Aleksa from Novi Sad

It was in September 2013 when I applied and received an e-mail confirming my opportunity to participate in a TC ’We BET on our NET’ organized by YPG Danube and SEEYN in Vukovar, Croatia. At the time I was 19, going for my very first international TC in non-formal education and my excitement hardly could have been greater. As a fresh young member of BINS, I was eager to discover new things, alternative methods and enthusiastic people willing to cooperate and further develop the network.

This was the beginning of my ’addiction’ to learning and coopeartion in international settings, since I discovered it brings different approaches and it is often full of challenges.

In May 2015 I traveled to Vlasenica, Bosnia And Herzegovina, where I started developing competences needed for successful leadership in work camps and youth exchanges. TC ’Leaders NATURally’ served as a good kick-off point for my career of a youth leader in my organization. With a group of friends from TC, I created an idea for a youth exchange project about youth employment, which got funded through Erasmus+ programme. Feeling empowered, I was offered a role of members and volunteers coordinator in BINS, at which I began actively working with other young people. TC ’Vol 0.1’ in June 2016 helped me think about skills I should advance in order to engage in youth work even more effectively.

What I enjoy in SEEYN so much is honest support and encouragement of people of different age and experience.  SEEYN recognizes strong will and it equips youth with knowledge and tools to make positive changes in society. Oh, if only I could share with youth of the whole world some of the moments from these TCs when us, young people from SEE region sat outside, learned and laughed together.

That was truly powerful!