Youth Empowerment in a Connected World

“Youth Empowerment in a Connected World”

Five countries, Nine days, One island!

All 31 of us made it to Paphos, Cyprus, on a random Wednesday in the middle of April. Our goal? To connect with our international peers and learn more about Digitalisation.

When you gather 31 young people from Georgia, Latvia, Greece, Hungary, and Italy, put them on a plane to sunny Paphos, Cyprus, and tell them to master digital skills for the future — what could possibly go wrong?

Absolutely nothing. In fact, it might just be the most productive (and chaotic) group of future changemakers ever to land in the same building.

What we didn’t expect? That all 31 people from different countries, different cultures and visions came together to make the strongest bond of friendship which will last even after the project.

The days were a perfect balance between work and free time where we had the time to explore the city all while doing a lot of workshops and brainstorming sessions. Nights, however, were a whole different story — full of cultural evenings where each country showed off their food, games, music, and shockingly good dance moves.

We took trips around Paphos too — exploring the old town, watching the sunset on the various beaches, and discovering that Cypriot cats are the true rulers of the island. One day we were planning social media strategies, the next we were trying not to get sunburned while exploring the Old Town and everything all around. We were running not to be late for our session, not because of our punctuality – we were escaping the punishment box, which we had made for ourselves. nobody wanted to get punished… again!

It’s all part of the learning process, right?

Let’s not forget the variety of daily energizers: games, dances and activities. An incredibly thrilling rush, each and every time, that kick-started the following sessions – and did wonders for our bonding, too. Every session felt like stepping into a digital escape room — full of platforms, apps, and devices we had to master before we could… well, escape. We entered as regular humans and left as semi-professional tech ninjas.

What did we learn? That the digital world of work is changing fast, but we are here to run along with it. but friendships formed over laughter and KFC were the true beauty of the whole project, because what’s more important, a life with no friends beside you or an adventure where you are surrounded with the ones you love? And that Erasmus+ isn’t just a project — it’s a beautifully chaotic, deeply inspiring journey.

We also created an Instagram page where we documented all of our trips and adventures. During the week, on Sunday, the local church had a celebration in honor of Easter where people from all around the city came together to light and raise their candles.

Between the sessions, the sprinting to avoid punishments, and the cultural evenings that turned into full-on dance battles, we built friendships faster than our Wi-Fi could load a Canva presentation. By the end, we weren’t just participants — we were one big, international, sleep-deprived, laughter-fueled family.

Now, we’re returning home with new skills, sore feet, and more inside jokes than digital skills — and honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.