Some experiences continue to live somewhere within your life even after they end. Social Inclusion for New Generations was exactly that kind of experience for me.

It was my first Erasmus+ project and also the first time I had ever travelled abroad. That made it meaningful even before it began. By the end, however, I realized that it had become much more than my first international journey. It was also an important process through which I began to understand myself, other people and different cultures more closely.

The project's main purpose was to help people feel that they are part of society and to address social exclusion. Through different activities and experiences, we explored how important it is for people to feel safe, valued and that they belong.

Another important aspect for me was experiential learning. Instead of only listening to a subject, we learned by living it, applying it and then reflecting on what we had experienced.

Perhaps this is why such a relatively short period felt like a much longer journey.

My First Step into Câmpina

We arrived in Câmpina towards the evening. We were tired from travelling, so we rested for a while. The Romanian team's decision to order food after noticing how tired we were was a lovely gesture. From the very first day, we felt welcomed and cared for.

That evening we met the Spanish team. Although we had only just met, we quickly began to connect.

In a way, my Erasmus experience had already begun on that first night. For the first time in my life, I was in another country sharing the same environment with people from different cultures. I felt both curious and excited.

First Encounters and the Beginning of Music

The following day was filled with activities designed to help us get to know one another. Their playful nature quickly reduced the initial shyness.

I especially appreciated our coordinator Carla's effort to involve everyone in the process. She constantly communicated with the group, introduced people to one another and made sure that nobody remained outside the activities.

We soon began building new friendships. One of the best parts of the day was making music together with people we had only just met.

Discovering Erasmus+ and New Cultures

Alongside the activities, we attended a detailed presentation about Erasmus+. I learned more about how the programme works, the purpose of its projects and the opportunities it offers young people.

I was beginning to understand the structure behind a programme I had previously known only from a participant's perspective.

That evening we joined the Bulgarian cultural night. We discovered traditions, dances and food, danced together and experienced another culture at close range.

On another evening we explored Lithuanian culture. I realized how little I had previously known about Lithuania and learned about its traditions, food and cultural practices.

Discovering another country almost every evening soon became one of the most special parts of the project for me.

Telling a Story in One Minute

One activity challenged us to produce an engaging video with a meaningful message in just one minute.

As the Turkish team, we created our video by singing Manga's We Could Be the Same.

Developing an idea in a limited time, combining it with visuals and music and producing something together was a highly creative experience.

Thinking Seriously About Social Inclusion

In another activity, we explored disadvantaged groups in our own countries and presented our findings to one another.

We discussed how people do not have equal opportunities within society and how education, economic circumstances, culture, social environments and many other factors can leave some people excluded.

This helped me understand the project's central idea more deeply.

That evening, while dancing to Latin music during the Spanish cultural night, I realized how many different musical traditions we had already encountered in just a few days. My own understanding of music was beginning to change as well.

A Day in Bucharest

We took a break from project activities for a day and travelled to Bucharest. This allowed us to experience Romania not only through the town where we were staying but also through its capital.

We attended a presentation about the European Union and then began exploring the city. Walking through different streets, observing our surroundings, seeing new places and spending time with project friends was enjoyable.

The day had another significance for me. For the first time, I was moving independently in another country and navigating a new environment in a different city.

Schools in Câmpina and Making Music with Children

The school visits became one of the most meaningful parts of the project. We visited schools covering different educational levels in Câmpina, beginning with primary schools.

We explained the purpose of our project to the students and made plenty of music together. Here, we did not merely discuss social inclusion. We experienced it directly.

Communicating with children from different age groups, making music together and seeing their reactions was wonderful.

We also gave a public concert in the town square as part of International Children's Day.

That evening we joined the Italian cultural night, discovering another culture, tasting traditional foods and enjoying music together.

Creating Our Own Company

One of the following activities was very different from the others. We created our own company and worked on how to market it.

We designed a brand soundtrack and poster and then presented what we had created.

The exercise involved much more than creativity. It also gave us experience in teamwork, presentations, developing ideas and communicating those ideas to other people.

Sharing Our Own Culture

Throughout the project, we had joined the cultural nights of different countries, tasted their food, listened to their music and learned their dances. Eventually it was our turn to introduce Türkiye.

Sharing our culture, music and traditions with the other participants was important to us.

The experience showed me that cultural exchange is never one-sided. While learning about other cultures, you also rediscover your own.

A tradition or song that seems completely ordinary in everyday life can be fascinating to someone from another country. That allows you to look at your own culture from the outside.

Preparing for the Big Concert

As the project approached its end, preparations for the main concert became more intensive. We rehearsed throughout the day and prepared songs together with the Italian team.

People from different countries preparing the same songs together almost summarized the entire project.

At the beginning, we did not know one another. We spoke different languages, listened to different music and came from different cultures. Now we were preparing to sing together on the same stage.

The Polish cultural night became another part of this journey. With every new culture I encountered, I felt that my perspective on the world was becoming broader.

Towards the Big Stage

When concert day arrived, we spent much of the day rehearsing. We then moved to the main stage for the soundcheck.

The concert was built around history, the four classical elements and cultures. We brought together on stage many of the things we had learned, created and worked on throughout the project.

We performed the concert for the local community.

Goodbyes

At the end of the project, we did the opposite of the activities we had done on the first day. This time, instead of meeting one another, we were saying goodbye.

It was not easy. Realizing that people who had been complete strangers only days earlier had already gained an important place in our lives was emotional.

We had not simply participated in activities. We had eaten together, made music, danced, travelled, talked, laughed and sometimes become tired together.

Saying goodbye therefore did not simply mean that a project was ending. It meant that the everyday life we had created together was coming to an end.

We completed the project with the Romanian cultural night. Saying goodbye while learning more about the culture of the country that had welcomed us felt like an appropriate ending.

What Did I Take Home?

When I left Romania, I was not carrying only a suitcase filled with clothes. I also had a suitcase filled with memories.

This had been my first Erasmus+ project and my first trip abroad. Before it began, I could not fully imagine how significant the experience would become.

I met people my age from different cultures and had the opportunity to talk with them at length, hear about their lives and listen to how they saw the world.

Almost every evening introduced me to another country's culture. I discovered traditions, foods, music and cultural practices from countries about which I had previously known almost nothing.

I also developed musically in ways I had not expected. I listened to ethnic melodies from different countries, observed different approaches to music and saw how easily music could support communication between people.

Living in another country, speaking with people from different cultures and listening to their lives also gave me an opportunity to look at my own life from the outside.

Through this project, I learned not only about other countries but also a great deal about myself.

More Than an Erasmus+ Project

Social Inclusion for New Generations was much more than an Erasmus+ project for me.

It was my first experience abroad. It was the first time I had lived in the same environment with so many people from different cultures. It was also the first time I had experienced so closely how music could become a powerful communication tool between different people.

In two weeks, I felt as though I had learned as much as I might normally learn in two years.

The experience showed me how important it is to feel part of society, valued and that you belong.

Most importantly, I learned that our differences do not have to separate us. Sometimes a song, a dance, shared laughter or simply sitting around the same table and talking can create a powerful connection between people.

When I left Romania, my suitcase contained something far more valuable than clothes: new friendships, stories from different cultures, memories filled with music and an experience that had changed the way I looked at the world.

I had gone to Câmpina to participate in an Erasmus+ project. I returned with much more.