From June 29th to July 6th, 2025, we participated in the international youth exchange "Personal and Career Development", which took place in the Finnish town of Järvenpää. The exchange was held within the Erasmus+ programme, and its main organiser was the Youth Services of Järvenpää (Finland). Project partners included us and St. George Gymnasium from Georgia.

The main topic of the youth exchange was a conscious path of personal and professional development. The aim was to create a space for sharing experiences and reflecting on how we make decisions regarding our future, education, and career. The meeting aimed to strengthen decision-making skills, planning abilities, and coping with modern challenges. An important part of the preparation was the advance planning visit, which took place in April and was attended by: Andrzej Smyk and Aleksandra Chudek from our organization.

Each national group was responsible for preparing and conducting two 90-minute educational sessions for the other participants. Members of our group led, among others, an integration session and a World Café format, during which we discussed: plans for the future and life inspirations, differences between education systems, applying to universities in different countries. The remaining sessions were prepared by participants from Finland and Georgia, creating an interesting international mosaic of perspectives. As a result of the participants' work, short educational videos and social media videos were created, addressing the topics of life decisions and personal development.

An important part of the programme were educational trips, including: a trip to the Heureka Science Centre – a place where science becomes an experience. A visit to Helsinki, where we explored, among others, the most modern library in Europe – Oodi, and took a ferry to the island of Suomenlinna.

The exchange was an opportunity for international cooperation, meeting peers from other countries, and exchanging perspectives about the future. Participants gained new competences, strengthened their self-confidence, and became more open to diversity.

We were accommodated in a local student dormitory, and the sessions took place at the youth centre. We had access not only to a conference room but also to many leisure facilities.

– Alicja Wyrostek, HEureka volunteer

I believe that formal education can be greatly enhanced by non-formal education. At school, young people acquire knowledge that they can then apply in practice – for example, during an international youth exchange. It is also an opportunity to meet people from different countries and grow in a unique way.

– Renata Lewandowska, leader of the Polish group

We talked a lot with participants from Finland and Georgia about how to make decisions concerning our future lives and about the possibilities ahead of us in terms of professional careers.

– Milena Szymańska, exchange participant

We would like to thank Youth Services of Järvenpää for inviting us to take part in this youth exchange, for the high-quality communication, and the successful cooperation.


We also thank our local partners: C.K. Norwid Secondary School from Krasnegostaw and J. Słowacki Primary School from Małochwiej Duży for their collaboration with us in the implementation of this youth exchange.