Implementation
Project Implementation
The implementation phase of the Feelings Unleashed Youth Exchange transformed the project's objectives into meaningful learning experiences through non-formal education, creativity, intercultural dialogue, and active participation. Throughout seven intensive days in Greece, participants from six countries explored emotions, self-expression, inclusion, discrimination, communication, and youth participation using art, theatre, photography, music, video, storytelling, and collaborative workshops.
Beyond the educational activities, participants experienced rich intercultural learning through traditional evenings, community engagement, local visits, teamwork, and reflection, creating friendships and developing new competences that will continue through the project's follow-up activities in their local communities.
Day 1 – Thursday 16 July, 2026
Written by the facilitators team 🇪🇺
Day one of the project, full with tons of getting to know each other games, icebreakers, teambuilding games and finishing off with a cultural night party by the Cypriot team!
Starting strong, the first short activity was the name hangman, where each participant had a piece of tape stuck on our shirt with enough space with the same amount of letters as our names. For example, for Nikolas with would be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . For this activity we went around, fished for our letters of our names. The rule was that we could only get letters from people who not only have the same exact letter as us, but we could only get one, and only from persons from a different national country.
Right after this we played the portrait game. For this game, Bobbie was playing music, and each time the music stopped, we had to draw a different part of our face. It was funny, and we have some ridiculous and interesting looking portraits of ourselves. These portraits, along with envelopes were stuck on the wall in our activity area which we used for messages for each other, our Instagram tags, and also numerous activities used it in the rest of our days. This took place right after a Human Bingo activity, which asked us to find participants who share certain traits as on the bingo
The last activity before coffee break was the speed dating stations. In this activity, we were in mixed groups, and we went around talking about certain topics like mountain and the sea, or gyros vs pizza (the correct answer of course being gyros).
After coffee break we shared our fears, contributions and expectations. This allowed the facilitators to see how we came, and how we can contribute ourselves to make the project better. We also chose the rules of the project we want to keep until the 22nd of July, and lastly we learned about our responsibilities where each team has to contribute to the project. These were
- One team who does the energizers of the day
- One team that writes the journal of the day (this page!)
- One team who takes the photos of the day (the photos you see here!)
- One team who helps the facilitators out (with sticking things and more)
- One team who hosts the intercultural dinner and night
This was when we learned all there is about the Youthpass, with different mini stations doing different tasks to learn about the competencies.
In the afternoon, we already had a short dive into the topic, by doing an activity about interpretive photography. Based on 4 topics that illicit strong emotions we had to take 4 photos with the categories of – love, loneliness, friendship and co-dependency. Here's the twist though, The other groups had to guess which image corresponded to each concept. For every picture correctly identified by the other teams, the group lost one point. The competition was very close. This activity helped us learn about how there are a million ways to interpret art that gives emotions, and that there truly isn't one right on wrong answer.
Check out each of the collages below!
The last activity of the day were the tasks in Kato Alisos, where we had to figure learn a lot about the area, and take photos of certain subjects and just as importantly, interview some people and ask about how it feels, to live in this small village. It was really fun! You can check out the dedicated page of the website here -
Link of tasks in Kato alisos here nikola
We ended the day with amazing Cypriot food and cultural night. We got to taste traditional Cypriot food and learn more about their culture with presentations, skits and dances. It was a beautiful and tasty way to finish the day! For both the Cypriots and any other group, you may check out the menu at this link of the website
Day 2 – Friday 17 July, 2026
Written by the Lithuanian team 🇱🇹
We started the day with a Cypriot energizer called Mantili. It was a fun and energetic game that helped everyone wake up, get moving, and leave the sleepy morning mood behind.
Afterwards, each national team presented their homework, which consisted of research and posters about emotions
This was followed by a session led by Bobbie, where we explored the topics of identity and emotions. We also learned about the S.M.A.R.T. technique and how setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant (or Realizable), and Time-bound goals can help us turn our ideas into reality. This gave us the chance to set up our own goals that we want to complete until the end of the project, and it focused on us ourselves being able to open up to other people.
Following the coffee break, we took part in an activity called "Communication and Sharing Stories." We learned the importance of active storytelling and active listening. The group was divided into storytellers and listeners, allowing everyone to experience both sides of communication. However, there was a twist! Half the team actually was tasked to stop listening when Bobbie gave a specific sign. This was very interesting and afterwards we spoke about how this makes the storytellers feel. This activity taught us that truly listening is just as important as speaking, and that paying attention, asking questions, and showing empathy helps build stronger connections.
The next challenge tested our communication skills even further. We worked in groups of three, where one participant was deaf, another was mute, and the third was blind. Our task was to plan a simple trip while using every possible way of communicating. Despite the limitations, we discovered that teamwork, creativity, patience, and trust allow people to communicate effectively even without hearing, seeing, or speaking.
After lunch, we enjoyed a refreshing three-hour break before returning for the afternoon programme. Our next activity was The NGO fair. Working in our national teams, we created posters introducing our organizations and their work. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to visit other teams, exchange ideas, and learn more about the inspiring projects and initiatives taking place in different countries. This was important as in 2 days' time we would be working on youth initiatives, meaning what we ourselves we could do in our areas to help people younger than us be able to express their feelings more.
The final activity of the day was organized by the Romanian team and focused on movement and dance. During the first game, one participant led the dance while another had to imitate the leader's movements. This was followed by a lively game of musical chairs and a fun challenge where participants formed a bridge with their hands while others ran underneath it as the music played. The Romanian team created a welcoming atmosphere that encouraged everyone to relax, connect with one another, and simply enjoy themselves with the entire activity focusing on expression of feelings, using music.
To finish the day, we shared a delicious dinner featuring traditional Polish dishes. In the evening, the Polish team hosted their cultural night, where they introduced us to their history, traditions, music, and people. It was a wonderful way to end another inspiring day of learning, friendship, and cultural exchange.
Day 3 – Saturday 18 July, 2025
Written by the Greek team 🇬🇷
The third day started with an energizer from the Romanian team. It was a really nice way to get everybody going.
The first activity of the day was by the Greek team and included 5 mini games based on feelings.
The purpose of the first one was to select a feeling by draw and paint the first thing that came to mind.
The second one was called "The Broken Phone", a traditional Greek game where we combined bilingual skills. The participants stood side by side and had to repeat the word of the first person in line. The first one said a feeling in their own language or in Greek and we compared the word that the last person shouted out loud.
Third mini game was about expressing our feelings through music. Each participant played a song from their own country that they connected to a feeling and the rest had to guess what this feeling was.
The fourth one was a mini sketch. Each team had to draw BOTH a feeling and separately drew a scene from two seperate bowls and had to recreate the scene.
At last, the fifth station was about how each participant could show their feelings without using their facial expressions and without talking. During the activity we kept a score for each team and at the end we announced the final rankings, the winners. Participants took part in all activities and were switching every 10 minutes.
The second activity of the day was about representation of discrimination though posters. This was done by the Polish team. There were five teams and each of them had to make a poster about a different discrimination form. These were ageism, religious discrimination, racism, sexist and classism.
After lunch break came the second energizer of the day, again from the Romanian team. We were separated in two group and each person had to hold the hand of the persons next to them. The leader of the Romanian team gave a "pulse" and each team had to send the pulse to the end of the line as fast as they could. The team who did it faster was the winner.
As for the last activity of the day, this was based on the same groups as the poster teams and discrimination. The activity was "Theatre of the Oppressed" and each team was tasked with creating a play with a bad ending, where that type of discrimination takes place.
Here's the twist, the play would restart each time from the beginning, where trhough adding characters from the audience, the play had to receive a positive ending, where that type of discrimination ultimately does not take place. This taught us about the bystander effect, and the diffusion of responsibility.
Definitely the star of the day was the Serbian cultural night. It included traditional Serbian food which everybody enjoyed. After that the team recreated their special day called "Slava" and they performed how they celebrate that tradition. Finally, everybody gathered to dance traditional Serbian dances and enjoy the night.
Day 4 – Sunday 19 July
Written by the Serbian team 🇷🇸
The Greek team organized an energizer that contributed to a positive atmosphere and prepared the participants for the workshops. After that, the facilitator, Bobbie, presented the rules of the first workshop, titled "Emotion-Based Group Project."
The participants' task was to design a youth initiative, in this case a Youth center, focusing on what they can do further for youth when it comes to feelings and expressions in other avenues. Participants, in mixed groups had to create its logo, define its values, goals, activities, and all other elements essential for successful youth work. Through teamwork, participants developed creativity, collaboration, and joint planning skills.
After a coffee break, the activities continued with a discussion on key questions related to the youth centers designed by the groups. Participants explained why their center was inclusive, why it deserved financial support, what made it unique, and how it encouraged the expression of emotions among young people. However, there was the twist! The second phase of the workshop was a simulation of a project presentation before a funding committee. The aim of this activity was for participants to enhance their public speaking, argumentation, and presentation skills with three judges who were leaders from Cyprus, Lithuania, and Poland.
Later in the day, the Serbian team organized an energizer called "Non-Verbal Expression of Emotions," accompanied by Serbian pop music, introducing the participants to the main activity.
The first phase focused on expression with faces with a pair, and when participants felt the most often in this specific emotion.
As for the main workshop six international groups created posters and collages on the theme of basic human emotions which were happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, and anger. Upon completion of the work, a "walk through the museum of emotions" was organized, during which participants presented their work, exchanged impressions, and discussed the importance of recognizing and expressing emotions.
At the end of the working session, the Lithuanian team organized sports activities on the beach, meant to bring out strong feelings while competing, similar to the World Cup taking place on the same day. Four teams competed in three engaging activities, the first, a filling a bucket with water as fast as possible, and then the rope pulling game. Team number four took an unexpected victory, proving that in sports, just like in life, David can indeed defeat Goliath.
Dinner this time around was prepared by the Romanian team which let participants to try out and enjoy traditional Romanian specialties, including mici (grilled minced meat rolls), polenta with chicken, traditionally prepared potatoes, and pancakes for dessert. That being said, Romanian cultural night was skipped, due to the World Cup final Spain vs Argentina.
Day 5 – Monday 20 July, 2026
Written by the Polish team 🇵🇱
On the fifth day of our youth exchange, we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful city of Patras, one of the largest and most vibrant cities in Greece. During our sightseeing tour, we visited several important landmarks, including the impressive Saint Andrew's church, the central square, the historic castle, the ancient Roman theatre, and many other interesting places that reflect the city's rich history and culture.
After returning from Patras, we continued our cultural evening with the Romanian team. They introduced us to their traditions, customs and music, giving everyone a chance to learn more about Romanian culture in a fun and interactive way. It was another great opportunity to strengthen international friendships and celebrate the diversity of our group
Day 6 – Tuesday 21 July, 2026
Written by the Cypriot team 🇨🇾
The sixth day of the project focused on the connection between our environment and our emotional well-being. Participants explored how the spaces we live, work, and socialize in can directly influence our feelings, motivation, and overall mental health, which is why we actually had a visit to the plant nursery. Mr. Theo who lives in the village explained how plants grow and live, while Panos from the Greek team translated from Greek to English for all the participants to understand.
This didn't stop there however, as after returning to the accommodation, we brought plants with us and ended up planting three plants in the accommodation itself, for us to make a permanent change to the people running the accommodation.
Afterwards Bobbie explained one of the last forms of feeling expression which we still had not tried yet which is the video, arguably by some, not only the most visible forms of expression but perhaps also the most impactful, as videos published online can create impact. As such, the videos were done in national languages, with accessible subtitles for all to understand.
Check out all published videos below!
Cypriot video
Greek video
Lithuanian video
Polish video
Romanian video
Serbian video
The night ended, with of course, Lithuanian cultural night, with Patties, Mashed Potatoes, Pork and Vegetable Stew, Beetroot Salad and the highlight being Cold Beetroot Soup (Šaltibarščiai), with a solid dessert of Apple pie with ice cream. This was followed by a presentation, a quiz as well as traditional dances!
Day 7 – Wednesday 22 July, 2026
Written by the Romanian team 🇷🇴
The final day of the project, which started with a watch party of all the videos created the day prior. Afterwards Bobbie spent some time showcasing all Erasmus+ Opportunities available to us, such as training courses, ESC, Erasmus Mundus, DiscoverEU and even the Youth card.
As for the final central activity of the project, focusing on the last form of art we had not covered yet, music! In mixed groups we created a song that represented our entire experience of the project, meaning what we learned, what we experienced and what we learned from other countries.
With Nikolas taking over in the afternoon, he helped us prepare follow-ups, meaning what we will do after our return to our home countries, in order to not only disseminate our knowledge further, but to make changes in our local communities with said knowledge. And as such, the ultimate part of the project. Receiving the Youthpasses!
But of course, we are forgetting one last team for cultural night, our hosts! With Pork Souvlaki, Traditional Greek Sausages, Moussaka, Fried Potatoes, Greek Salad (Horiatiki), and the famous Tzatziki the project ended with Greek dishes, dances and tradition. The perfect closing of the project!
