Youth Exchange in Slovakia, Kysak
21st -28th of August 2017
The youth exchange took place in Kysak (in a village 20km outside of Kosice) on 21st-28th of August. Five countries from Europe took part in this project: Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, Greece (Filoxenia) and Slovakia. The main idea was to promote the life of young people from different countries through photography. The photo would then be a means to highlight the life of young people, their every day life, the place where they live, their habits, what is happening around them, their neighborhood.
The exchange took place during seven days and each day included several interesting activities. The first two days were days of welcoming and acquaintance of those who participated (games of team building, program presentation). On the third day we visited the nearby town of Medzev, where we saw a photo museum and a very beautiful place with waterfalls. On the fourth day activities the subject was about propaganda in the media, but also professional photographers who showed us photographic techniques, camera types and how they work and studio photography. Then on the fifth day we visited the beautiful town of Kosice. In addition on the sixth day we visited a beautiful natural landscape with mountains and a lake called High Tatras.
The experience in Slovakia was a great opportunity to make new friends from different European countries and to learn about the very interesting art of photography. The participation of the five countries in combination with intercultural evenings allowed us to get to know each other's culture, customs, food and habits. Also the hosting place, kind of camp, was a wonderful huge area as the guest house was surrounded by grass, trees and next to the river.
During the excursions outside the village we were able to practice in taking pictures of beautiful places. Also by visiting the museums we learned a lot about the history of photography as well as about Slovakia. In conclusion through the professional photographers presentations we learned a lot of information about the art of photography and because we all stayed in the same place we had the opportunity to get to know each other better. It was wonderful experience for all of us.
Written by the Greek group and their youth leader Elina Panagou.