A fourth-year student of the specialty 035 “Philology” of the Faculty of Philology, Psychology and Pedagogy of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Anna Nesterenko and students of group EN – 4-1 of the operational department of the Poltava College of Oil and Gas of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Mariia Pashchenko and Kateryna Hotra took part in the youth exchange under the Erasmus+ programme “Pedal for life”, which took place from September 30 to October 10, 2022 in the Turkish city of Bursa. The large-scale international event took place with the support of the NGO “Development and Initiative” and the project coordinator Kateryna Priazhnikova.
In total, 60 young people from seven countries of the world participated in the youth exchange – Ukraine, Norway, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Turkey. They discussed the prospects of improving cycling, reducing problems with physical health, accidents, preserving natural resources and economic growth of young people through healthy driving. The main and incredibly atmospheric location of the project was the rural resort complex “Nefes Dağyenice Park Resort”, where the participants had the opportunity to perfectly combine educational and cultural activities.
Throughout the entire project, experienced coaches conducted interactive presentations, open discussions and role-playing games. Each national team presented various workshops, where the participants discussed the peculiarities, achievements and shortcomings in the field of sports of the participating countries, showed creativity in performing the proposed creative tasks, in particular, in the development of a new unusual sport, completed interesting quests and competed in a wide variety of physical activities.
“A lot of positive emotions and unforgettable impressions were brought by a joint hike around the hills and forest near the settlement of Dagyenice. For almost the whole day we enjoyed the beauty of Turkish landscapes, breathed fresh mountain air, talked with new foreign friends and sang songs. No less exciting was the day spent in the largest adventure park in Turkey, which was located on the territory of the complex. First, we were provided with all the necessary equipment, and then we went through different levels of obstacles on the cable car and even tried the zipline. In addition, we pedaled not only on a bicycle, but also on a catamaran, when one day we were offered a ride on the lake near which the complex was located. In addition, we walked and explored the sights of the city of Bursa, visited the largest mosque “Ulu Jami”, immersed in the local atmosphere and enjoyed the oriental flavor. The positive impressions are simply overwhelming!” – shared project participant Anna Nesterenko.
According to students of the Poltava College of Oil and Gas of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Mariia Pashchenko and Kateryna Hotra, during the project they were able to acquire unique practical skills, improve their own level of foreign language skills, and increase awareness of the project’s subject matter in the context of global science development trends and best world practices.
The project program was extremely rich and intensive, every day the participants had 2-3 sessions lasting from one to two hours, during which they discussed the topic of the project, learned to work in a team and complete tasks within the given time, held debates, during which they developed oratory skills and the ability to defend their own point of view.
The cultural evenings of each of the represented participating countries became especially interesting and informative. Young people learned more about traditions, customs and ceremonies directly from the speakers, had the opportunity to dispel existing stereotypes, learn national dances and, of course, try national dishes and drinks. At the cultural evening of Ukraine, the national team introduced the participants to Ukrainian culture and told about the crimes committed by the russian army on the territory of our country, reminded about the courageous resistance of the Ukrainian people and the need for their constant support from other countries of the world.
“I remember how at the beginning of our acquaintance, the project facilitator Süleyman Ayaz Karadağ said: ‘My goal is that at the end of the project you will say that you had a good time.’ And he really succeeded, it was truly unforgettable! For me personally, participation in the Erasmus+ project is a unique opportunity to gain tremendous experience and practical knowledge in a short period of time, to carry out a personal upgrade, to exchange thoughts and ideas with like-minded people from other countries, to develop creativity, openness, to improve the teamwork skills, as well as skills of adaptation and solving a certain circle problems.
I am extremely grateful to the Ukrainian NGO “Development and Initiative” for the opportunity to become a part of this project and directly to the project coordinator Kateryna Priazhnikova for valuable help and useful advice in preparing for the trip. I also want to thank my teacher – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation of the Poltava Polytechnic Anna Pavelieva, who constantly motivates us, students, to participate in similar projects, helps and supports us on the way to success. I sincerely recommend not being afraid and participating in Erasmus+ projects to everyone who wants to open new horizons, expand their worldview, make friends around the world and just have a good time. It’s totally worth it!” – commented student of the Faculty of Philology, Psychology and Pedagogy of the Poltava Polytechnic Anna Nesterenko.
“We hope for new meetings with active, proactive youth of European countries, we believe that there will be many more such trainings ahead, as now we simply cannot imagine our life without Erasmus+ projects. We sincerely thank the teachers of the college for all-round support, positive motivation and promotion of our initiatives!” – shared their impressions project participants, students of the Poltava College of Oil and Gas, Mariia Pashchenko and Kateryna Hotra.
It should be recalled that student-architects presented the concept of a bicycle route to connect two Poltava parks, bicycle parking spaces were installed in Poltava according to the project of a graduate of the Educational and Research Institute of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Land Management, and the rector of the Poltava Polytechnic is leading traditional bicycle races with students.
Previously, a translation student became a participant 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 acquired practical skills in the field of ecology and environmental protection and considered the problem alcohol addiction as well as methods of combating it, raised the level of awareness of cultural diversity, studied the problem of displaced persons/migrants and internally displaced persons.
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