The topic of peace in times of war is not an easy one, especially for young people from Ukraine, who live every day in the midst of a full-scale invasion. That is why the participation of the Ukrainian group in the international youth exchange “Active Peace” in Tuscany was a special and controversial experience. Bringing together young people from Ukraine, Romania, Sakartvelo (Georgia), Spain, and Italy, the project aimed to explore the concepts of peace, conflict, and active citizenship in a multicultural context.
Despite the magical location, new acquaintances, and colorful cultural evenings, the members of the Ukrainian team also had many questions about the organization and conduct of the exchange. However, thanks to their internal cohesion, initiative, and support of each other, the participants were able to make this exchange meaningful. This article features the living voices of young people who are not afraid to tell the truth, search for meaning, and defend dignity even in the smallest of dialogues.
Maryna Z.
From May 9 to 16, I participated in the Active Peace youth exchange in a settlement near the city of Cecina, Italy. 27 participants arrived from 4 countries – Ukraine, Spain, Sakartvelo and Romania.
This is my 4th youth project and the second with Kateryna. From the very beginning, I felt a little out of place because of my older age – since I am 25, and most of the participants were 19 years old. So the group organically divided into younger ones and the rest. Because of this, the sessions felt like you were at school – loud, inattentive, stupid jokes.
A separate article can be written about the host organization Umbrella academy – from the organizers, only coach Antonio and Stephanie were present. In connection with the topic of ticket refunds, there was Valeria. Among the advantages of organizing the event, I will name the location, food, interesting energizers, a free day in Chechnya and compensation for lunch for the day we were supposed to go.
Among the disadvantages:
⁃ time management, its absence. Each session started at least half an hour later, we did not follow the agenda. Cultural evenings took place without planning by the organizers, there was a facap with a cultural evening of Sakartvelians and Romanians – they set up tables and food, but when it was about to come to the presentations, Antonio told everyone to watch the talent show, which partially involved exchange participants. This talent show was not about the exchange, but the initiative of the restaurant where we held the sessions. Sakartvelians were very disappointed, as were the Ukrainians.
⁃ Preparation of the facilitator, her absence. Antonio conducted all the sessions, from the first day it was clear that he did not follow the agenda, did not research the topic of peace, did not know the methods of working with a group, did not possess the competencies of a youth worker, did not position himself as an authority, did not promote critical thinking. A special point in Antonio was the inability to hear feedback, he nodded, listened, but did not hear – we asked him on WhatsApp to say the start time of the sessions, to share the planned activities. We also asked him not to touch the participants, not to rub their shoulders, not to joke in a sexually explicit manner. But throughout the project, all the negative aspects of the trainer did not change. After the failure of the cultural evening of Georgians and Romanians, I and another participant expressed disappointment with the organizer on WhatsApp, but in the morning Antonio facilitated a discussion where his main question was that we were spoiling the positive vibe and hurting feelings. In private conversations with the group leader, he expressed dissatisfaction with our negative feedback during the sessions, asking us not to rejoice in it. My impression was that he directed the group to be silent participants who could only express positive feedback. It was especially uncomfortable that he ignored repeated requests not to physically touch the girls participating. Since all the sessions were led only by Antonio, who clearly had no orientation in the topic of peace, and since Sakartvelians with experience of war and protests, Ukrainians with experience of war came here, the sessions were in the format: theater of the oppressed, but in reality these are skits about the conflict where everything turns into a surreal, stories about peace, but you pass a piece of paper around the circle and it turns into a surreal, you draw a pebble on the topic of peace, you shoot a video, but if you are in a group with Antonio, it ends with a surreal. Several sessions initiated by the Ukrainian team, which wanted deep discussions on the topic of peace, were conducted by Kateryna and Marina. They were the only ones filled with theory, thorough, and if it were not for the influence of Antonio’s ideas on Marina’s writing session, they would not have turned into a thriller.
During the cultural evening, Antonio watched football instead of listening. So I hold the opinion that he does not see value in them, so he does not contribute to their implementation.
⁃ The feeling that your time is being stolen – whether by a delayed start, or a session in which nothing happens and half of the participants are sleeping, or because the organizer did not take care of the projector, did not think that the secret friend should start on the first day. The cultural evenings were organized by the participants, there was not enough support.
⁃ The goal of the project was not achieved. Those participants who came without understanding peace went home anyway.
The only serious activity organized not by Ukrainians but by Antonio, which contributed to the topic of exchange, was the video shooting. We were in the Georgian team and shot a great video with a serious attitude to the topic.
So the credit for the activity goes to the creative Sakartvelian and Ukrainian women.
⁃ Organization of meals – at lunches and dinners we waited from 8 pm to 1 am already sitting in our seats. Sometimes the reason was the organizers being late, sometimes misunderstandings, sometimes for incomprehensible reasons.
⁃ Lack of logic in the activities.
⁃ Lack of the Pacifist Manifesto, which was supposed to be there if you trust the infopack.
I would like to thank the Ukrainian team separately for their reflections and support during the most boring and unnecessary sessions. Kateryna, as intellectually and emotionally supporting the team, tried to change the course of the project on her own, but unfortunately this is impossible even with three sessions.
I would like to sincerely congratulate Marina from our team on her first creative writing session. I hope the next session will be free from the influence of incompetent experts who will change its course.
Ulyana
It was my first time participating in an Erasmus+ youth exchange.
It was an interesting experience and a trip to Italy. The project was attended by Ukrainians, Italians, Spaniards, Kartvelebi (Georgians) and Romanians.
The first days were days of getting to know each other.
We had interesting tasks to help us remember each other’s names. We lined up by age and eye colour (mine were the lightest).
We played a secret friend and gave each other gifts, and on the last day we declassified who was whose friend)
The theme of the project was ‘active peace’.
We talked about peace, conflicts, problems and their solutions.
As for me, unfortunately, there was not enough talk about the topic, or it was revealed in a completely different way than I expected.
There was a lot of talk about all sorts of everyday or not critical conflicts, but I wanted to study the topic of peace, war, and so on more globally.
What did we do and what were the activities?
Some of the most interesting tasks for me were:
- Everyone wrote their own story about peace
- Then we illustrated it with our own efforts and skills, the result was radically different for everyone, but it was also cool)
- Video about peace. We were randomly divided into groups and chose a topic ourselves, but it had to be related to the topic of our exchange. Since I am a content maker, I took on the responsibilities of director, cameraman, editor, the one who constantly shouts “silence/shut up), subtitle maker, I can go on and on with the list of my responsibilities and contributions to this video, but I am grateful to all the participants for their help and contribution of their ideas. This experience was interesting, enjoyable, difficult, but I’m happy with the result, because it turned out the way I wanted and saw it).
Cultural evenings. It was very exciting. Each group of participants prepared tables with their own goodies, flags or traditional clothes. They talked about the situation in their country, sights, culture, language, traditions. As for me, the cultural evenings are one of the best moments of the project, because, firstly, it was well remembered, and secondly, it was very interesting, interactive, informative and tasty.
For our part, we made a presentation and talked about the war, the occupied territories, why we came as a group of 8 girls without boys, then we told and showed them embroidered shirts, kryvulka, sylianka, gerdan, and towels. I also took my husband’s chevron to demonstrate and told them about call signs. They showed dancing, singing, and played ‘dzherelce’.
We also learned a lot of interesting things at cultural evenings in other countries. We saw Romanian embroidered shirts similar to ours and tasted some delicious rum. The Spaniards tasted jamon, cheese, and saw picturesque places and a general presentation of the country. Georgians shared their situation in the country, the constant rallies, told us about traditions, clothes, dances, and brought us wine, chacha, delicious churchella, suluguni and spices to taste.
The 7 days of the exchange went by quite quickly, although the first days were very tiring and exhausting, the project was over. I am glad that my first exchange took place in Italy, in such a beautiful place and with a great team.
Despite the shortcomings in the organisation of the exchange and the sessions, and the lack of time management, I am interested in taking the opportunity to apply and participate in the next exchanges and be useful with my knowledge and experience to others, and I want to develop and gain new knowledge and experience through such youth exchanges. I am grateful to our team leader Kateryna for taking everything into her own hands and conducting several interesting sessions filled with theory and interesting practice, as well as supporting us! And to the NGO ‘European Club’ for the opportunity to participate in such projects and the development of our youth!
Daryna
The youth exchange “Active Peace” has come to an end, and I would like to share my impressions.
I’m really happy that so many amazing people came together. We shared experiences, spent time together, and discussed important topics. The first few days were especially exciting — I dove into the project headfirst. We wrote stories, got to know each other, and talked about our lives and countries.
One very meaningful element for me was the presence of reflection sessions. They allowed us to connect as a team, discuss how to improve relationships within the group, and simply share our emotions. There were many positive moments — I finally saw the sea, enjoyed the beautiful landscapes, and made real connections and friendships with people from different cultures.
However, not everything went smoothly.
One of the main issues was the organization. Throughout the project, Antonio (our organizer) consistently showed a lack of respect for the cultures represented. He watched football during country presentations, asked inappropriate questions at times, was often late to his own sessions, and seemed to make up activities on the spot.
I also want to mention what happened during the cultural evening. The Ukrainian night went quite well overall, but near the end, Antonio rushed people to go to another show. While we were still cleaning up, he threw out a dismissive comment: “They’ve been waiting for you there.” That moment felt especially disrespectful.
The following evening was supposed to be the cultural night for Sakartvelo (Georgia) and Romania. People had prepared decorations, flags, and presentations — but it never happened. Antonio scheduled two events at the same time: the cultural evening and the talent show. Without asking anyone, he pushed everyone to attend the talent show instead.
I couldn’t understand why this was seen as more important. The theme of our project was Peace, not Who can perform better on stage. I tried to discuss the issue and understand what happened, and how it could have been avoided — but I never received a clear answer. Instead, we were subtly told that “conflicts have no place in the project.” In other words, rather than apologizing or resolving the situation, the organizers chose silence.
It’s also important to highlight the great work done by the organization “Prostir Idei”. Our team leader, Kateryna, supported us from the very beginning. She helped us buy tickets, met us in Pisa, and led excellent reflection sessions. I truly felt supported throughout the whole exchange. I never hesitated to reach out to her, and every time the answer was clear: yes, she’s here to help.
A special highlight for me was our trip to Cecina. We had a wonderful time, breathed in the sea air, took beautiful photos, and fully enjoyed our time in Italy.
In conclusion, although there were some shortcomings in the organization, I still truly enjoyed the project. I met incredible people and created unforgettable memories. Thank you for your attention!
Tanya
Participation in the Erasmus+ youth exchange in Italy as part of the Active Peace program was a real discovery for me, as it was my first Erasmus+ project. And this experience was not just new – it was deep, emotional, and inspiring.
We talked about peace. It was not easy – how can you talk about peace when there is a war in your country? But it was this topic that made the project a turning point for me. For the first time, I openly shared my personal story in English so that others could understand that this is not just news – it is our daily reality. I am grateful for the support I received and for the new friends I met.
Since I dream of becoming a politician, it was especially important for me to participate in intercultural dialogue, discuss international approaches to peacebuilding, and understand how young people from different countries see the future. For me, it was not just a project; it was a step towards better representing my country and working for the benefit of society in the future.
The session held by the Ukrainian team was the strongest. We talked not only about theory but also about our own experience. This is what gave our words real depth. The other sessions sometimes seemed less thoughtful or emotionally distant, but we had the opportunity to create and run our own, and it was a great chance to prove ourselves.
The participants from Spain, Romania and Georgia were sincere, open and friendly. The atmosphere was warm and the moments we spent together were unforgettable.
I am sincerely grateful to the organizers of the Active Peace program and the Kremenchuk Information and Education Center “European Club” for the opportunity to become part of this project. It was an important step in my personal and professional development, and I already know that this is just the beginning.
Marіa
My second experience within Erasmus+ began with the arrival at Montescudaio Village, Tuscany, Italy. At first sight, the place impressed me with its beauty: a spacious area with a pool, incredible landscapes and a sense of peace. Although I was very tired after the long journey, it was a wonderful start to an international project dedicated to the topic of peace. However, it would have been nice to have a little time to rest.
The first day started with getting to know the participants. We had the whole day to learn more about each other, share our stories and discover new cultures. This brought us very close and helped us quickly find a common language, especially with the team from Sakartvelo. Every morning we took part in energizers – fun activities that set a positive mood and gave us energy for the entire day.
One of the most interesting experiences was the forum theatre, where we acted out conflict situations and searched for ways to resolve them together. At first, it was a real challenge for me, as I had never done any acting before. But thanks to the support of the team, I was able to overcome my fear and perform on stage. It became a real personal victory. After the theatre performances, we moved on to creating stories about peace. It was exciting not only to come up with plots but also to draw illustrations for them. Each story had its own meaning and reflected our understanding of peace.
In addition, we immersed ourselves in the culture of different countries during the cultural evenings. Spain, Romania, Sakartvelo – each country presented its traditions, offered national dishes, we danced, sang and simply enjoyed the atmosphere of unity. It was truly unforgettable! It was also valuable that we had the opportunity to present Ukrainian culture and tell the international participants about the situation in our country.
The key event was the creation of a video about peace. I was especially touched by the cooperation with the Sakartvelo team. We immediately found a common language and together developed a concept that reflected the change in the meaning of the word “peace” before and after the war. The filming process was inspiring and the result was deep and emotional. In general, they became our friends and it was lovely to receive small candle gifts from them at the end of the project – very sweet.
One of the most anticipated days was the trip to Cecina by the sea. It was a real mental reset: we walked along the coast, had lunch on the beach, took photos and just enjoyed the moment. After such intense days, it felt like a breath of fresh air.
Every evening we held reflections within the Ukrainian group. These were moments of sincere conversations where we shared our impressions, discussed what we liked and what could be improved. It helped us feel supported, realize that we were going through similar emotions, and simply spend time in a warm atmosphere. Thanks to this, many local memes appeared within our group. It was powerful!
However, there were also some drawbacks that left a slightly unpleasant impression. Firstly, there was poor time management during the project. Sometimes we just sat around without tasks, doing our own things. Another unpleasant moment was the conflict between the organizer and some participants, which was accompanied by a lack of respect for certain cultures. This slightly spoiled the impression of the project. Still, I try to focus only on the positive moments because it was an incredible experience!
I believe that “Active Peace” is about vivid emotions, new friendships, cultural exchange and valuable life lessons. Despite some difficulties, I took away so much: I learned to work in a team, to overcome my fears, to respect cultural differences and to truly appreciate peace. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I’m sure these memories will stay with me forever. I will really miss the people I became close to during this time…
Anna-Maria
Week of active peace in Італії⬇️🇮🇹
So, we didn’t go to eat pizza and swim at the sea, we went to talk and learn about peace ☮️.
☮️ What touched me the most was talking about “peace” with participants from other countries. It was very interesting to hear how differently we all understand what peace is and how it can be achieved. For us, Ukrainians, this topic is not just a state that will suddenly happen. It is about our future. It is important for us not to be silent – to talk about Ukraine, about the war, and why peace is so important to us.
📝 I especially remember the theoretical sessions from Kateryna – she really knows how to talk about complex things in an accessible way. It was interesting and deep.
🎎 Special love – cultural evenings! We learned about other countries through dancing, food, stories and jokes. These are not just parties – it’s a way to understand each other.
👭 And also our Ukrainian team. In these few days, we have become like a small family. Support, laughter, late night conversations – all this will stay with me for a long time.
🍽️ And the most delicious thing is that Italian pizza and lasagne are now a part of me and I am half pizza!
❤️🩹 This exchange gave me not only new knowledge, but also a lot of inspiration, acquaintances and confidence that we are part of a large global dialogue about the future.
Maryna S.
Since this exchange organized by Space of Ideas was my first experience with the Erasmus+ program, I didn’t have any clear expectations—just a general idea of what it might be like. However, the week turned out to be incredibly vibrant and pleasantly surprising.
The highlights for me were the daily reflections with our Ukrainian group, the funny local jokes, and engaging conversations with participants from other countries. Thanks to the sessions led by Kateryna, I gained a deeper understanding of the key competences developed through such exchanges and how they manifest in real life.
It was also a great opportunity to reflect on what the word PEACE means to me personally, and what its components are in my life. By the end of the project, our Ukrainian group had formed a strong bond with the participants from Sakartvelo, and together we created a video about peace that I’m truly proud of.
This exchange gave me valuable experience and many wonderful new connections, which I am genuinely grateful for!
