Postani ustvarjalec sprememb 1: Sprememba se začne v tebi
Objavljeno: 18. avgusta 2026
Začetki so lahko zahtevni: občutek, da si tisti prvi, ki spregovoriš; občutek, da poskusiš nekaj novega. Tisti občutek, ko potuješ v drugo državo; občutek, kako je spoznati nekoga, ki ne govori istega jezika. Vse to so prvi koraki na poti do nečesa čudovitega, neprecenljivega; nečesa, za kar bi morda rekli, da je nedosegljivo. V sebi smo našli pogum, da smo se poleg teh prvih korakov odločili deliti svojo zgodbo, svoj pogled in razmišljanja o celotni izkušnji.
Vse se začne z enim samim korakom, s tisto prvo odločitvijo. Še preden smo se uradno spoznali na tej Erasmus mladinski izmenjavi, smo naredili ta korak izven naše cone udobja in se odločili podati v neznano. Za nekatere je bila to prva tovrstna izkušnja in prva priložnost, da poskusijo nekaj novega. Druge je navdahnilo spoznavanje novih ljudi in sklepanje novih poznanstev. Nekateri so imeli že veliko izkušenj in nepozabnih spominov, s katerimi so spodbudili druge, da so bili pripravljeni deliti plat sebe, ki jih dela posebne. Razlogi za udeležbo na izmenjavi so bili različni, vendar smo kljub temu skupaj preživeli pet nepozabnih dni, v tem času pa smo se naučili veliko o drugih ljudeh, o drugih kulturah in navsezadnje tudi o samih sebi – kajti resnične spremembe pridejo od znotraj.
Pet različnih držav – a vsi imamo nekaj skupnega
Med 20. in 25. julijem 2026 smo v Rakovniku v Ljubljani izvedli mladinsko izmenjavo. Že prvi dan nas je pričakalo čudovito vreme in mirno okolje, obkroženo z gozdovi. Na začetku smo v zraku občutili tisto vznemirjenje – ko ne veš, od kod je oseba, ki sedi poleg tebe, kako ji je ime in kakšna je njena zgodba. Tokrat smo gostili udeležence iz petih držav: iz Hrvaške, Romunije, Severne Makedonije, Portugalske ter Slovenije.
Ko smo se na Socialni akademiji pripravljali na izmenjavo, smo imeli pred seboj en cilj: združiti udeležence iz petih držav in skupaj ustvariti mednarodno okolje, v katerem se lahko učimo drug od drugega, razvijamo lastne potenciale in postanemo pobudniki družbenih sprememb. Vodja programa Sanja Obaha Brodnjak nas je čudovito peljala skozi celotno izmenjavo, skupaj z vodjami mladinskih skupin iz drugih organizacij pa smo ustvarili prostor, v katerem smo se vsi počutili dobrodošle in sprejete. Na začetku smo se skozi razne aktivnosti, igre in z veliko smeha (skoraj) naučili imena vseh udeležencev; edino, česar se tisti trenutek nismo zavedali, je bilo dejstvo, da bo teh pet dni minilo prej, kot bi si mislili.
Spoznavanje sebe, spoznavanje drugih
Dnevi, ki so sledili, so bili polni spoznavanja, pisanja, izražanja na tak ali drugačen način, iskanja novih idej, skupinskega dela in še veliko več. Skozi teambuilding, skupinske naloge, delo v paru in individualne refleksije smo se naučili veliko o nas samih, o drugih, o naših vrednotah in o stvareh, ki nas navdihujejo ter nam dajejo notranji zagon. Na začetku je bilo težko, vendar smo se kmalu počutili varne in sprejete, da smo lahko delili svoje misli, perspektive in ideje. Spoznali smo, da smo ustvarili prostor, v katerem se vsakdo počuti dobrodošel, brez kakršnega koli obsojanja ali pritiska. Nekaj pomirjujočega je na tem, da se zavedaš, da v krogu na vsaki tvoji strani sedi nekdo, ki te je pripravljen poslušati, razumeti in ti dovoliti, da si takšen, kakršen si.
Nekatere naloge so bile težje, kakor na prvi pogled, zato nismo pozabili tudi na to, da smo odložili težke občutke, se sprostili in se zabavali. Naši večeri so bili polni smeha, veselja, spoznavanja drugačnih kultur in običajev ter uživanja v času, preživetem skupaj. Zadnji dan nas je čakal izlet na Bled, česar smo se vsi veselili že od prvega dne, in verjamem, da je prav vsak izmed nas tam ustvaril čudovite in nepozabne spomine.
Konec kot začetek nečesa novega
Še preden bi se tega zares zavedali, je prišel čas za slovo. S seboj smo odnesli nekaj več kot le kovčke in nahrbtnike. Odnesli smo tudi spoznanje, da smo odšli drugačni, kot smo bili. Spremenili so nas ljudje, ki smo jih spoznali, in spremenila nas je izkušnja sama. Verjamem, da smo vsi občutili, da nas je ta priložnost zaznamovala na način, ki nam bo še dolgo ostal v spominu.
Zahvala gre Sanji ter Andreji in Anji s Socialne akademije, kakor tudi vsem sodelujočim organizacijam, brez katerih ta izmenjava ne bi bila mogoča.
Vsak izmed nas ima zmožnost, da svoje sanje spremeni v resničnost in da ustvari iz nemogočega mogoče. Vsakdo je lahko Changemaker – in mi smo že naredili prve korake v to, ko smo se odločili za to izmenjavo. Najpomembnejša pot nas šele čaka: pot, ki vodi v boljšo prihodnost in na kateri lahko srečamo druge ter jih spodbudimo, da se nam pridružijo.
Avtorica: Lina Herman, udeleženka na izmenjavi
O projektu
Zapis je nastal v okviru mladinske izmenjave Erasmus+ »First Steps into Changemaking: Discovering Purpose, Creating Social Change«, ki je potekala med 20. in 25. julijem 2026 v Ljubljani. Na izmenjavi je sodelovalo 32 udeležencev iz Hrvaške, Severne Makedonije, Portugalske, Romunije in Slovenije. Projekt, ki ga je gostila Socialna akademija, je mladim omogočil razvijanje osebne identitete, komunikacijskih spretnosti, aktivnega državljanstva in sposobnosti za ustvarjanje pozitivnih sprememb v skupnosti.
Become a changemaker: The change starts within
Beginnings can be difficult. Being the first to speak up, trying something new. Traveling to another country, meeting someone who doesn’t speak your language. All of those first steps that can lead to something beautiful, something unforgettable, something we thought might be impossible. We took our courage not only to do all of those things, but to share our experience, thoughts and messages.
Everything starts with a single step, the first decision. Even before we officially met on this Erasmus Youth Exchange, we already took that step out of our comfort zone, out of our familiar surroundings, towards something unexpected. For some, it was their first time trying something new. Some were inspired to meet new people and develop new kinds of relationships. There were some with a lot of experience and unforgettable memories that encouraged others to open up and share a part of themselves.
Regardless of the reason, we all ended up together for a week, where we learned a lot about each other, about other cultures, as well as about ourselves; because the real change comes from within.
Five Different Cultures – But Not So Different After All
We spent our Youth Exchange in Rakovnik, Ljubljana from 20th until 25th of July 2026. Already on the first day, this place awaited us with warm weather, with lush green forests all around a peaceful and welcoming environment. As per usual, as we were gathering, there was some sparkling excitement in the air – not knowing where the person, sitting next to you, comes from; not knowing their name or their story. Participants of this exchange came from five different countries – Croatia, Romania, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Slovenia.
When we were preparing for this exchange at Socialna akademija, the hosting organization, we already had our goal in mind: to unite participants from five different countries to create an international environment where we can learn, grow and become active initiators of social change. Our wonderful Sanja Obaha Brodnjak, who led our group so beautifully throughout the whole week, with the help of youth team leaders from other countries, made us all feel welcome, so that nobody felt excluded or left behind. With the help of name games, energizers, and lots of laughter, we (almost) knew all of our names; but what we weren’t aware of at the moment was just how quickly the time will go by.
Learning About Self vs. Learning About Others
Our next few days were filled with learning, writing, brainstorming, working together and much more. Through team-building exercises, group assignments, working in pairs and groups and deep inner work we learned a lot about ourselves, about others, about our values and what are things that inspire us and help us keep going. Even though it was hard at the beginning, we quickly felt comfortable enough to share our thoughts, our perspectives, and ideas with everyone else. We realized that we somehow created a space where no one is judged or pressured into anything. When we were sitting in circle, there was comfort in knowing there is someone on either side of you that is there to listen, to understand, and allow you to be yourself.
Even though some exercises were harder than they seemed and left us with a lot of thoughts afterwards, we also didn’t forget to let go of the heavy feelings and just have fun. Our evenings were full of laughter, excitement, sharing different parts of our cultures, and
enjoying our time together. All of us were looking forward to our trip to Bled on the last day, and I believe everyone made some beautiful and unforgettable memories there.
The End as the New Beginning
Time to say goodbye came before we even realized. We left carrying something more than just our suitcases – there was change already in us as we were changed by others and by the experience. I believe I speak for everyone when I say this opportunity marked us in a way that we will remember for a long time.
A big thank you goes to Sanja, to Andreja and Anja from Socialna akademija, and to all the participating organizations. Without you, it would not be possible to make this happen.
Every single one of us has the ability to make their dreams come to life, to make the impossible possible. Everyone can be a Changemaker – and we already took our first steps by participating in this exchange. However, the real journey is still ahead of us; creating a path towards a better future and inspiring others to do the same along the way.
Author: Lina Herman, Youth exchange participant
About the project
This post was created as part of the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “First Steps into Changemaking: Discovering Purpose, Creating Social Change”, which took place in Ljubljana from 20 to 25 July 2026. The exchange brought together 32 participants from Croatia, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia. Hosted by Socialna akademija, the project gave young people the opportunity to develop their personal identity, communication skills, active citizenship and their ability to create positive change in their communities.
