A 4th year student majoring in 191 Architecture and Town Planning of Educational and Research Institute of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Land Management of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Maryna Makukha became a participant of the Erasmus+ youth exchange “Into the wild”, which took place from 20 September to 1 October, 2024 in the French Alps, in the town of le Faï, with the support of Les Villages des Jeunes, Solidarites Jeunesses and the NGO UForum.
In the heart of the Alps, the association Les Villages des Jeunes manages, revitalises and renovates the reception centre of the Faï farm. It is a former farmland located at an altitude of 1000 metres, where fruit trees and lavender were previously grown. Although this project was more social than environmental, the organisers aimed to optimise the natural resources of the site, recycle their products, and use this opportunity to raise awareness of sustainability, the impact of food consumption, and to feel a sense of respect for nature and humanity.
As part of the “Into the Wild” project, for 10 days, a group of participants shared their daily lives with people of different nationalities on a farm in the middle of the mountains, where they collected wild plants and local fruits from the surrounding area to transform them for conservation and reflected on sustainability and the impact of our food consumption on the environment through informal educational workshops. The youth spent a lot of time in nature and used artistic tools (dance and clown workshop) to connect with sensitivity to nature and humanity.
Maryna Makukha shares her impressions of the project:
“In September 2024, I took part in an international youth exchange under the Erasmus+ programme “Into the Wild”, which took place in the picturesque French Alps on a restored lavender farm. The project was aimed at developing young people’s environmental awareness and promoting harmonious coexistence with nature.
During the training, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in wild natural landscapes, learn more about ecosystem conservation and realise the importance of sustainable consumption. We participated in various outdoor activities where we learnt to use environmentally friendly methods of interaction with nature. The session on studying the local flora and fauna was particularly interesting, as it highlighted the importance of biodiversity for maintaining the ecosystem.
In addition to environmental topics, the project also contributed to the development of personal and team skills. Each participant had the opportunity to take part in various workshops that included leadership exercises, teamwork, and reflections on our role in protecting the environment.
This trip has become an important part of my development as an environmental activist, and has provided me with new tools to further spread environmental knowledge among my community. In addition, I met a large number of like-minded people with whom we continue to keep in touch after the project. In the future, I plan to share the knowledge I have gained through social media, inspiring young people to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle.
Participation in the project also reminded me of the important values of the Erasmus+ programme, such as internationalism, mutual respect, tolerance, and the exchange of cultural experiences. Working together with participants from different countries helped me broaden my horizons, gain a deeper understanding of different approaches to environmental protection, and feel the power of international cooperation to solve global environmental problems.
Thanks to the project, I have gained new knowledge about sustainable practices in everyday life, such as waste management, water conservation, and the use of renewable energy sources. We also had the opportunity to learn about examples of local eco-projects in France, which inspired me to implement similar initiatives in my community.
Another important aspect of this trip was meeting new people. I met like-minded people with whom we explored together how our personal actions can affect global change. Open discussions, sharing experiences, and constant support for each other made this project especially valuable not only in terms of learning, but also in terms of creating new friendships that have the potential for future joint initiatives.
This trip has been a great opportunity for both personal and professional development, and I am confident that the knowledge gained as well as the new contacts will help me to further promote environmental education among young people in my country.
The Erasmus+ project “Into the Wild” has opened new horizons for me, giving me unforgettable impressions and becoming an impetus for even more active work in the field of environmental protection!”
This year, Maryna Makukha has already participated in two Erasmus+ academic exchange programmes, the “Wood Technology Hackathon” at the Widzem University of Applied Sciences and the 28th International Conference ICAMES 2024 (International Cultural and Academic Meeting of Engineering Students).
Recently, specialist of the International Cooperation Sector of International Relations Department of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Svitlana Koval took part in the international training course “ELF – Experimental Learning Festival”; a student became a participant of the Polish-Ukrainian youth exchange under the Erasmus+ programme dedicated to the consequences of the war in Ukraine, future translators studied practical cases of integrating EU youth goals by joining the Erasmus+ project in Turkey, Polytechnic students studied youth approaches to developing environmental projects at the regional and national levels in Poland, and student translators took part in an Erasmus+ youth exchange in Italy and studied how children’s games can teach teamwork, creativity, self-reflection, and social integration; a philology student Diana Abbasova took part in the Erasmus+ youth mobility project in Turkey, a second-year student of speciality 035 “Philology” Alina Alieksieieva took part in the Erasmus+ youth exchange in Spain dedicated to the impact of social media on young people, a student of Poltava Polytechnic took part in the grant programme “Study Tours to Poland”, a student of philology took part in a youth exchange in Romania dedicated to inclusion, students of Polytechnic took part in a youth exchange dedicated to discrimination and gender inequality, studied the preservation of natural resources and economic growth of young people through a healthy lifestyle, a student-translator took part in a youth project against discrimination, xenophobia and bullying; Polytechnic students took part in the Erasmus+ project dedicated to the development of environmental awareness among Europeans and held a charity auction; philology students mastered practical skills in the field of ecology and environmental protection, they considered the problem of alcohol addiction and methods of combating it, raised awareness of cultural diversity, and studied the problem of migrants and internally displaced persons.
It should be noted that students of Poltava Polytechnic have the opportunity to study abroad under the grant programmes of credit academic mobility for a semester or a whole academic year at the leading universities of Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
For more information about the current academic mobility programmes, please contact the International Relations Department (room 320-F, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the Coordinator of International Cooperation of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Kostiantynivna Pavelieva (room 310-C, email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +3-8-(095)-91-08-192).
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