Projects / Involve to Evolve
Erasmus+ youth exchange · Personal growthInvolve to Evolve
Twelve days about empathy, open communication and the motivation that comes from within.
- 17–28 June 2024
- Băgaciu, Romania
- 48 participants · aged 18–23
Why it matters
To promote solidarity and acceptance, it is crucial to encourage young people to embrace diversity and understand the challenges faced by others. According to a Forbes Health survey, the COVID-19 pandemic made forming relationships harder for many — highlighting the importance of interpersonal skills such as openness, empathy and conflict resolution.
Objectives
The project set out to help participants adapt effectively to a changing environment, create thriving and lasting personal and professional relationships, and increase their sense of autonomy — which in turn strengthens intrinsic motivation, a key driver of well-being, creativity and personal growth.
- Dates
- 17–28 June 2024
- Location
- Băgaciu, Mureș county, Romania
- Participants
- 48 young people, aged 18–23
- Countries
- Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary
Four countries, one house
Twelve participants from each partner country lived, worked and learned together at Pensiune Sachsenhof in the village of Băgaciu.
Learning by doing
Non-formal education means games, challenges, films and honest conversations — not lectures.
Teambuilding
- Dropping the egg
- Hiking and a city visit
- Spiderweb and trust games
- Name games — blanket game, ball game and more
The Erasmus+ programme
- Social contract
- Initial, midterm and final evaluations
- Youthpass
- Erasmus+ Q&A
Involve to evolve
- What does “involve to evolve” mean?
- Defence mechanisms — short films made by participants
- Motivation, feedback and the principles of effectiveness
- Culture game and gratitude exercise
- Pitch game — public speaking in pairs
In their own words
What participants said they learned during the exchange.
From this project, I’ve learned time management, how to work in a group, how to speak with others, and how to paint.
I learned from this Erasmus+ better communication. I think I learned to communicate hard, very complicated and polarizing ideas in a way people would understand me and not feel attacked.
I have learned patience. I had to work with new people, it was challenging to develop a cooperation mindset with the team. And also swimming and empathy.
I improved my multilingual skills by experiencing new cultures and learning new languages.
In this project, I’ve improved my problem-solving, non-verbal communication skills, and time planning. I also learned how to do a front flip.
Getting to live with so many people from so many countries. I also like to step out of my comfort zone.
It had a very positive impact because I had opportunities to speak about mental health and to observe the different perspectives of other people, and to study those perspectives up close.
In this project, I not only learned how to work alone and in groups, but I also improved my leadership skills. I learned how to stay patient and open to other people’s opinions. To me, this project was also about friendships. I learned how to help others improve, and make them feel welcomed, understood, and heard.
I learned to live with different people, try to understand different ways of life and different opinions, and take care of myself.
This project is meaningful to me because I had a chance to involve to evolve. During the activities, I got to know myself better and had the chance to help others get involved. Finally, I am grateful for this project, especially because of the people I met, the discussions we had and the common values we shared.
On this project, I learned a lot about Romanian culture and their day-to-day life. I improved my social, public speaking and travelling skills. Also, I raised important questions during the project that will help me grow.
I learned communication skills. I improved my English skills, I learned how to work in teams. I learned about other cultures as well.
I really enjoyed my time here, I learned new things, made new friends. The sessions were productive. I would really recommend it to everyone to try it.
Competences we improved
Every participant left with a Youthpass certificate recognising what they learned.
- Communication skills
- Teamwork skills
- Problem-solving
- Cultural knowledge
- English language
- Time management
Posters we made
The project booklet
Created by the participants — click a page to read it.
The video
Want to join our next exchange?
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