I felt that I was discovering new spaces in my body and mind, learning boldness in exploring new forms of movement when surrounded by other people…
On the project, I experienced lectures and development workshops in various areas, including communication skills, working with the human body, physicality, and emotions, and I learned about the local culture and people.
I got something different out of each class, particularly memorable were the movement workshops on an introduction to contemporary dance and the dance of the five elements. I felt that I was discovering new spaces in my body and mind, learning boldness in exploring new forms of movement when surrounded by other people.
Another very enriching and edifying experience for me was to prepare a workshop and run it in a local school for pupils aged 13-17. The range of the presentation included the “Body and Mind” sectors – teaching young people new insights into body sensing and practices connected with mindfulness. Without much of a plan, I took the form of the leader of our workshop, which for me was a new phenomenon but I felt good, despite the stress that also accompanied me.
Another very important phenomenon for me was simply being in such a beautiful place as Pas Rapola and its surroundings. Golden fields of oilseed rape, vast waves of gushing grain, and the river winding between us.. are only some of the sights we experienced during a one-day hike, where we ate a delicious meal on the grass and enjoyed the great atmosphere.
It was a surprise to me how beautiful the landscape and energy were in this region of Lithuania, how amazing the people I met were, and how lucky I was to build relationships and friendships.
Every day was a purifying and stimulating experience for other feelings, for which I am very grateful, thanks to, among other things, the interesting meditation forms we learned.
A funny situation (or situations) was the tea meetings we had several times a day with our “Mate Club”. We sipped Yerba Mate, listened to songs, laughed, talked, and simply enjoyed each other’s company and the surroundings of nature.
The biggest barrier for me was a slight overstimulation that I sometimes experienced during the day, mostly at those times when I found space for myself, e.g., staying alone in my room. Another thing that I considered a limitation could have been that some of the teams from the same country focused mainly on building bonds between “their group”, whereby they somewhat closed themselves to integration with others. However, these were minor incidents, with most participants being very open to integration and contact.
The LEVEL UP organisation provided me with adequate support before, during, and after the project, the information was clear and communicated well in advance.
I am grateful for many things I was able to experience on the exchange, for the nature that surrounded me, gave me solace and delight (I saw northern lights for the first time), for the people who supported me during moments of self-doubt, for the joy and laughter that often accompanied us, for amazing conversations, for the delicious healthy food prepared from the heart, for the power of creativity that surrounded me (we built our own volleyball court using sticks and a string!)
I would like to thank LEVEL UP Association, Lina, Vitas, Karolis, Urban and every
person involved in creating this beautiful event.
I believe that such trips can make a significant impact on the lives of its participants. It is possible to experience and learn practices and states of mind that were previously unknown, inaccessible, or out of one’s comfort zone (e.g. meditation, yoga, healthy eating, or public speaking in a foreign language), this is what comprehensive development and the search for oneself in this fast-paced, often uneasy world is all about. During the common reflections, several participants shared similar thoughts and gratitude for how “their heads were opening”.
I recommend such trips to my peers.
Joanna, 24 years old, Lithuania, “Masters Of Body And Mind” youth exchange.
An important task on the project was to create a workshop for school children in which we were to show exercises for the body and mind…
I think the place where the project took place was really great. Precisely, it was a villa „Pas Rapola” and was located in a beautiful forest, there was a river nearby where you could swim. The locality suited the theme of the project very well, in those few days you could unite with nature, feel your body and develop a greater awareness of yourself and your surroundings. On the projec,t I learned to dance with my whole body to different music. This is the practice of “5 Rhythms” which allows you to feel your body better, to give yourself up to the music, and to be aware during this dance. I also learnt about different back exercises that I can use in my life. An important task on the project was to create a workshop for school children in which we were to show exercises for the body and mind. Thanks to that, I learnt to cooperate more, got to know the participants in a new way and got to know teenagers from Lithuania. It was very nice when girls from the school started to sing various Lithuanian songs for the project participants as a sign of appreciation. When it comes to a funny situation, it involved swimming in the Lithuanian river, which was really cold, and after that, it was fun spending time in a sauna. I think it is one of the best memories, there was a lot of laughter, honesty, and overcoming new challenges i.e. the cold Lithuanian river 🙂
I was pleasantly surprised by a long trip, in which I saw the true beauty of Lithuanian villages.
The cuisine was vegan and it was a new, interesting challenge for me. Thanks to Monika, who cooked all of the meals for us, I understood that I could be vegan and enjoy food. The dishes were different and delicious every day, we also had snacks 2 times a day. The biggest barrier for me was talking to people in English but it was also a motivation to develop and even greater commitment. I tried to talk to people from different countries but sometimes it was hard to communicate because of the language. I think I eventually succeeded in improving the habit of speaking and listening in English. The organisers were open, we could always talk to them, and ask about their traditions in Lithuania. Thank you to each of the organisers for the good atmosphere and organisation of that project. Thank you to Lina for organising, Vytautas for showing good practices for the body and mind, Urbanu for the workshop on the tradition of drinking tea (Yerba Mate) in Brazil, Monika for the delicious meals, Rollandesu for the positive energy and openness, Gintare for the opportunity to play a new musical instrument and Lucasu for showing the exercises for the back. Also, thank you to the LEVEL UP Association and Monika for answering all my questions and for your support.
I surely recommend such projects, they give a lot of new opportunities, such as making friends with people from different countries and getting to know their cultures. Through such projects, young people gain new experiences, knowledge, habits, and friends from all over the world. Such projects shape the identity and worldview of youth which is very important at this time of life. Also, young people can share this experience and teach others in their locality, I think this is a real cultivation.
Khrystyna, 19 years old, Lithuania, “Masters Of Body And Mind” youth exchange.
I think I will handle stress better in everyday life…
During the project, I got to know useful body and mind work exercises. I think I will handle stress better in everyday life. I found the workshop on exercises for a healthy spine particularly helpful. During the project, we visited Upytė Traditional Craft Center where we created bracelets in Lithuanian colours and decorated linen bags. I realised that art can be helpful for stress reduction. We had the opportunity to enjoy beautiful landscapes on several walks. During one of them, we went the wrong way and got lost, fortunately, we quickly found other participants. In the town of Krakenevas, we visited one of Lithuania’s five basilicas, a regional park, and a viewing tower. On the project, I had an opportunity to try vegan cuisine. Lithuanians were very nice to me, even though I had heard many times before coming there that they did not like Poles. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet a lot of participants from different countries and to get to know their cultures. I would especially like to thank the YPA organisation for the opportunity to take part in the project and Monika from the LEVEL UP team. I could count on her support at any time before, during and after the exchange.
I highly recommend exchanges from the Erasmus+ programme. It is an excellent opportunity for personal development, learning independence, developing language and social skills.
Kinga, 25 years old, Lithuania, “Masters Of Body And Mind” youth exchange.
I recall LEVEL UP cuisine as the best vegan cuisine I have ever tried…
I brought some techniques to the body and brain from that project. I learned that the body and thoughts have to work as one mechanism. For me, the surprise in this country was that the whole country was green. I recall LEVEL UP cuisine as the best vegan cuisine I have ever tried. The biggest barrier was the entire conversion to the English language. I am grateful for the atmosphere and the team. There were a lot of funny situations and the first one was the misunderstandings in English at the beginning. I received adequate support from LEVEL UP providing housing and covering food. I would like to thank everyone for the good mood and beautiful memories.
I would recommend such trips to my peers and encourage them by showing what I learned and what the trip looked like through photos and videos.
Kyryl, 19 years old, Lithuania, “Masters Of Body And Mind” youth exchange.
The following days brought me interesting conversations with other project participants and new exercises to strengthen my body and mind…
Project “Masters Of Body And Mind”, although focused on finding one’s own peace, for me was a very intense event. Before the project, I and other participants of this mobility met to discuss our trip. At this meeting, the organiser of the meeting from LEVEL UP suggested how to get there and what we should do before the trip. Thanks to that, I stopped worrying about how to prepare myself. In the following days of preparation, when I needed help, our facilitator from LEVEL UP passed on helpful information to me. After the project started, I tried to familiarise myself with my own body and get out of my comfort zone. Then, on the first day of the project, I visited the local memorial chamber, where kind-hearted Lithuanians showed us traditional textile and ceramic patterns.
The following days brought me interesting conversations with other project participants and new exercises to strengthen my body and mind. For me, one of the most challenging tasks was switching to almost vegan cuisine that was present at this exchange. However, over time I got used to it and I have to say that by the end of the project, I liked the served meals. Every dish consisted of familiar ingredients but was prepared differently which greatly inspired me.
During the project, we had a lot of activities centred around the body and mind, where we learned mindfulness techniques that I would like to share with my friends. At each activity, the organisers tried to support the participants so that everyone could learn something different. I remember that during the dance movement technique class, the instructor Vytautas showed me how to perform a challenging, funny pirouette, which made me laugh. However, after a while, I learned how to perform it myself.
Apart from interesting activities, I spent most of the time in conversations with other participants, for which I am very grateful. They have taught me to distance myself from what surrounds me and showed me goals to strive for.
The final days of the project passed very quickly for me. I have managed to become friends with some of the participants, which I hope will not change after the project. At the end of my trip, it was time to part ways, which was the hardest for me. However, I undoubtedly think that this is why the project was such a fantastic event for me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank LEVEL UP for letting me join the wonderful project that was “Masters Of Body And Mind”.
International trips such as Erasmus+ projects are, above all, unforgettable experiences that change people by influencing their awareness. I think it is worthwhile for everyone to try to take part in such a project, even if only in Poland. The reason for this is to open up new horizons and challenge oneself further if only to analyse the understanding of the perspective of others in the project. Often the results of participating in an international exchange are unexpected and positively surprising, that is why I recommend it to all my friends open to changes.
Maciej, 19 years old, Lithuania, “Masters Of Body And Mind” youth exchange.
That project was amazing, but now I am afraid I will not see anything better…
That project was amazing, but now I am afraid I will not see anything better. The location was perfect, away from civilisation and secluded from nature. I liked the idea of this project and its realization, I learned a lot about mindfulness and various movement practices. I met many people from different countries, and the friendly atmosphere of the project helped me a lot. That way there was no fear of approaching and getting to know someone, which I liked. The project involved vegetarian cuisine and it was a very interesting experience for me, in fact, I was even surprised that vegetarian food could be so tasty. I especially liked that you could take a second helping and there were a lot of tasty snacks, so nobody felt hungry. It is pretty funny that there are a lot of frogs, if you go to the river at night you can hear the whole band. Also, at night we could see the northern lights, it was very beautiful. I am very grateful for the opportunity to take part in such a wonderful project, and for the support and help I received from the LEVEL UP organisation.
I strongly advise everyone to at least try something like this. It is a unique experience that gives knowledge and a broader view, the opportunity to meet new people and simply get away from your daily routine. What is more, it is an opportunity to discover your favourite profession or change your life in general. So yes, yes, yes, yes and yes, I definitely recommend everyone to try to take part in a project.
Mikita, 19 years old, Lithuania, “Masters of Body and Mind” youth exchange.
It is hard to choose a favourite workshop because each of them brought a new dose of knowledge to my life…
The youth exchange “Masters of Body and Mind” was an unforgettable experience which significantly influenced my perception of the world around me and sparked the desire to implement many new habits. A week in a Lithuanian forest where it was not easy to get an internet connection, was a great occasion to spend time outside actively. It is hard to choose a favourite workshop because each of them brought a new dose of knowledge to my life. Additionally, it was a perfect time to spend in an intercultural environment. The most interesting cultural element was a visit to Upytė Traditional Crafts Centre https://www.panevezysnow.lt/entry-193/places-to-visit-in-the-region/upyte-traditional-crafts-centre/, a Lithuanian-style sauna and a ceremony of drinking cocoa. It was a time spent in a beautiful place, full of knowledge, with inspiring people. And the time when I fell in love with Yerba mate.
I highly recommend it.
Olga, 27 years old, Lithuania, “Masters Of Body And Mind” youth exchange.