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Youth Exchange

On the move

Balatonszemes, Hungary

Our Activity

In the quaint town of Balatonszemes, Hungary, just a few meters from shores of Lake Balaton known as the “Hungarian Sea” energetic and enthusiastic young people came together from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Czechia, Lithuania and Portugal, united by a shared purpose: learning more about mental and physical well-being. This gathering wasn’t just about gaining and perfecting knowledge, but about experiencing it through presentations, games, hands-on demonstrations, and heartfelt discussions.

The first few days focused on fostering unity, breaking the ice through engaging activities that encouraged movement and conversation. Everyone shared fun facts about their lives, speaking about their passions and dreams and getting out of their comfort zone. By the end of the second day, the atmosphere was full of excitement to connect, explore, and, most importantly, to learn. The bond they formed was like a sturdy bridge—solid, welcoming, and ready to support every step forward.

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Let the learning games begin!

With the foundations of friendship laid, the days that followed were filled with shared knowledge and a collective passion for physical activity. The participants delved into debate sessions, presentations, and games, each contributing to a vibrant exchange of ideas and experiences.

In the middle of the exchange, a sports tournament unfolded, where participants teamed up for friendly matches of volleyball, basketball, football, or table tennis. Here, competition took a backseat to camaraderie. They cheered for one another, celebrated every small triumph—whether or not it belonged to their team—and let their shared enthusiasm carry them forward. The sports field seemed to come alive, it was the heart of the otherwise quiet town, the collective joy of the participants had breathed new life into it.

After the high-energy tournament, the group found balance through a peaceful yoga session. Guided by a calm voice and relaxing music, they stretched their tired bodies and embraced the tranquility, using meditation to reflect and unwind. It was a serene contrast to the liveliness of the games, reminding everyone of the importance of finding equilibrium.

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Culture in the spotlight

During the vibrant cultural nights, participants from across Europe shared their rich heritage, creating an unforgettable exchange of traditions. They brought traditional food from home, letting everyone taste the flavors of their countries, while sharing fascinating stories and fun facts. The energy truly came alive as everybody engaged in traditional dances, filling the room with enthusiastic movement. These nights were more than just cultural showcases—they were heartfelt celebrations of diversity, uniting everyone through food, dance and shared joy.

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The final whistle of farewell

The activity felt like it lasted forever, yet ended all too soon. So much had happened in such a short time, and still, they longed for more moments together. As the mobility came to a close, tears filled many eyes. In those final moments, heartfelt hugs were exchanged, and the air was filled with promises to meet again, echoing through the soon-to-be quiet accommodation.

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Through our participants’ eyes

Health Heroes

ALEXIA

“The On the Move activity was a unique and valuable experience, offering me the chance to communicate and interact with people from different countries. I had the opportunity to learn many important things about physical and mental health, which helped me adopt a more balanced lifestyle. The activities were well-structured and engaging, and the volunteers were extremely organized and supportive.”

Health Heroes

RIN

“This activity was truly remarkable! It combined creativity, innovation and movement in a way that left a lasting positive impression. I am grateful to have had the opportunity of meeting old and beloved friends from past activities and to forge new international connections!”

Young Peoplein Action

BIANCA

“This activity meant the world to me, it helped me improve myself in ways that I didn’t even know existed. I’ve made a lot of awesome friendships, learnt more about the interesting theme and had so much fun on top of everything. I would always recommend and most definitely want to participate again.”

Results

Some of the cool things we did during this activity:

Ree(a)l Fitness

In one of the sessions, participants worked in teams to design creative workout routines in various styles and were challenged to present their ideas by creating a video.

Pilates Workout Video

HIIT Workout Video

Unmasking Perfection

In this session, they looked at how wellness influencers often make physical and mental health seem unrealistic online. In groups, each team created a short skit to humorously or critically show how social media can twist the way we see wellness.

Healthy Habits

Participants broke into teams and made videos about various unhealthy habits—spotlighting each problem and sharing their ideas for fixing it.

Invented Sports

In this session, they had to come up with a new sport and create an Instagram page to explain it and share what it’s all about.

Maze Running

Health Information

Participants worked in international teams to explore different aspects of healthy living and shared their insights through creative presentations.

Presentation On Long-Term Physical Health Presentation On Sports Negative Effects

Creative flipcharts created during the activity

Literacy competence Drawing emotions - Worry Overcoming Struggles

Drawing emotions - Overthinking Digital Competence Multilingual Competence

A few more moments from this activity :)

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Dissemination Events

Our participants engaged in dissemination and exploitation of results, sharing the knowledge, skills and experience gained during the activities, within their community.

Labanoras, Lithuania, September 2024

Dissemination by Noemi, attended by 44 young people.

OM LT Vilijos Cepulienes Sodyba OM LT Vilijos Cepulienes Sodyba

Pitești, Romania, October 2024

Bianca and Laura presented the activity in front of 27 schoolmates in Colegiul Naţional Zinca Golescu. They presented some of the learning sessions that happened and the positive impact that the overall experience had. Bianca also created and distributed flyers with pictures from the activity.

OM RO Zinca Golescu OM RO Zinca Golescu OM RO Zinca Golescu

Flyer created by Bianca

Esztergom, Hungary, October 2024

Domonkos and Tamas made a presentation and showed it to their classmates in Esztergomi SZC Bottyán János Technikum.

OM HU ESZC Bottyan Janos Technikum OM HU ESZC Bottyan Janos Technikum

Presentation created by Domonkos

Stříbro, Czehia, October 2024

Adela shared her experience and the interesting new things she learned about sports during the activity. She gave her presentation in front of her class at Gymnázium Stříbro, with a total of 29 people in attendance.

OM CZ Gymnazium Stribro OM CZ Gymnazium Stribro

Vilnius, Lithuania, October 2024

Aleksandra presented the learning outcomes of the activity and the positive experience to her classroom of 23 students. She also showed them some pictures taken during the youth exchange.

OM LT Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciausgimnazija OM LT Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciausgimnazija OM LT Vilniaus Jono Basanaviciausgimnazija

Presentation created by Aleksandra

Pitesti, Romania, October 2024

Irina and Ariana presented in front of their 30 classmates in Colegiul National Alexandru Odobescuand. They told them what they did in the activity and how they got to be a participant. They introduced E29 network, how to apply, where to find the info packs and the upcoming activities and what to expected if they go. Finally, they answered all the questions.

OM RO National College Alexandru Odobescu OM RO National College Alexandru Odobescu OM RO National College Alexandru Odobescu

Online, Serbia, October 2024

Vukasin jumped on a quick Zoom call with 43 colleagues to talk about his experience during the “On the Move” youth exchange, sharing great highlights — from the amazing people he met to the fun activities and everything he learned along the way.

OM RS Zoom

Topoloveni, Romania, October 2024

Dissemination by David at Liceul Teoretic Ion Mihalache, reaching 27 classmates and sharing his experience from On the Move. OM RO Liceul Teoretic Ion Mihalache

Porto, Portugal, October 2024

Dissemination by Rafael at home, where he taught 7 family members a traditional Hungarian dance.

Peniche, Portugal, November 2024

Noemi one of the participants, shared her experience to a group of 40 people.

OM PT Peniche Surf Camp OM PT Peniche Surf Camp OM PT Peniche Surf Camp

Jindřichův Hradec, Czechia, June 2025

Dissemination by Anna through an article in her school magazine at Gymnazium Vitezslava Novaka. Erasmus+ Opportunities

Latky, Slovakia, August 2025

Dissemination by Jakub, Aliz, Anna, Irina, and Ema, reaching 30 young people.

OM SK Rolnicke Druzstvo Latky OM SK Rolnicke Druzstvo Latky OM SK Rolnicke Druzstvo Latky

Funded by the European Union

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Tempus Közalapítvány. Neither the European Union nor the funding authority can be held responsible for them.

#Hungary#Mental health#Sport#Sustainability#Well-being#Youth Exchange