy of kindness comes back doubled.
Admittedly, our plans were thwarted a couple of times by Mercury’s retrograde… but that tale could be shared during a longer meeting all about the adventures of Ardahan.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities because they’re an amazing experience to remember for life as they let you broaden your horizons and, above all, let you get plenty of valuable lessons out of them for your own use.
Ida, youth exchange in Türkiye – ,,NO HATE, YES LOVE”
People lent a helping hand and sent out positive emotions from the very beginning……
The “No hate yes love” youth exchange was a special time to me, one which will be remembered forever. I met many extraordinary people from all over the world, exchanged experiences, improved my linguistic skills in both English and Spanish, but most importantly, opened my mind to other cultures from around the world.
Türkiye definitely let me fall in love with it. Starting with delicious çiğ köfte and döner, and ending with the incredibly kind people, always with a smile on their face. The project itself was organized brilliantly! Activities such as the soccer match, the swimming pool trip, the mountain hiking trip and a day-long round trip around the northeastern part of Türkiye during the project let me really connect with the whole group.
I was extremely apprehensive about the trip to Türkiye itself, I thought that it is a dangerous country with poorly developed infrastructure. As I found out a while after landing, it is completely different! People lent a helping hand and sent out positive emotions from the very beginning. And travelling around Türkiye was nothing but pleasure.
I’m extremely grateful to LEVEL UP for giving me the chance to take my life to the next level. I feel that the project helped me to develop my soft skills, which will be useful in my future work.
I’ll never forget the “Turkish wedding”, to which every exchange participant received an invitation. We had the pleasure of celebrating the newlyweds’ special day by dancing, talking to the wedding guests and experiencing the local culture firsthand.
LEVEL UP was always there to give support both before the trip, during and after the exchange. Their involvement and willingness to help made me feel safe and comfortable throughout the entire time of the project.
I would like to thank all of the participants and exchange organizers for these wonderful memories. Thanks to them, we managed to create an atmosphere full of love and understanding, exactly the one the project preached: “No hate yes love”.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities because they’re an amazing opportunity for you to broaden your horizons.
Karol, 18 years old, youth exchange in Türkiye – ,,NO HATE, YES LOVE”
I learned a lot about other religions and cultures of various nations, which made me look at these topics through a different lens…
I learned a lot about other religions and cultures of various nations whcih made me look at these topics through a different lens.
I’m very grateful for the people I met during the project and I believe I’ll maintain relationships with them for a long time. I met very helpful, outgoing and kind people.
LEVEL UP Association often wrote to the Polish participants asking us about the course of the project. They contacted us also during our return home when all participants unfortunately fell ill, so I can say that I received support from them and that I could always turn to them in need.
I was surprised by the local Turkish cuisine. The local sweets like Baklava were really tasty, though the lunches weren’t always to my liking. Depending on the day I could sing the praises of Turkish cuisine one day and miss the Polish one the next.
I really liked the game of “PAPER CHASE” suggested by one of the project participants. We were divided into 2 groups and each team drew a number from 1 to 12. The person with the higher number could “kill” the person with the lower number by taking them to jail. The prisoner had to wait for a person from their team to rescue them. None of us knew the numbers of people from the other team. The game was played in the evening in the city of Ardahan – all of us became friends while playing.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities because they let you meet many people from various countries, so you can learn about cultures, languages and a different ways of life. Such a trip lets you make many friends from all over the world. Such projects also allow you to deepen your knowledge about the country in which they take place. People become more tolerant and open to the world thanks to the programme.
Katarzyna, 21 years old, youth exchange in Türkiye – ,,NO HATE, YES LOVE”
This experience also taught me the importance of respecting and appreciating the fact of being differen…
One of the most important things I learned thanks to this exchange is understanding the value of cultural diversity. Meeting people from various countries with completely different cultural backgrounds helped me open my mind to new perspectives and worldviews. This experience also taught me the importance of respecting and appreciating the fact of being different.
During the exchange, I had the pleasure of meeting many inspiring people from different corners of the world. Our group was diverse in cultures, languages and experiences, which made each day a fascinating lesson in cultural exchange.
For me, one of the biggest surprises in Türkiye was the richness and diversity of its cuisine. The dishes I had the opportunity to try were incredibly aromatic and varied. Local dishes such as doner, kebab, baklava and dolma became my favourites. There were days, however, when I longed for Polish cuisine.
The people of Ardahan and Türkiye in general were incredibly welcoming and hospitable. Their friendliness and willingness to share their culture made my experience special. I reminisce about the local people with warmth and gratitude.
LEVEL UP Association deserves credit for their professionalism and care for our group at every stage of the project. Before the trip, we were given detailed information and were properly prepared for the exchange. During the project, we were supported by the organizers who took care of our needs and ensured our comfort, especially on our way back when all the members of the Polish group fell ill.
I’d like to sincerely thank all those who participated in the organisation of this exchange, from the organizers to the participants
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities because they’re an amazing opportunity for you to learn not only about other countries, cultures and languages, but also about yourself. During an international exchange, you can gain new skills, as well as make acquaintances and lasting friendships with people from many different countries.
Mikołaj, 23 years old, youth exchange in Türkiye – ,,NO HATE, YES LOVE”
I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of the project, because I learned a lot about various countries, but also about myself…
I learned about the culture of different countries thanks to the project. I gained knowledge of a daily life of people living there. I definitely learned a lot about how hate speech can be transmitted in the current world and how to counteract it.
I met very positive and open-minded people, with whom I maintain close relationships to this day. I spent the most time with people from Spain and Portugal, which helped me discover and deepen my knowledge of the culture and system there, for instance, I had no idea that in Spain teenagers can begin studying at a university at 16.
LEVEL UP helped and supported me during the project and even before its kickoff. Everything was made clear to me, so I didn’t have to worry when it came to matters of organisation itself. When we arrived in Ardahan, we met the organizers, who were also very helpful. If anything was going on or we had various suggestions about the daily activities or the food served at the hotel, we could be sure that we would be heard and measures would be taken to alter anything. The cuisine was rather interesting. The food was well seasoned and appealed to my taste buds.
The biggest barrier at the very beginning turned out to be communicating with the participants in English, since I don’t use it on a daily basis, which made me feel afraid that I wouldn’t be able to put together a meaningful sentence and convey what I meant. It turned out, however, that this was an unjustified fear because I think I managed quite well and many people complimented me on the way I spoke.
I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of the project, because I learned a lot about various countries, but also about myself. I’m also glad that I was able to visit this incredibly intriguing and beautiful country that Türkiye is.
Lots of funny situations were happening every day but the most memorable for me were the stimulating exercises before activities started, for example, we played a game that involved matching up in pairs, threes or fours when the organizer gave a number. During the game, we walked at a pace that the organizer mandated in rotation and when he said a number (for example 2, 3, 4 and so on), we had to join hands with people in proximity as quickly as possible. When you failed to join hands with anyone, you were out of the game.
I would like to thank Monika Cennik, our team leader, for the great organisation and communication within our Polish group.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities because they’re an amazing experience to remember for life as they let you broaden your horizons and, above all, let you get plenty of valuable lessons out of them for your own use.
Norbert, 20 years old, youth exchange in Türkiye – ,,NO HATE, YES LOVE”
