At the start of the youth exchange project

It’s true! Your youth exchange with participants from other countries in one place has finally started!

You must be under so many different impressions and you are probably wondering which thoughts and feelings to focus on. We are here to help! :)

Once you have some minutes at the end of the day, either alone or in your reflection or country group, we prepared a few activities for you to help you process all the excitements of the first day. We know that time is precious and there is so much to do and experience, but allocating time for your learning is very important. The first insights are precious and you can only gather them at the start.

So, enjoy gathering :)

We did not forget about the key reflection questions for you:

• Did I surprise myself today by doing something new or brave? What does this tell me about myself?
• What strengths do I bring to the group, and how do they help us work well together?
• What makes me feel comfortable here? And what feels a bit uncomfortable?
• How easy or hard is it for me to share my thoughts in the group? How am I finding my voice?
• How is communicating in different languages going for me? What helps me be understood when words are difficult?
• What am I noticing about people from other cultures and ways of thinking? Is anything different from what I expected?
• What new ideas am I hearing about the topic, and how does it connect to my own life?

Purpose	Method	You will need:
To reflect on the first steps, feelings and learning	First Step Reflection	or
To understand how to challenge yourself to learn	Comfort and Stretch Zones Map
To learn more about myself as a communicator	My Voice, My Story	or
To explore myself as an intercultural learner	Cultural Navigation Moments
To understand my learning progress about the topic	Topic Identity Card