Youthilise
Between the 9th and the 16th of August a group from IKE Transylvania came to Malta and participated in a youth exchange with a group of Maltese youths from Birzebbuga. Youthilise (the name of this exchange) tackled the themes of creativity, employment and entrepreneurship. This was the second part of an exchange that started last year in Romania. This time round it was the Maltese group`s turn to host this exchange. It was a week of great fun packed with interesting workshops, games and places of interest that complemented the theme of this exchange. This exchange was funded by the Youth in Action programme.
This youth exchange gave me the opportunity to travel for the first time and visit the beautiful country of Malta, see the Mediterranean Sea, and get to know how Maltese people live and communicate. It was nice to meet my Maltese friends again. I really enjoyed the international evening as it gave me the opportunity to taste delicious Maltese food. Another great activity was the city game. It was a new experience to walk around the city centre, and learn interesting facts about it. It helped me to better understand the cultural differences between the Maltese and the Romanians. With the help of this exchange I also learnt to appreciate the importance of voluntary work. When we cleaned the bay I realised how difficult this work is and how hard it is to keep a clean beach.
Kyle Miklos, Romanian participant
Youthilse enabled us to explore creativity, entrepreneurship and employment. Despite the fact that this exchange happened in Malta, where I live, I still learnt a lot of new and interesting things about my own culture and places that I had never been to, such as Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples. A fruitful workshop was that of the business owner. Listening to her gave me a new perspective and new ideas about the possibility of building my own business in the future. Health and safety were given high priority in this exchange. A first aid session helped us realise the importance of taking safety precautions both during everyday life and also at work. From this exchange I also understood better what tourism is and its great importance to the Maltese economy. The boat trip gave me the opportunity to meet different people that contribute to tourism. It is not an easy job and most of the time it involves long working hours.
This was a truly great week and I am really looking forward to work for and participate in a similar activity again, and get to know about different cultures.
Maria Spiteri, Maltese participant
I`m very happy because the second part of this exchange was a successful one. This year we visited the small island of Malta. For many of us it was the first experience abroad. It was nice to see the difference between the people`s lifestyles and enjoy the beautiful Maltese landscape. I will miss my new friends and this new experience and I hope that I will have another opportunity to participate in another youth exchange. This exchange was a useful experience for all of us. I am grateful that I was part of this exchange and I am looking forward to participate in a similar project.
Eke Zsolt Junior, Romanian participant