“Social Justice Club” in Lithuania
The project “Social Justice Club”, as a Youth exchange, ERASMUS project funded by EU, has implemented in Lithuania from 2 till 10 of December, where 25 youngsters from five
different countries lived, acted and learned together in a seven days-long exchange in the
beautiful town of Druskininkai, Lithuania.
In this “Social Justice Club” project, participants got to the very core of the concept, learning about what & how it came to represent different things for different people.
What is actually means “Social Justice”? Social justice appears everywhere, from political
discourses to philosophy to conversations with a neighbor, But…. it is not always easy to
define what it actually means. So, five young people coming by different personal
backgrounds, from five European countries worked together, using non-formal learning
methods, on this for 7 days, staying in the modern rural tourism complex Bilso Sodyba,
located in the Lithuanian resort city of Druskininkai.
So, these 25 young people from Lithuania, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain got to the very core of the concept, learning about how it guides so many of our ideals and how to turn it into an effective drive for building a better society.
Below , the expressions of PRAXIS participants’ experiences:
My name is Vaggelis and I am going to share with you my impeccable Erasmus+ project
experience with the very interesting topic of social justice, which took part on 2nd of
December.
To begin with, the project was really well structured and organized by the facilitator, who
did a remarkable job. I can undoubtedly state that after this project I can consider myself a
more grounded person focusing on his goals.
Also, my expectations from the project were successfully fulfilled, and I truly believe there
should be more active participation from young people because Erasmus+ project will leave a vast positive impact in their life, especially for their personal values and beliefs.
Furthermore, I must say the venue and the place around it was like living in a dream. Scenery forest and lakes, that I guarantee that no-one would ever wanted to leave from there.
To conclude, I want to say that I am really grateful for this experience, and i really thank the
participants for their imperative contribution in the project.
Vangelis koloniaris
Hi, I’m Dimitris from Greece. In 2023, from 2-10 December I participated in the Erasmus+
project about “Social Justice”, in Druskininkai, Lithuania. As it was my first project, I didn’t
know exactly what to expect but, in the end, it was a great experience.
At first, the whole project was amazing due to the fact that we were staying in a wooden
house in the middle of the forest, near a frozen lake. It was a warm and safe place where we
did both the activities of the theme project and the more entertaining part apart from the
main theme. I communicated with people from different countries, and I learned many
things about their culture and their language, and this was one of the best parts of the
project.
About the main theme, we learned a lot about human rights, promoting social justice,
acknowledging diversity, fighting privileges, and implementing just systems. Our facilitator,
Carlos, did a great job because he encouraged us to work in teams during the project, so we had better results in our conversations. Also, it was very important the fact that everyone could express their opinions and we discussed them.
In the end, I think that every young person must experience an Erasmus+ project because it makes you get out of your comfort zone, communicate with people from other countries,
and make friends. One thing is for sure, that you will want to go again!
Dimitrios Koutsamparis
When I decided to participate in an Erasmus+ program, I never thought that I would learn so
many things and meet so many beautiful people, it helped me to be more open with people, more social and how to participate in a group.Also, Erasmus+ programs help you get as many experiences as you can and get to know places that you might otherwise never go to.
I believe that young people should participate in Erasmus+ programs to expand their
knowledge, their skills, their professional training, to meet different people, different
cultures and of course to have fun. Most of the activities we had in the program were group activities with collaboration and when we finished the activity we discussed it or there was a debate about the topic.
Christina Boutsouni
Hello my name is Christos Stogiannis and this is my experience about an Erasmus+ project I attended in Lithuania in December 2 of 2023 up until December 10 of 2023. The theme of
the project had to do about social justice in Europe. The project took place in a village just
outside the beautiful city of Druskininkai. The venue was amazing as well as the snowing
place all around it.
We were young people from 5 amazing countries (Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and
Lithuania) who participated in this this project. Everyone was amazing, filled with joy and
motivated to learn as much as they could about the project.
We learned many new things about inequality, gender gap, the feminist movement in
Europe and many more things. We all shared our cultures, tried new things from the other
countries, learned new dances, saw different cultures from ours have an amazing time. We
made new friendships that will last forever and learned new things that will help us shape
the future of Europe.
Therefore, I want to thank everyone for this amazing experience. The people that worked
with, the coordinators and especially the team of Praxis Greece for giving me this
opportunity that helped learn new things and improve myself.
Christos Stogiannis
I am thrilled to share my valuable experience participating in the Erasmus+ program, focused on social inequalities. Staying in a beautiful snowy place and interacting with young people from various countries was a unique experience. The activities and discussions we had allowed me to see things from a different perspective and refresh some of my previous views. This experience showed me how important it is to be open and willing to learn from others.
Carlos, the facilitator of the program, was outstanding in managing the activities and the team. The organization and management of the program were so effective that they enhanced learning and collaboration among the participants. Participating in this program was not only educational but also personally enriching, offering me the opportunity to develop new skills and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to social inequalities.
I would like to encourage young people to participate in such programs. The benefits are manifold: from acquiring new knowledge and skills to the opportunity to experience new cultures and develop a more global perspective. Evaluating the activities, identifying and documenting the learning outcomes, as well as disseminating and utilizing the results, are of vital importance. These elements reinforce the significance and value of participating in programs like Erasmus, making them invaluable for the personal and professional development of the youth.
Ioannis Somarakis
