Hello, my name is Paula Uz, I am 16 years old and I live in the beautiful city of Lugo, in Galicia, in the north of Spain.
This summer, I had the opportunity to take part in the “Step Up! Youth Mental Health” program — a youth exchange organized by the Lar de Artemis Association, in collaboration with:
● Le Tre Ghinee APS (Italy)
● ROSTO Solidario (Portugal)
● Yelken Gençlik Derneği (Turkey)
● IKAROS Foundation for Active Youth (Romania)
Funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ program.
Twenty young participants, two facilitators, and five group leaders from Italy, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and Spain took part in the exchange.
The meeting was held in July 2025 in my beautiful walled city. From the very first day, it was an incredible experience — we shared breakfast, introduced ourselves, and with the help of the leaders, organized into groups and explored our city through a treasure hunt.
As one of the hosts, my mission was to find a series of unique historical landmarks in my city. I was joined by a group leader and four participants, one from each country. Thanks to this immersive game, I was able to show them some of Lugo’s most meaningful places such as:
● Santo Domingo Square
● Cathedral of Lugo
● Rosalía de Castro Park
● The Roman Wall and the Roman Bridge
This non-formal and inclusive learning space helped us break the ice, share laughter, stories, and experiences, and get to know each other better. I can honestly say it was a step out of my comfort zone, as until then I had never shared this kind of experience with people from other countries.
As a participant, being able to address topics such as youth mental health in a relaxed and creative way — which at first might seem not so appealing at our age — helped me grow. We practiced active listening, put ourselves in other people’s shoes, reflected, expressed our opinions with empathy, shared our personal stories, opened our Pandora’s boxes, and faced fears or situations we might never have imagined before — all in a safe space where we knew we would not be judged.
We approached all these topics from an informal and cultural methods — games, art, painting, dance, theatre, and group presentations. Although I’m used to working in groups, using English as the main language to communicate with people from different countries and cultures opened my horizons. I realized that we are not so different, even if we come from diverse backgrounds, and that the best part of sharing experiences is listening, reasoning, sharing, understanding, and supporting those who need it at the right moment.
Seeing how others perceive your strengths and weaknesses, things you might not even have noticed about yourself, helps you understand who you are and realize that your fears are not as big as they seem and that you can overcome them.
The intercultural nights were one of the highlights of the summer in my city. Sharing long conversations in such a relaxed and friendly environment helped us socialize and connect as participants.
What helped me most in my personal growth process was having the opportunity to design and lead activities, with the guidance and support of the leaders and facilitators. Convincing yourself that you are capable of creating and leading activities gives you a rush of adrenaline. It makes you believe in yourself and see that you have enough potential to do things on your own, not only for yourself but also to positively impact the well-being of others.
Being able to help in the development of society and in the personal growth of many people is, from my point of view, the best way to grow and to contribute a part of yourself — and of the group you share experiences with — to the community, and to do so naturally.
The treatment we received from the organizers throughout the project was exceptional. I would love to keep participating and collaborating with them in the development of new projects, to share what I’ve learned, keep learning, and, of course, to contribute my small part to society.
We truly need this kind of experience, especially among young people, because sometimes we feel judged and undervalued. It often seems like we don’t want to engage with the world around us or get involved in the real problems of our society. One way to show that we do care is by taking part in projects where we have a voice and a choice, where we can listen, share, and contribute our point of view.
I hope to see you all soon in another exciting Erasmus+ project!
Best regards,
Paula Uz