From 4th till 13th of November 2019, was my first experience abroad, more precisely in Lithuania, with the Youmore Morcelli Giovani from Chiari BS. In this my first training course I was able to compare myself with many people each with their own culture and with a wealth of different experiences. My travel companions, Justina and Paola, who traveled from Italy with me, were fantastic in supporting me and helping me to face this new adventure in the best possible way.
The beggining together was exciting for me and it has already given me a little more security in being able to face and manage new situations. Before leaving so many questions crowded my mind: Would I find new friends? Would I have understood their fears and anxieties? To be in a new situation like I was living?
I immediately realized that the moment we met, the barriers and the perplexities disappeared, melted like snow in the sun. With the passing of time the joy of being part of this group has helped me to be more open to others to allow them to know and appreciate me for what I am.
During the training “Cross Borders” I came into contact with the issues of preventing marginalization of migrants and youth unemployment. I have had the opportunity to understand how a country so different from mine is concerned with dealing with these issues with different resources. In this structure we were shown which strategies are being implemented to help young people find a job according to their abilities. Working in groups between us we have tried to understand what are the push and pull factors that drive people to leave their land and to seek fortune or in any case a better life in another country. We have also visited a middle school and with the students we have carried out educational activities related to migration. We collected their ideas on this topic and helped them develop them, comparing them with ours. 
During Italian intercultural night Paola and Irene serving italian pasta orecchiette al pomodoro
We have experienced a very interesting aspect of it with the intercultural evenings, in which every night two countries illustrated their traditions and typical products. It was also fun because we had to engage in a challenge on the tongue twisters in the language that presented it. We learned how to celebrate a wedding in Turkey and how to prepare a traditional Lithuanian dish. Every morning before the beginning of the activities we gathered to load ourselves emotionally and face the new day with enthusiasm and vitality.
I found a beautiful and unspoiled nature; land of lakes, forests and castles that make you dream. With a small group I had an evening excursion of 5 km in the forest of the park where we were staying.
Final meeting with students
I felt very close to the group because I had many doubts about letting myself go, in fact they encouraged me to continue even though I started feeling tired. I did it and this made me proud of myself. Among the activities, I really appreciated the one in which trust in others was present. We were blindfolded and we had to let ourselves be led by the companion in front of us. At the end of the journey we found ourselves in front of a glimpse of a pristine lake. The aim was to let oneself be guided without fear of encountering obstacles along the way.
Italian team -> Irene, Justina and Paola <-
On this trip I spent many beautiful days full of educational activities that contributed to enriching my personal experience. The fact that I consider the most important is having achieved great self-confidence and that I am able to do things that I did not think I could do before this trip. Every journey opens your mind and leaves you with an indelible trace that makes you a better person with the passage of time. I very much hope that I will be given the Erasmus+ opportunity to live, with this association, increasingly interesting experiences from both a human and a cultural point of view.
Written by Irene Bianchetti
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To watch a VIDEO on YouTube of the training course “Cross Borders” please CLICK HERE. Credits go to Ivelina Toneva from Bulgaria.
For PHOTO GALERY of the project on Facebook please CLICK HERE