For Kostas Sianopoulos its the fifth year of dealing with youth exchanges particularly with Greek-German ones. Why? It is his origin from Lechovo, Florina, a village known for its culture of remembrance. There he discovered that exchanges of youngsters can provide solutions for a lot of problems – if they are given the correct stimuli.

Implementing youth exchanges and consultations for me is a necessity. They have a positive effects on both, countries and societies in general in bilateral relations. The relations between Greece and Germany have changed in waves, including wars and a brutal time of occupation during World War II. In recent years Greece has been plagued by the economic crisis, which led to the manifestation of new stereotypes and tarnished the relations of the two countries.

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Blogpost 2: THE RESULTS OF THE YOUTH EXCHANGE BETWEEN LECHOVO &BERLIN

In summer 2014 I participated in the first youth exchange program organized by the Union Association „O Profitis Ilias“ and the Protestant association „Peace of Peace“ in the German capital Berlin. The program was funded by the Foundation „Memory, Responsibility and Future“. Before our participation there was a strange climate on both sides because of the 2nd World War, the crimes committed by the Nazis in Greece and in our community, the occupying forces and new superstitions born out of the economic crisis. Of course during the program we all became a family and we have gained many new experiences. Based on the past, we had built an image that was in no way close to reality.  

The 17-year-old Maria Tsoutsa at Deutsche Welle says that the trip to Germany as well as discussions with Germans is of particular importance to Lechovo’s children: „First of all I learned a lot about their culture, lifestyle, level, which, as we have seen, is very good. But also in the intellectual field we have received a lot that has changed not just my own thinking, but also the rest of the children. We started setting more goals, we pondered different things, and how we want to move in the future.” 

At the end of the program, I noticed around myself and the rest of the children an enthusiastic attitude, but also a wave of anxiety about the future. We gathered, and concluded that we should not stay idle and to invest our experiences in our futures. A few months later, we set up an informal youth council and did a lot of activities in Lechovo, such as: volunteering, festivals, amateur interviews with survivors and much more with the valuable help of the local club. We escaped from routine and impatience and in general changed the mood of young people.  

Unfortunately in the past few years there have been very few youth exchange programs between Greece and Germany. The main reasons are the lack of funding but also the inability to find an agency to cooperate with. An example to be remembered is, the exchanges between Germany, with France, and Germany, with Poland for many years; With the help of their respective youth institutions. Isn’t it time for the state to be more responsible towards the young?

Text and picture: Konstantinos Sianopoulos

 

This blog post is part of a small series, where young people share their perspectives on living together in Europe.