Have you participated in Erasmus+ projects before? If so, what was special about this one?

I haven’t been, but I’ve always wanted to attend because I’m a proponent of the idea that the most valuable learning is learning from other people’s experiences, methods, cultures, approaches, and creative solutions.

What should every member of NGO FRI know before the project?

Every FRI member should know about the political and military situation in

Ukraine, what is happening today on the frontline and in the political arena, what messages the top leaders are trying to promote, and what the moods are in the countries that will be represented at the project. This is critically important because being Ukrainian at Erasmus is not only about gaining experience, it is about representing Ukraine. Today, every Ukrainian abroad must work for our victory, and to do this, we must promote certain messages among foreigners. We need to demonstrate our country and nation not from the position of a victim begging for help, but from the position of a strong state and nation that heroically fighting global evil, thereby encouraging foreigners to join this fight. russia is spending billions of dollars on propaganda of its truth, which is why it is so critical for us to fight it at all levels, without waiting for the state to do it, because we are the state, and we are the ones who decide the fate of our country.

Please tell us about a typical day on the project. How did your everyday life go during the exchange?

A typical day at the project looked like the life of a large family that finally met on holiday and was eager to learn more about each other’s lives. Every morning, we went to breakfast together in a complete atmosphere of family comfort. Afterwards, we had short educational blocks where each country shared a part of its own culture, history and traditions. Then we had free time to socialize with each other, dance, walk in the rain, explore the ancient Italian town of San Gregorio and explore the cultures of the participating countries.

Were there any cultural differences that surprised you or caused difficulties?

There were no inconveniences in communication, only a pleasant intercultural exchange between the participants, which strengthened our friendship.

What does Erasmus offer that no other project can?

After the Erasmus, I realized that it is extremely important to live in the moment, so to speak, carpe diem. Not to think about the past, not to worry about the future, but to live this life here and now: dancing in the rain, meeting people, laughing in company, and taking everything from this moment.

What conclusions did you make after participating in the exchange, what insights did you get?

We have gained incomprehensible experience and established a lot of contacts with foreigners, which will help us a lot in the future. We even started to think about creating our own project between Turkey, Italy, and Ukraine, but that’s for later.

Edited by Maria Moshyk, with the support of Mykhailo Didenko