On February 24, 2022, after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, we all woke up to a different reality. This is a difficult time, which is why it is so important for young people from around the world to come together to create a better, safer future – without wars. This is the second round of meetings under the theme “Human rights as a digital citizen.” Discussions difficult, but much needed. Schools from Greece, Turkey, Great Britain (due to the ongoing war they did not participate in the meeting), Poland, as well as students from Ukraine, staying in our city, are participating.
Each day was really intense, it was endless conversations about the fact that the war took away our sense of security and freedom from all of us. However, we, according to the words of Mr. Starost Pavel Rajski, whom we visited on the second day of the meeting, look to the future with hope and believe that a better tomorrow is in the hands of young people. A secure future is a good education, which is why the time spent at the Center for Practical Education, where we were shown around by Mr. Director Marek Wojtasz, was so important in our program. A real respite was a concert of Chopin music performed by Mr. Professor Lukasz Kryjom at the Hunters’ Palace in Antonin. Many thanks to Mr. Andrzej Leraczyk for these unique emotions.
Day three of the project included presentations by individual countries on human rights in the virtual space and a panel discussion on etiquette in the digital world. We know very well how important it is to be off-line sometimes, so we spent a lot of time playing sports, messing around and another long walk through the streets of the city – with a break for ice cream, of course. In our project, the issue of human rights in the context of refugees is the most widely discussed, and none of us could have predicted that during our stay in Poland this would not be just a theoretical aspect. Many thanks to Ms. Karolina Krawczyk for presenting the situation of refugees from Ukraine in our city and the wonderful initiative of the Polish-Ukrainian House.
In every mobility there must be time for pearls such as Torun – as always magical and fragrant with gingerbread. A tour of the old city, gingerbread workshops, a walk along the Vistula River and a cruise will remain in our memory for a very long time. At times it was so hard to believe that it was only the fifth day of the meeting, because we felt like we had known each other forever. However, all good things come to an end quickly. By noon on Friday, the last quizzes, presentations, evaluations, summaries took place… It was so hard to part. After the evening certificate ceremony, we were so eager to still be able to enjoy ourselves that the dancing moved outside Klara restaurant. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank our partners and the Polish Erasmusks for every moment together, every conversation, every smile and every tear.
See you during the next mobility in October in England (Durham), in November in Turkey (Antalya), and in March 2022 in Greece (Athens).
