Youth Exchange: You are not alone!

Young people from different countries and cultures get together to fight loneliness through arts.

What does it mean to be alone? What is the difference between aloneness and loneliness? Can the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones? Those questions were just a bit of all the thoughts overwhelming my mind when the plane hit the ground at Copenhagen Airport.

What can the Danish countryside bring to a project named ‘You are not alone’? Are people in Denmark lonely? Can a few teams from different countries find the solution to possibly problematic situations deriving from loneliness and social exclusion?

This article will not give written answers to any of the above questions. It will give you art. Art is not only an answer, it is also the solution!

Let’s play

Team-building games and energizers are the opposite part of loneliness. Or at least it seems so!

You are not alone youth exchange
The famous “don’t break the egg” game turned into a “who will smash the egg better”.

Some say girls can be lonelier than boys? I don’t believe that. And this ‘dangerous’ game proves it.

Cooking

It’s no secret I am not much of a cook. But after my cooking shift on the very first day of our project in Denmark, I couldn’t help myself but photograph the silent eating canteen. Cheers to cooking team number 1 and our delicious pasta!

You are not alone youth exchange
Lonely? With pasta? I don’t think so!
You are not alone youth exchange
Greeks present their flag with olives and feta cheese. Yummy!
You are not alone youth exchange
Danish food and drinks are a good start for the night!
You are not alone youth exchange
Czechs and Slovaks put labels to avoid confusion! It was all finished in minutes though.
You are not alone youth exchange
Is Italian food delicious? By the time I managed to take a photo – that was everything left.
You are not alone youth exchange
Everyone knows Turkey for its plentiful and tasteful food. We too!
You are not alone youth exchange
I can’t help myself when it comes to Lithuanian old cheese! With a glass of wine, of course!
You are not alone youth exchange
Estonian buffet – classy and indulging
You are not alone youth exchange
Something missing from the Bulgarian table? Tarator and drinks getting cooled right now!

Painting

A group of our talents got together to show that painting may not be a lonely activity. And you can meet many fellow artists with great ideas, too.

You are not alone youth exchange
Have you ever felt like you’re in the wrong box? Or the only box?
You are not alone youth exchange
Every team draws for a few minutes and then moves on to the next sheet. And all the drawing tools are connected. That’s what I call team building and collaboration. Fun over artistic value.
You are not alone youth exchange
When you are the positively lonely balloon…

Human sculpture

Can a few human bodies altogether with their ideas turn into a meaningful human sculpture? See for yourselves!

Collage

Get the scissors and a magazine and let’s create a collage of many lonely pieces…together!

You are not alone youth exchange
The tunnels of the ‘lonely’ prison
You are not alone youth exchange
Healthy lifestyle vs. lonely men and women

Theater

Acting seems to be a nice artistic approach to representing feelings. Take a front seat at our little improvised theater.

Singing

We had some massive singing talent over there, discovered or not.

Dancing

My favorite art! It tells you so much about people, their life, and the road they’ve gone. Let’s see if dancing fights loneliness!

Poetry

When you put together poets from 7 different countries you can be sure it will be a strong piece of poetry!

Secret friend

I will tell you a secret. Everyone should have at least one secret friend. Someone to make you feel good, to surprise you, and to take care of you without taking the credit for all of that. Some mysterious friend to ensure you are not alone!

You are not alone youth exchange
Your mailbox – literally and figuratively – will be full of surprises and good news! Thanks to your secret friend!

The next morning I was sitting alone with the cup of espresso still releasing aromas into my sleepy head. I looked into my imaginary newspaper named “You are not alone”, the headline said indeed:

Different countries and cultures get together to fight loneliness with arts!

You are not alone youth exchange