On the 19th of June, more than 20 people from 16 different nations gathered in Petrohan pass, Bulgaria on a Youth Exchange funded by the Erasmus+ program, to discuss current world issues, learn and have and intercultural dialogue. Participants ranged from Argentina to Tajikistan, Lebanon to Italy, India to Germany.

We had open discussion and intense debates on topics like gender equality, sexual harassment, racism, politics, HIV, history of our respective countries of origin. We meditated, laughed, recounted stories, cooked, shared experiences, played sports, and gained knowledge from one another. We discussed our shared ideals and discovered that no matter how varied our life stories are, there is always something that brings us together.We were able to accomplish all of this using non-formal approaches such as interactive theater, participatory theatre, and cooking, among others.

It was a Youth Exchange filled with emotions, memories, good times, new friendships and connections, love and happy moments.