Most martial arts trace their origins to ancient times, developed as methods of combat and self-defense. For example, Kung Fu can be traced back to the Shaolin Temple in China, where monks practiced it as a means of physical and spiritual training. Similarly, Japanese martial arts like Karate and Judo evolved from the samurai’s need for battlefield skills and discipline.

“Second chance is the first youth exchange I have participated in and it was definitely one to remember. We spent 7 days learning about materials, where they come from and how to reuse and up-cycle them. I appreciated that we had many practical workshops through which I definitely learned some new and interesting skills.”

This month our H.A.N.D. project volunteers traveled to Tuzla, meeting Marko, a Bravo project coordinator. He arranged meetings with local organizations, where they learned about volunteer actions, target groups, and local aims.

“Taking part in the Youth Peace Forum was quite refreshing as I met young changemakers from all parts of the world. Even though we all come from different backgrounds we were united with one main idea: to promote peace and harmony.”

Training Course “Colors of Europe” Successfully Combats Hate Speech and Promotes Inclusion. The “Colors of Europe” training course, held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from February 28 to March 7, has successfully concluded, empowering 40 youth workers from 13 European countries to combat hate speech, prejudices, and racism.

Folklore meets multiculturality in the fourth edition of the very successful project “Folklore For the Future”. Now with the name “Dancing our Roots”. Youngsters from different countries and cultures of Europe will meet once again this summer in Cortes de la Frontera to exchange cultural, dance and folklore lessons, learn from each other, express themselves and show us the richness of their countries’ traditions.

Having the opportunity to work with amazing volunteers and coordinators of the “Empower HER” project has shown me numerous acts of creativity and completely fulfilled my expectations leaving men with knowledge for my personal and professional development. I would like to highlight creative workshops that further gave us many improvements in our skill set when it comes to communications and entrepreneurship.

Social responsibility is more than just a buzzword—it’s an essential part of personal and social competencies that shapes how we interact with the world around us. It’s about understanding that our actions have a ripple effect, and taking steps, no matter how small, to contribute to the well-being of others and the environment. Whether through volunteering, advocating for causes, or making eco-friendly choices, social responsibility empowers us to be agents of change.

This Erasmus+ Youth Exchange is currently being implemented and let us tell you something – it is truly a MasterChef TV show. Young participants are working in intercultural environment while learning about traditional recipes, other cultures, being connected by one out of many things – food!

We have officially closed the final chapter of the project “Becoming Digitally Conscious“. Yes, you read that right! After two active years of numerous activities, the project was brought to an end with the final conference which was held in Sarajevo, B&H, on the 11th of May.

Changing our attitude towards the environment and the way we live, becomes a must not a choice! One of the keys to the solution to this problem is special dedication in the field of environmental education and protection.

“Anyone Hears My Voice?” aims at bringing together 35 participants aged 16-29 between 01-10 July from Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Slovakia and Italy. The participants (6+ one leader) in total 7, will stay together for 10 days.

Read on to learn about the 5 ESC Individual Volunteering projects taking place in Apulia, Italy! If you’re interested in volunteering in schools or on farms, then this is the right opportunity for you!

The general objective of the project is to increase the employability of women between 18 and 30 years old from rural backgrounds, through the acquisition of digital communication skills, to be employed in the field of non-profit organizations. The consortium, after a careful analysis of needs carried out with the participation of stakeholders, has identified specific objectives functional to the achievement of the general purpose.

The experience of traveling, meeting new people, and exchanging opinions have opened new perspectives for me in the future. The self-advocate of Sumer, Amar Pašić, had the opportunity to attend the seven-day training of the Erasmus+ program “Development of Cooperation in Youth Projects” for young activists and youth mobility held in Gaziantep, Turkey, organized by BRAVO.

This Erasmus+ Youth Exchange project aims to bring a new perspective on nutrition and health, emphasizing the place and importance of food in our culture. The project addresses the basics of good nutrition, healthy food processing, and preparation methods.

Folklore meets multiculturality in the fourth edition of the very successful project “Folklore For the Future”. Now with the name “Dancing our Roots”. Youngsters from different countries and cultures of Europe will meet once again this summer in Cortes de la Frontera to exchange cultural, dance and folklore lessons, learn from each other, express themselves and show us the richness of their countries’ traditions.

The TC will have 24 youth worker/trainer participants, 4 from each partner NGOs. The training will be led by experienced CDER trainers. The goal of the ToT is to provide news literacy, critical thinking and media activism learning skills for the youth workers/trainers from partner NGOs.

The ESC project presents a unique opportunity for volunteers to immerse themselves in Turkish culture while actively contributing to community development. Participants will engage in a diverse range of activities, including educational initiatives, environmental actions, and cultural exchange.

The Visual Thinking 4 You(th) project, has the general objective of promoting the social inclusion of dyslexic young people between 13 and 19 years old, through visual thinking, which consists in transmitting and exposing ideas through simple and easily recognizable images. The objective of this method is to improve the learner’s learning level by allowing him, through the use of images, to better understand ideas, define objectives, identify problems and generate new concepts and it is particularly effective for those who have cognitive peculiarities such as dyslexic people.

The Youth Exchange “Focus on Sport for Environmental Sustainability” was held from the 1st to the 8th of May and it gathered 36 young participants from BiH, Lithuania, Romania, Ukraine, and Türkiye. The project was designed to educate and empower young people by highlighting the crucial role sports can play in promoting environmental sustainability.