Stepping forward into the future: Empowering Youth Workers

We kicked off 2024 with a passionate group of eighteen participants from Ukraine, Hungary and Poland who joined us in Rzeszów, Poland from the 15th to 19th of January for our incredible Networking Seminar called “Empowering Youth Networks for Social Progress”.

The program revolved around youth working experiences and NGOs’ impact on today’s society. The different and unique perspectives of the participants enriched the conversations and spotlighted the diverse opportunities and challenges NGOs have to face during their daily work. Alongside our volunteers Mariem, Erij and Adrian, who coordinated the workshops, the participants had the chance to create their own NGO projects, choosing the topics they were more interested in and displaying their creative skills during the brand creation of the NGO. That same day, they showed us their visions of Youth Work through a Vision Board, including all kinds of images and quotes.

During the week, they also enjoyed the cultural attractions of Rzeszów during the City Tour they did on Monday or the cultural visit to the Underground Museum of Rzeszów on Thursday morning. They also participated in some of our local events in Rzeszów: Monday Stories, which was hosted by Mariem and where she could explain to us how life is in Tunisia, and the Open Cafe, where they gathered in Urban Lab to network with locals from Rzeszów and improve their English speaking skills.

As the program concluded, participants expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and the activities developed during the week and delighted us with a country presentation of Ukraine and some souvenirs for the volunteers for their hard work and passion. It is also important to highlight the great international coffee breaks we had during the week, where we could taste some of the typical sweets from Ukraine or Hungary, and the phenomenal games and fun the participants had during their evening programs.

This program served as a great remembrance of how youth workers and NGOs, no matter the geographical and cultural background can have a huge impact on the development of society and contribute to a united good.