“From August 9th to 19th, young people from Estonia, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Italy came together in beautiful A Coruña (Spain) to learn more about the art of storytelling and what importance it carries throughout our lives. During the project they collaborated with local Galician elderly who were happy to share their life experiences and stories from the past. As knowledge about storytelling and intergenerational cooperation grew, the participants of the project formed a strong bond with one another and got close to each other.
As a first-time group leader, this project offered me a chance to practice my leading and organizing skills, which are very valuable for the future. I even got a chance to facilitate a session and I enjoyed every part of it. During the project it was also exciting to spot the cultural differences between Southern and Northern European countries and to compare the results to my previous knowledge. The Spanish elderly were super inspiring, sharing stories of their own lives and also describing how these stories influenced them in the future.
What I liked the most about this project was the warm and cozy atmosphere where everyone could share their thoughts and ideas with each other and not be afraid of what the others might think. I truly feel that this youth exchange made me a better and more tolerant person. I was super lucky to have been chosen as the group leader for the amazing Estonian team in this amazing Galician project!”
Kai Budrikas
“Back 2 the Future was the best project I have been to. What I really liked about it was that the topic was actually dealt with and it wasn’t just there to justify ten days of fun. We actually learnt about storytelling, we cooperated with the elderly, we experimented with different ways of storytelling- acting, talking, using pictures, drawing, photography. I was also very happy with the participants- they were all very open and mindful people. I could see that they had actually undergone a selection process and were very interested and motivated about the topic of the project. These ten days in the small region in Galicia with Galician people and culture were absolutely amazing. For me this was a very eye-opening and developing experience. I learnt so much about myself, other people and of course storytelling. I met wonderful people and talked about wonderful things.
It was all about sharing and caring, especially on the day we discussed vulnerability and we all shared our stories. Again, everyone was so caring and loving and understanding it was just heartwarming. So, thank you everyone for this wonderful experience. 😊”
Merlyn Leigh Dunderdale
“As this was already my second youth exchange (although six years had passed from the previous one), I now have definitely understood that every such experience is beneficial and unrepeatable. Personally for me, as I speak some Spanish, going to a project that promotes local community communication was an unquestionable experience-to-get. One important thing that I learnt during the course is that story-telling is our key to reaching out the world and the people around us. As it is highly unlikely to find two identical people, it is also improbable to tell the same story exactly the same way. What is more, as you work in a multilingual group, you start to estimate the non-verbal communication in a group – believe me, it is extremely easy to understand others and express exactly what you want to say in a group made of native speakers of nine different languages!”
Arseni Zubkovski
“Usually, when people travel, they frequently choose to investigate popular objects which do not always represent the culture in the best manner due to globalization. People often stick only to visiting famous historical objects and trying out different popular activities which is actually a good thing to do. But the problem is that quite often we restrain ourselves from actually talking to the locals, which is an essential part of diving into the mysteries of a culture. It is easier to think about that when you consider local people to be the product of their culture because people are the basis of forming and transforming the culture. This is why it is tremendously important to interact with the locals if you want to actually get an authentic experience from the trip.
This prelude is written to understand better what makes this project so special. We had an opportunity to talk to elderly people and learn about their past experiences. We saw how they turn their lives into an actual story and then we transformed it into a story from our perspective using different storytelling techniques we studied during the project. It is a very efficient way to learn when you at first study the theory and then actually apply it into practice.
If I had to choose the most valuable skill that I learned from this project apart from receiving unforgettable social experience, I would choose the fact that we learned that storytelling is the foundation of all human interactions. I am very grateful that I had an opportunity to share this experience with such a diverse and open team. I wish I was more vulnerable when I was meant to be that way.”
Nikita Poljakov