Between 18th and 24th of October Marija Sehtanska and Diellina Mehmeti attended the Networking & Training seminar: “Climate beyond Individual Action! How to organize young people for climate justice” organized by SCI – Deutscher Zweig e.V.

The main aim of the seminar was to gather participants from 15 European countries to come together and learn from each other in how to organize youth, how to do activism for climate justice and how we can mobilize more young people into the climate justice movement.

Below you can read their impressions from the seminar:

Applying for this seminar was the single best thing I have done in years. I am not a person who cries often, but that week in Kagel I cried twice, on the first day, and on the last one. When me and Dielina arrived it was a nightmare, nobody else from the group was there, we knew no one and were in the middle of nowhere with no WiFi or connection with anyone or anything we hold dear. So I cried and I hated myself for sending the application. And then the other people arrived, and in no time we became friends, good friends actually. Every and each of us was so different and so unique, in theory we weren’t supposed to work out good, yet we connected so very well, and everything after that night worked as a charm. The seminar was really well organized, the facilitators were amazing, they were trying really hard to make the best out of the experience for everyone. Each day was full with different kind of activities, every minute was used for learning, teaching and discussions. And the most important thing, when one thinks about learning or discussions it sounds boring, but it actually was unexpectedly fun. There were all kinds of activities, from open discussions, presentations, sharing experiences to silent exhibitions so the people who don’t talk to much can have the chance to share their opinions. And the facilitators were really trying to give everyone equal chances to speak and express themselves, I really liked that. And there were lots of opinions, and ideas, and brainstorming. It was amazing to meet all those people (especially for us from Macedonia, because we’re not really organized in anything, yet everything is polluted badly) and hear their experiences in this thematic, their ideas, and their passion about the nature, this planet and the future. We even had an art exhibition, we had 10 minutes to create a piece of art so we really had to get creative. It was amazing. I learned a lot. In this one week learned more about the climate changes, about the things we can do to stop it, and about the future than I had in years. And I learned a lot about myself too, I realized that I have to change a little bit of myself and my lifestyle.

Those people there, some of them especially, had a really huge impact on me and inspired me to change for the better. It was really one of the best experiences in my life so far and I really appreciate the opportunity I had to be there, to learn and to have the chance to meet all those amazing people. So, the last day I cried again, for having to say goodbye, for not having one more day, one more activity. I felt so sad, yet I was so happy for having this new mindset, new spark in me, and for the experience altogether.

Written by Marija Sehtanska.

One week full of hard-working, brainstorming, harmony, joy, fun, and energy was one of the best moments of this year. The Climate Justice Project was very well organised by Thomas, Noah and Esther. They were so kind and serious with the project, they made every single activity very productive and attractive. I personally learned a lot of information, I was surprised by everyone how much knowledge they have and want to raise their voice for a change. The team enabled us to learn even more through our work. There was no discrimination, everyone was involved on doing something, it was a very good team working. Erasmus Youth Pass is a perfect opportunity for youth exchange, besides we have gained knowledge, self development and improved our skills, we had a chance to meet different cultures and traditions from around the world. Thank you for this awesome experience.

Written by Diellina Mehmeti.