Dates: 10 to 16 October 2025. Place: Durrës and Golem, Albania – close to the sea, with beautiful beach walks throughout the week. Programme: Erasmus+ ACT-YOU training on inclusion and active youth participation.

Why I was there

ACT-YOU (project number 2024-3-BE04-KA153-YOU-000279439 ) brings youth workers and youth leaders together to make everyday youth work more inclusive and practical. It develops skills for human rights, democracy, and peaceful coexistence, and builds a European network that lasts beyond the course.

Main objectives I worked on:

• Build a strong , cross-border network supporting young people with fewer opportunities;
• Strengthen daily youth work with locally rooted, usable methods;
• Design accessible, inclusive initiatives from the start;
• Share knowledge that directly benefits both youth workers and marginalised young people.

First dinner, first voices – and the sea nearby

After a long travel day, our first dinner was inside the restaurant at Hotel Prince. Not on the beach, but near enough to feel it. During the week we took calm, restorative walks along the shore. Those walks helped us reflect, connect, and breathe between sessions. Around me were voices from Belgium, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Norway, and Albania. From the beginning, it was the sound of people – accents, laughter, the rhythm of new names – that set the tone for the week.

Drawing clocks, meeting people – with support that felt natural

We used a simple “ clock ” game to meet each other . Because I am blind, a colleague helped me draw the clock – a quick, friendly gesture that made the exercise smooth and fair. Then it was my turn to do what I do best: listen.

At each “hour,” I met a new voice and answered a short prompt: What inspires you? What kind of music do you like? When did you last feel truly included?

The activity was short, human, and effective . It turned introductions into real conversations.

A simulation I will not forget

We ran a simulation on access, trust, and communication. We wore blindfolds and rotated through stations: body gymnastics using touch, balance, and breath; barbershop role-play with eyes closed; listening to “rain” created by the waving of paper, with relaxing music and a gentle massage; a perfect-square challenge: one blindfolded leader guided the team. Success depended on clear, respectful communication.

Simple activities. Safe conditions. Strong lessons. Inclusion is not theory; it is coordination, consent, and care in motion.

What we explored during the week

Key programme themes:

• What Inclusion and Diversity mean in Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps;
• Challenges when involving young people with impairments and fewer opportunities;
• What youth work means in practice;
• Best practices that travel across countries;
• Networking and partnership building;
• Drafting recommendations and planning dissemination so our results keep living;

Intended learning outcomes that matched our practice:

• Understand specific needs;
• Improve inclusiveness through non-formal learning;
• Use practical tools from the start;
• Strengthen communication and collaboration with young people and partners;
• Explore identity and human rights in a global context.

Intercultural night – stories I could taste

Counting the travel day as Day 0, our intercultural night was on Day 3.
It was generous, joyful, and proud.

Tastes and stories:

• Norway: Smash! chocolate (sweet, salty , crunchy ) and brunost (brown cheese from caramelised goat’s milk );
• Bulgaria: lukanka ( dry-cured , spicy , pressed salami), walnut cookies , and lokum (rose and strawberry );
• Poland: Ptasie Mleczko (“bird’s milk ”), a vanilla marshmallow covered in dark chocolate .
• Slovenia: homemade elderberry juice;
• Belgium: a quiz and a clear walk-through of our famously complex political system;
• Romania: pride in their World Cup story in the USA in 1994. There was also a beautiful solo by Monika from Bulgaria.

One voice. A quiet room. A shared emotion.

Inclusion in the city – what must change

Durrës and Golem are beautiful. They are also honest about access. Roads and sidewalks were often not accessible, and independent mobility could be hard without assistance. These realities did not discourage me; they clarified our mission to design access from the beginning, not as an afterthought.

Small moments that mattered

We found time to relax at an Irish pub. We had deep , philosophical conversations. We laughed when we were stuck in Albanian traffic, especially during a chaotic “would you rather” game. One evening, we all supported Albania in a match. There was no rivalry. We were guests, happy to cheer with our hosts.

It was light, respectful, and fun – the kind of joy that builds friendship.

Who made this possible Coordinator: VIEWS International AISBL (Belgium). Host: Peace Volunteering Network (Albania). Partners included: Sakura and Babilon Travel (Romania), ASBL Loryhan (Belgium), Polski Związek Niewidomych (Poland), CuBu Foundation (Bulgaria), Slovenian Association of Disabled Students (Slovenia), and Peace Volunteering Network Norway (Norway).

Accommodation : Hotel Prince, “Mali i Robit, Rruga e Fshatrave Turistike , Golem 2504.” Check-in after 15:00. Check-out before 11:00. Rooms were double or triple. We were invited to bring an item from home for the intercultural night.

What I brought home

I left with more than notes. I left with a network and a standard.

My standard now:

• Design accessibility early;
• Communicate clearly;
• Collaborate across borders;
• Keep human dignity at the centre.

These match ACT-YOU’s objectives and outcomes. I do not picture rooms when I think of this week.
I hear it: the laughter during the clock game, the hush before a song, the waves and the beach walks that helped us reflect, and the sound of people helping one another navigate.

Inclusion is not a favour. It is the most honest way to say: your voice belongs here.

Youssri Mejdoubi

ACT YOU is an Erasmus+ project coordinated by VIEWS International, bringing together a network of partners from across Europe. The project focuses on equipping youth workers and youth organisations with the skills and confidence to better engage young people with fewer opportunities including youth with disabilities, newcomers and those from disadvantaged socio‑economic or cultural backgrounds.

The study visit, which took place in May 2025, brought together youth workers, youth leaders and representatives from the ACT YOU partner organisations for an immersive week of learning, exchange and practice. The aim was not only to build professional capacity, but also to create space for honest conversations about the challenges and possibilities of inclusive youth work today.

In this first episode of the podcast, participants share their experiences of the study visit, reflecting on:

• Practical approaches to making youth work more inclusive and welcoming to all
• Examples of how inclusion is implemented by local organisations in Liège such as schools, NGOs and youth spaces
• The role of non‑formal learning in engaging marginalised young people
• What it means to exchange practices across national and cultural contexts
• How the visit has shaped thinking and future plans within participants’ own organisations

The episode also gives insight into the atmosphere of the visit—from hands‑on workshops and site visits to informal spaces where conversations continued over shared meals and walks around the city.

The ACT YOU Talks series is hosted as part of the VIEWS News podcast, produced by VIEWS International. This first episode features interviews conducted by Anna Czaman, with sound recording, editing and mixing by Youssri Medjoubi.

By giving space to participant voices and reflections, the podcast documents not only the content of the ACT YOU project, but also its process and the learning that happens through exchange, observation and dialogue.

The episode is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

From 25 to 31 May 2025, Liège welcomed participants from Belgium, Slovenia, Albania, Norway, Romania, and Bulgaria for the ACT-YOU Study Visit – part of an Erasmus+ project focused on inclusive youth work and participation.

Even though I live in Liège, this experience helped me discover new places and meet inspiring people I would not have known otherwise. It was a mix of learning, sharing, and laughter.

We were lucky to have good weather, which allowed us to fully enjoy the programme – especially since most of the activities were visits. We explored several organisations doing meaningful work for inclusion and accessibility. IRHOV, the school for visually impaired youth, showed us how specialised education can support independence. At the Coordination Socio-Culturelle de Sainte Marguerite and La Baraka, a youth space in the neighbourhood, we saw how local initiatives bring young people together. At Compagnons Bâtisseurs and La Lumière, we explored how volunteering and support services can empower individuals.

We also took part in workshops on non-formal education, inclusion strategies, and the Erasmus+ programme’s focus on youth with fewer opportunities. It was interesting to compare how these ideas are put into practice in different countries, and we had plenty of opportunities to exchange best practices with one another.

Our loyal companions Ahmet and Angélique were not just there for the Belgian team, but for everyone. They made people feel welcome and safe at every step.

This week wasn’t just about information. It was about connection. We shared food, conversations, and moments of reflection. We felt the value of being together across countries, languages, and experiences.

It was meaningful, it was fun, and it reminded me how much we all gain when we build projects that truly include everyone.

– Selma Zengin