On the 19th of May 2022 thirty five participants from Spain, UK, Lithuania, Turkey, Greece, Iceland and Italy arrived to the far distanced and so desirable to visit Iceland for Erasmus+ youth exchange Empathic Step #3.

Flying 2 thousand of kilometers to see Iceland. Hiking 50 thousand steps to explore the mountain. Being exhausted on traveling and having multiple thoughts of what is the meaning of this? Then traveling in mind to imagine – what do 7.7 million of Ukrainian families feel fleeting their country in 2022 after Russia initiated war over Ukraine or 1.3 million that left Syria in 2015?

Third step towards Empathy

After making a First Step in Isle of Wight in South England, then Second Step in Northern Ireland, finally we are here – in Iceland. Heading towards Empathy – what is empathy in the context of prevailing events (Covid-19, Ukraine tragedy, Global warming) and inner self (at home, community, country, region, world)? Arrival of participants marked the beginning of the 9 days journey – to answer those and many more questions together.

Starting to get to know each other before anything else

Today was the first full day all together! 👯‍♂️ We got to explore Laugarvatn a little bit, found out about some local gossips, took selfies with unicorns 🦄 and hugged sheeps 🐑🐑, crazy! We also have learned through some dance moves about how it feels to be a leader and take responsibility for our actions, such a great and fun day! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

How does Laugarvatn look like from high in the skye?

Today was all about team building and…hiking! 🥾🏔 Later in the day we worked in groups and started getting ready for a big hike next day.

Empathy lessons

The day has come, we went for a full day hike and it was a great empathy lesson for all of us 👀

Hiking in a big group requires a lot of team work, understanding one another’s needs and making decisions as a whole team. It was a great experience for all of us, and the surrounding nature made it even more beautiful!

Forum Theater

After a full day of hiking, we took some time to reflect and recharge our batteries. 🧘 Had a lot of fun taking part in the improvisation theatre workshop, worked with a team to perform during the forum theater session and ended the day with a UK & Greek cultural night! 🇬🇧🇬🇷

Who am I and who are the people around me?

Who am I and who are the people around me? 🤔 These were the questions for which we were trying to find the answers, steping in other’s shoes and thinking of how we can positively impact the ones around us. There were tears, there were bursts of laughter and lots of new ideas and inspirations! 🤗

Open Space

Ideas are born out of joint collaboration.

River of Life - Abroadship.org - Empathic Step Youth exchange - Iceland

River of Life – Abroadship.org – Empathic Step Youth exchange – Iceland

Simulation

In order to empatize, grasp the full picture, perhaps it is best to fully immerse into the process of the refugees, blinded people, anyone experiencing difficulties by simulation.

Simulations - Abroadship.org - Empathic Step Youth exchange - Iceland

Simulations – Abroadship.org – Empathic Step Youth exchange – Iceland

Simulations - Abroadship.org - Empathic Step Youth exchange - Iceland

Simulations – Abroadship.org – Empathic Step Youth exchange – Iceland

Simulations - Abroadship.org - Empathic Step Youth exchange - Iceland

Simulations – Abroadship.org – Empathic Step Youth exchange – Iceland

Last days Departure and Afterlife

So what is the learning what you want? Time to achieve your goals.

Last emotional evaluations. Goodbye evening.

This is not the end. Afterlife continues. As this is Iceland.

Empathic Step 3 Hiking in Iceland - Erasmus plus youth exchange - Abroadship.org

Empathic Step 3 Hiking in Iceland – Erasmus plus youth exchange – Abroadship.org

Empathic Step 3 Hiking in Iceland - Erasmus plus youth exchange - Abroadship.org

Empathic Step 3 Hiking in Iceland – Erasmus plus youth exchange – Abroadship.org

Other phases

Phase 1: Empathic Step #1: Swimming in Isle of Wight
Phase 2: Empathic Step #2: Running in Northern Ireland

Interested for more?

About what Erasmus plus youth exchange is find here.

What is the difference in formal (School) and non-formal (Erasmus plus) way of learning, read here.

Other Erasmus+ youth exchanges here.

Other Erasmus+ training courses here.

Online courses here.

Other Opportunities in India, Mexico, Sao Vincente, Panama.

All articles here.

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