OUR EXPERIENCE IN CULTURAL PILLARS AND COMMON WALLS

Afroditi’s experience:
Let’s talk about life changing experiences through the young eyes of an Erasmus + youth exchange participant. Travelling to Spain, to the beautiful picturesque village Almudevar, to experience this innovative project was above all a benchmark in my personal journey in this planet. Some projects change you for a lifetime. This one was one of them! Humanities have a story to tell through buildings, monuments, architecture and arts in general. I never thought of seeing a sculpture from a different perspective.

The angle that is most needed nowdays, the altruistic one! I discovered that human beings and architecture beings have something in common just like a pillar. They have a strong emotional story to narrate and i was more than happy to actively dig deeper into the magical world of architecture and truly see the strong foundation of human expression through it! In this project i gained more knowledge far from the typical educational one,about active listening,taking action, respect the diversity,honor the differences of the cultures and of course open up to this beautiful world which is full of knowledge and experiences for us to explore with an open mind and heart! Im grateful for all the beautiful creatures that participated and made my No name paperboat rock solid! A week of non formal education can change you more than many years of the mainstream one! I dare you to jump in!

Eleni’s experience:
What I’ve experienced was truly fascinating and may I say, probably, life-changing. From the energisers in the morning till the intercultural nights at night, every activity and task that we’ve had to do was creative and thrilling.

I learnt from this experience and the people that made it work to communicate with others even though we may not speak the same language, to be open to new opportunities of making new friends and to make strong bonds that distance can’t break. From this project, I became richer with knowledge, new experiences and broadened horizons. The most important thing for me was that I made new friends for a life time I hope. I’d love to see and meet again each and everyone of them. Projects like this should happen more often. So please make more to unite people together. Thank you to all the organizers that made this project happen and that gave me this opportunity to join and participate in it.

Rania’s experience:
Through this Erasmus+ project, which was my first one, I discovered new things and abilities about myself and I improved some already existed skills. The activities we did were creative, self-challenging and educational in a different, non-formal way. We used painting, sculpting, theatre and dancing in order to create beautiful buildings, tell stories and connect with each other.

Every day was different and unique. The energizers in the morning made us excited for what there was to come. The different activities unlocked different creative parts of me and I learned how to work efficiently as a team. Every day we ate together, we chatted, we talked about social issues and shared stories about each country and each person.

The things I learned in this project changed my point of view on certain issues and got me inspired to move forward with more determination and creativity in my life. I will never forget the people I met in this project. Everyone was accepting and willing to learn about you and understand you. No one had to put a mask, you could be 100% yourself and find comfort in everyone’s realness. I met people I instantly connected with, people with amazing energy that inspired me. But even the people that I didn’t talk a lot with were unique to me, everyone had a story and had something to offer. Throughout these 9 days, I made valuable friendships, I shared vulnerable things about me and I enjoyed every moment, from the silliest and funniest ones to the sad and crying ones. I am very grateful and lucky to be a part of this project and I will keep this experience and the people from it in my mind and heart.

Stella’s experience:
What an unforgettable 10 days this was for me. I’ve been to a few projects before however, through this project I got my first chance as a leader. I felt very involved moths before the project actually started! As a team we bonded from the beginning with the rest of the Greek team and I believe that without this bond we created, it would be much harder for me to blend in this project and have so much fun. Of course we got close with the rest of the participants and by the end of the project, we really were like a family.

During cultural pillars and common walls, I rediscovered my lost passion of acting. Every day, besides having the time of my life creating maquettes and buildings out of recycled materials and learning about the most important architects of all time, during the presentations, we all had the opportunity to act. Sometimes people would keep their “roles” for the rest of the day. It was so much fun! Another completely different learning experience! I hope that after this project I’ll join some group or maybe write my own youth exchange where people can be as creative as we were in spain. I would absolutely call this project a success as it gave me the freedom to be 100% myself and everyone would accept me as myself. Thank you 2+2 for the amazing hospitality, hope to see you soon!

Vasilis’s experience:
During the project I managed to learn many things about the history and culture of the participants countries through non-formal education activities. Moreover I met new people and learned a lot about certain situations through their personal stories. Also, due to the fact that the project took place in Spain, I had the chance to acquire knowledge about spanish food, architecture, music and spanish culture in general.

Lefteri’s experience:
Cultural pillar and common walls as my first Erasmus + experience i could say that was beyond my imagination. At first i was skeptical about what i could gain from the whole project cause I’m already a student in architecture, but i was clearly wrong afterall. All the projects that we were all presented with made my imagination reach levels i didn’t know before. I feel that i have a lot new ideas and points of view now and i can use these ideas in my university projects to improve and be better generally. In a more personal level this program changed my whole life for the better. I met some of the most special people in my life and i made a lot of strong friendships built on trust, honesty and kindness. At last this program managed to shape me as a new person that accepts everyone the way they are and an individual that feels more accepted and brave about who they are.