Show me what you got

We Showed What We’ve Got – Youth Exchange in Stražilovo

by one of the participants

For seven days, we lived in a mountain house on Stražilovo, Serbia, surrounded by trees, bugs, questionable weather, and 30 other people from Serbia, Czechia, and Spain. This was the second part of our Erasmus+ project called Our inner Nature. The first one was in Czechia and was called Heaven Below Us. This one? Show Me What You Got. And oh, we did.

Unlike the first exchange, where we mostly followed a structured program, this time the participants were running the show. Literally. We split into teams and led our own workshops — on things like boundaries, emotional expression, communication, meditation, theater, and how to survive being on your feet for an entire day with only instant coffee and collective enthusiasm.

Some of us made music from recycled bottles and jars. Others redesigned old clothes into something that could probably go viral on Pinterest. A third group created a theater play about emotions. By the end of the week, we had a mini festival — a fashion show, a music performance, and a play — all completely made by us.

Sure, we learned a lot: how to organize a session, how to work with people who have very different ideas, how to say “pass me the scissors” in three languages, and how to adapt when your plan falls apart (usually due to weather, missing markers, or spontaneous dance battles).

But mostly, we got a chance to step up, try things out, and support each other in ways that don’t always happen in “real life.” Also, we may never hear the words “group energizer” again without twitching slightly.

Big thanks to the organizations that made this project happen and to all the participants who showed what they’ve got — talents, ideas, humor, and a few questionable dance moves.