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Swatar Exchange: Active and Healthy European Citizens On the 11th of August ZAK Swatar and two members from ZAK Zurrieq were excited to depart to Roma Fiumicino Airport to finally begin their 9-day-long journey together in Italy. This exchange was part-financed by the European Union through Youth in Action funds. After an endless bus ride, we finally reached our destination: Oratorio Don Bosco in Porto Potenza, Marche. The Italian group was extremely welcoming from the very beginning and the location looked lovely and comfortable. As the exchange programme commenced, day by day we started learning interesting things about the European Union, healthy lifestyles, inclusion and active citizenship, whilst getting to know the Italians better by means of ice-breaking games and working together in small groups. The activities and tasks included creating banners to promote healthy breakfasts, a quiz concerning the European Union and making a Youth Pass. Also as part of the exchange programme we visited the amazing Loreto and Agora` and the educational and heart-touching visit to the Santo Stefano Hospital. Both groups prepared an Italian evening and a Maltese evening, during which we got to know more about each other`s culture. Two masses were celebrated during the exchange, alongside the community of Porto Potenza which included the parents of the Italian participants who were always available to help, just like the committed and patient volunteers of the Oratorio. Our free time was spent socialising, having good laughs all together, at the beach, or walking around the beautiful Porto Potenza. Throughout the exchange we experienced a few difficulties, mainly concerning language, since it was hard for the Italian group to communicate with us using English. Nonetheless, we all tried our best to not let these difficulties create any problems between us and we managed to adapt to the situation with a little effort from both groups. All in all, not only was this long-awaited experience fruitful because of the knowledge we gained through the activities and visits planned by our leaders, but also because it provided the priceless opportunity to create new friendships and endless, unforgettable memories! Elian Scicluna, ZAK Swatar

EuroCamp – UpGrade Between the 3rd and 10th August I had the chance to participate in EuroCamp for the second time. This year it was hosted in Malta, my home country. EuroCamp is a great opportunity to meet and integrate with youth and leaders from all over Europe, namely Catalunya, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Besides the time we shared getting to know each other, the different cultures, organisations and the way other people live and think we also had the opportunity to educate ourselves more about EU citizenship, rights and the different opportunities it provides. During the week we had several workshops and activities on the theme. Some were organized in different places around Malta, so that the international participants could also have time to visit some places such as a city game on human rights in Valletta, doing tasks such as a flash mob and an awareness campaign in Mdina and a BBQ at the beach.At the end of this camp I found it very hard to go back to my daily routine because we had a really good time together but fortunately we are still in contact. I was glad that I had the opportunity to participate in EuroCamp because it is a great way to get to know other youth and it helps me grow and learn more about the benefits of youth work. Niall Muscat, ZAK Mosta UpGrade: EuroCamp 2013 was an international activity organized by ZAK. It was an opportunity to learn about different cultures and make new friends from other european countries. It was a great opportunity to spend time, learn and work together with other people from different countries. The activities and workshops that were organized during UpGrade helped me learn more about EU citizenship. Each workshop was fun to do in its own way and each one had a purpose where we learnt something different and useful such as learning about the freedom of movement and speech, which is also very important especially in the case of youth. An activity that I enjoyed was the international evening, which was an opportunity to discover new cultures and traditions and also to actually taste their food and drinks.At the end of the week I felt very lucky that I experienced an opportunity like this and I would definitely do it again if I had the opportunity. Martha Piscopo, ZAK Tarxien EuroCamp 2013 was one of the best experiences I participated in. The participants and leaders together made this an unforgettable experience. Only memories remain but it was very fruitful to us youth. Basically, EuroCamp is an activity spread over one week in which youth from 10 different countries join and spend a week together. The main theme was citizenship and EU. The whole concept of being a citizen of the EU was well discussed, and workshops varied from creating posters about what the European Union means to us, campaigning and doing flash mobs about it in Mdina and representing our different cultures and art in any way we wanted. We also explored our common rights and freedoms, and the opportunities we can have as EU citizens. Also we also deliberated about how we as young citizens can voice our opinion in order to be heard more and how our roles in society matter more than we think. Mikela Zerafa, ZAK Zurrieq

World Youth Day 2013 My experience in Brazil was one of the most amazing. There were a lot of special moments for my group and myself. Every day was special in its own way and each week was a new and different experience. Generosity is what I really felt during the first week, through staying with a family I did not know. They really loved us as if we were their own children. They gave us joy and peace! During this week I also experienced a bit of volountary work when we visited a small hospital, worked with children in a crash istitution and with old peopl as well.The second week was the actual week of the World Youth Day. The energy amongst the youths filled me with joy and peace. Being amongst 3.7 million people in Copocabana was an undescribable experience. Different people from different cultures, background and speaking different languages, all sharing the same faith in the same time at the same place. Listening to the Pope speaking and letting his great words touch your heart is an amazing feeling. A Pope who is full of enthusiasm to share God’s voice. The third week was when we all saw the beautiful nature that God gave us. Being a big country, Brazil has innumerable different landscapes and areas which one can visit. I experienced the open countryside as well as the poor people in the favelas. You still can say that they are happy people although they are poor and are less fortunate than we are. They still smile at you and welcome you to their own place. It was a very rewarding experience and I am ready to share Pope`s word that I have received. Stephen Micallef, ZAK Tarxien