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Stowarzyszenie Aktywnych Animatorów Kultury CONSOLIDATED REPORT ON RESEARCH "Resources and programme needs for Youth Exchanges" Lublin, December 2021 1 Page Table of contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 PART I Experiences from youth exchanges so far ................................................................................... 8 1.Information on exchanges in which subjects participated or organised. ............................................ 8 2.Motivations of young people to participate in exchanges ................................................................. 17 3.Expectations and needs of young people towards exchange programmes ...................................... 23 4.Advantages and disadvantages of exchange programs ..................................................................... 26 5.The impact of participation in exchanges on gaining knowledge and skills by their participants. .... 35 6.Influence of exchange participants on the shape of their programme. ............................................ 37 Part II – Programmes for future youth exchanges ............................................. 40 1.Young people's interest in participating in exchanges ....................................................................... 41 2. The most interesting topics for young people during exchanges. .................................................... 44 3.The most interesting places for young people and people during exchanges................................... 51 4.The most attractive methods and tools for young people during exchanges ................................... 56 5.What knowledge and skills would young people most like to acquire or develop during exchanges? ............................................................................................................................................................... 60 6.Development of social competences of young people during exchanges ......................................... 64 7.Ways to ensure that young people maintain contact with each other after exchanges and integrate during exchanges................................................................................................................................... 68 8. Characteristics of a good trainer involved during exchanges ....................................................... 73 9.Additional propositions made by the surveyed youth ....................................................................... 75 Conclusions............................................................................................................................................ 76 2 Page INTRODUCTION This report was created as part of the project "International Meeting House in Nasutów" implemented by the European Meeting Centre - Nowy Staw Foundation. The project is co- financed by the National Freedom Institute-Centre for Civic society Development. The aim of the survey is to get to know the opinions of young people who have previously participated in international exchanges, exchange organizers and educators/trainers regarding the programs of these exchanges. The results of the research will be used in the creation of international youth exchange programs within the project (programs: History, Culture and Tradition, Intercultural Dialogue, Cultural Diversity). As part of the research, the following research methods were used in the project: • CAWI – Internet research, • IDI – Individual in-depth interviews, • FGI – Focus group interviews. The project included three research groups: 1) Polish and foreign youth, 2) Exchange organizers - employees representing entities operating in the field of youth exchange (Polish and foreign), 3) Trainers and educators (Polish and foreign) conducting workshops as part of international exchanges. The subject of research are all activities carried out during international exchanges. Respondents in three research groups shared their experiences on previous exchanges but also provided tips useful for organizing international exchanges in the future. The research was nationwide and European. In online surveys and individual in-depth interviews, the respondents were people from all over Europe. As part of the research, the following four research reports were created: 3 Page • from CAWI research (computer-aided interview using a website), • from IDI (Individual In-Depth Interviews) research, • from FGI (Focus Group Interviews) research, • Consolidated report. This report is a consolidated report. The following is a sample selection from each of the three studies: a) FGI (Focus Group Interviews) As part of the focus research , three interviews of three research groups were held: • young people participating in exchanges, • organizers of international exchanges, • trainers/educators conducting workshops with young people during exchanges. Focus studies covered only Poles. A group of young people was included in a face-to-face interview, while the other two groups participated in on-line interviews organized through the ZOOM platform. The interviews were recorded and then then transcriptions were made from them. The research took place in November 2021. The structure of the subjects covered by FGI is as follows: Research Total Women Men group number Youth 9 5 4 Organizers 8 4 4 Trainers 8 6 2 Together 25 15 10 Thus, FGI studies included a total of 25 people, including 15 women and 10 men. 4 Page Below is a list of countries where FGI participants exchanged took place: Research group Youth Trainers Organizers Countries Portugal Greece, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Georgia Turkey, Poland Italy, Ukraine b) IDI (Individual In-Depth Interviews) 15 interviews were conducted with respondents from three research groups: • young people participating in exchanges (5 interviews), • organizers of international exchanges (5 interviews), • trainers/educators conducting workshops with young people during exchanges (5 interviews). Individual In-Depth Interviews (IDI) covered both Poles and representatives of other nationalities. Some of the interviews were direct interviews, while some took place online via the ZOOM platform or by phone. All interviews were recorded and then transcriptions were made from them. The research took place in November and December 2021. The sex structure of the subjects covered by the IDI is as follows: Research Total Women Men group number Youth 5 4 1 Organizers 5 3 2 Trainers 5 3 2 Together 15 10 5 5 Page The structure of the nationalities of the subjects covered by the IDI is as follows: Research Total Poles Other group number countries Youth 5 2 3 Organizers 5 3 2 Trainers 5 3 2 Together 15 8 7 Thus, a total of 15 people were included in the IDI studies, including 10 women and 5 men. The research was attended by 8 Poles and 7 people representing other nationalities. The countries from which respondents representing other nationalities come are: Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania and Hungary. Below is a list of countries where exchanges of participants in IDI studies took place: Research group Youth Trainers Organizers Countries Poland Poland Poland Ukraine Georgia Lithuania Belarus Germany Hungary Georgia c) CAWI research (computer-aided interviews via website) The CAWI research, during which an online survey was used, was conducted among young people who participated in international exchanges. In total, 122 people responded, including 44 Poles and 78 foreigners. Women accounted for 59.8% of all respondents. Below is a list of countries from which respondents come: 6 Page Countries Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Greece, Georgia, Spain, Israel, Canada, Kosovo, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Germany, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine 7 Page PART I Experiences from youth exchanges so far In this part of the report, a collective analysis of the statements of participants of empirical research on their experiences from previous international exchanges will be presented. In this regard, respondents' statements about the exchanges in which they participated or organized them will be discussed. Next, the respondents' opinions will be presented on what drives young people to participate in international exchanges, what are their motivators, and what are their needs and expectations are for. The participants of the study also commented on the advantages and disadvantages of substantive programs implemented during exchanges. Finally, this part of the report will present respondents' opinions on the impact of participation in exchanges on the change in the perception of other cultures and their history, as well as on the effectiveness of the process of acquiring knowledge and skills. 1.Information on exchanges in which subjects participated or organised. Information about the exchanges in which the subjects participated or organized them will be presented based on the results of all three empirical studies carried out. Participants of the study characterized international exchanges, specifying their duration, place, participants and substantive program. a. Focus group interviews Youth: The young people covered by the focus study commented on the exchange, which took place in Portugal and lasted a total of 2 weeks. It consisted mainly in getting to know different types of workplaces: restaurants, hotels, schools. The program also assumed getting to know the Portuguese culture. As part of the cultural program, young people visited the city. 8 Page Trainers, educators: The empirical study's collection of trainers/educators indicated several international exchanges during which they carried out workshops: 1. International exchange based on the knowledge of national dances, integration, knowledge about culture. The exchange was attendedby young people from 8 countries. The exchange took place in Poland, in Nasutów (near Lublin). Participants from each country taught the others their national dance. The program also included workshops based on group work. The topics that were discussed during the exchange were: why culture is important, what are the elements of culture, tradition, national costumes. The program also included visiting the city of Lublin. International evenings were a very important element of the exchange. 2. International exchange, the aim of which was to improve the competences of universal and professional organizations that work with children and young people up to 25 years of age on a daily basis. The exchange took place in Greece and consisted in the implementation of study visits to various institutions related to therapeutic, caring, educational and rehabilitation work. Each participant had their own program and focused on other aspects of the functioning of a given institution. During the visit, a cultural programme was carried out, the main purpose of which was to familiarize the participants with the culture of ancient Greece. 3. An exchange during which young people did internships in workplaces in Portugal, but also got acquainted with Portuguese culture. The internship allowed to gain skills in such professions as: car mechanic, hairdresser, beautician, printing worker, IT specialist, restaurant employee, confectionery. In addition, the program also included integration workshops, including psychological and coaching. The latter were particularly important because, as one of the respondents said: there were such problems as the ability to be with each other, the ability to be Poles abroad, to reconcile with their mentality, with the understanding of some issues, so we 9 Page conducted such classes. 4. An international exchange, during which young people from a rural school from Poland took classes at a school in Portugal. The exchange program included, in addition to classes at the school, also integration dances, both Polish and Portuguese, sightseeing of the area, integration games and activities. Before flying to Portugal, Polish youth participated in preparatory classes for the trip. 5. Exchange in Finland on the active participation of young people with fewer opportunities. This exchange was attended by young people from Poland, Germany, Turkey and Finland. The exchange lasted 10 days. Each day of the exchange began with integration workshops, during which the participants shared their fears and expectations for the project. The classes focused on such areas as: pedagogy, nature, sport, relaxation. The program also included national evenings organized by individual groups. Each day ended with an evaluation in national groups. The program also assumed free time, which, according to the respondent, was an important part of the exchange. 6. An exchange in which Polish youth took classes in a Portuguese school. Polish youth met their peers from Portugal, not only at school, but also outside it. Together they danced, explored, integrated. The exchange lasted 7 days. 7. International exchange in Georgia, in which young people from Polish high schools took part. In addition to classes at the Georgian school, the youth participated in numerous meetings, e.g. with the authorities of the city of Gori. In addition, trips were organized to explore the city. An important element of the exchange were integration classes, during which young people learned Georgian dance among others. Another young people from Georgia came to Poland. The program 10 implemented in Poland was similar to the one that was implemented earlier in Page Georgia, assumed classes at school, a cultural program (visiting Warsaw), integration workshops. Organizers: 1. Exchange "Common future, common past", financed by the Polish-Lithuanian Youth Exchange Fund, lasting 5 days. The main topic of the exchange was the Union of Lublin. 2. Polish-Lithuanian exchange for 30 people. The exchange was carried out over two sessions of meetings, each lasting a week. The aim of the project was to strengthen international integration through the implementation of a theatrical etude. Therefore, the first part of the meeting consisted in the fact that young people gathered common inspirations for such an etude, and in the workshop part of the meetings, under the supervision of an acting technique trainer, they strengthened their skills related to exercises increasing body awareness and voice manipulation. Then, the students practiced this etude and prepared for an open performance, which was staged in a local cultural center. 3. Exchange "The Art of Understanding-Understanding through Art" organized as part of the Polish-German Youth Office. The exchange was attended by young people from secondary school, about 20 people from Polish and Germany. The main topics of the exchange were related to breaking the tereotypes concerning the origin of participants from different cultures, from different countries. As part of the exchange, art workshops and sports competitions were carried out. 4. International exchange "Incubator of Polish-Czech Cooperation". The project was 11 intended for young people aged 18-35, lasted 5 months, and the exchange itself 5 Page days. The project was implemented as part of the Economic Forum of Young Leaders. The main goal of the project was to meet young people in Poland, networking, debating, discussing with decision-makers, as well as with their peers from various circles (e.g. various socialenvironments, organizationsand non-governmentalorganizations, with local leaders, representatives of the media). 5. Mobility trips, implemented under the Erasmus+ program and from funds financed from the Power Fund. Exchanges usually involve students or employees. In the case of employees, it lasts from 5 to 7 days of the training cycle, while in the case of students, these exchanges were longer. The exchanges were used to strengthen employee competences, mainly strengthening didactic competences, skills of working with students, getting acquainted with new curricula. 6. Exchanges carried out as part of the Polish-German Fund, the Polish-Lithuanian Fund and the "Youth in Action" program. Exchanges on young people media qualifications, aimed at developing media skills such as video, photography, journalism. 7. Exchange carried out as part of the Erasmus+ project, addressed to primary school students. The main goal was to get to know schools in other countries and their cultures. 8. Exchanges carried out under the Erasmus+ program, bilateral exchanges between Ukraine and Poland, Poland and Lithuania, Poland and Germany. Programs based on non-formal education methods, using for this purpose various types of games, integration activities . 12 Page b. Individual in-depth interviews Youth: Representatives of young people speaking in individual in-depth interviews indicate the different types, places and thematic scopes of the exchanges in which they participated: 1. The exchange, which took place in Estonia, lasted 10 days. The substantive exchange programme covered issues related to how young leaders become leaders of the European Union and young workers become young leaders. The main topic of the exchange was work with young people and youth policy. 2. Exchange taking place in Poland, in Nasutów (near Lublin), lasting 5 days. The exchange addressed the issues of abuse of violence among young people. 3. Exchange taking place in Turkey, lasting about 2 months. The exchange was focused on the topic of the environment. In addition, the issue of agriculture was also raised. 4. Exchange in Estonia, lasting a week. The elements of the international exchange were: intercultural evenings, sports activities, sightseeing of the city, integration meetings, during which the participants tried traditional dishes. Trainers, educators: Trainers and educators have been involved as lecturers in many international exchanges covering a variety of topics. The most common main topics of the exchanges in which they took part concerned such issues as: leadership and success, the future of young people on the labor market, cultural heritage, ecology, modern technologies, stereotypes. Organizers: 13 Respondents, who are the part of the group of organizers, organized the following Page exchanges: 1. Exchange taking place in Turkey. The Romanian partner was the participating organization, and the host organization was the Talent Support Center from Turkey. The main topic of the exchange was coding and robotics. The exchange involved 10 students from each institution and two teachers. 2. Another respondent has experience in organizing 7 exchanges, lasting on average about 6-9 days. The exchanges he organized were created mainly with the participation of young people, based on their needs and their interests. The exchanges were focused on the development of creative skills, were related to photography, filmmaking and digital competences, e.g. communication in social media, cybersecurity. 3. Another respondent organized exchanges on historical topics, about values, about returning to their roots. 4. Another respondent organized exchanges in the House of Education, a training house in Nasutów, they lasted an average of 7-9 days. These exchanges were mainly related to the subject of entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, photography. 5. The last representative of this group of respondents mentioned dozens of projects, mainly from the Erasmus+ program. One of the programs focused on the quality of dance and issues related to gender equality. c. Internet research Only young people took part in the online research. A total of 122 people were surveyed, including 73 women. The young people surveyed were asked to indicate what kind of international exchanges they had participated in, how many exchanges they had participated 14 in and in which countries the exchange had taken place. The distribution of responses is Page presented in the graphs below. Chart 1 What was the nature of the exchanges you participated in? 18% 1. educational 2. language course 35% 4% 3. touristic and sightseeing 6% 4. professional 5. humanitarian 16% 6. sporty and recreational 9% 7. social ang political 12% The graph shows that the majority of young people took part in educational exchanges – 35%, followed by social and political – 18%, professional – 16%, touristic and sightseeing – 12%. Less than 10% of respondents chose exchanges of a linguistic nature – 9%, humanitarian – 6%, and sports and recreation – 4%. 15 Page Chart 2 How many international exchanges have you participated in? Sprzedaż 1. participation in one exchange 2. participation in two exchanges 37% 35% 3. participation in 3 exchanges 4. participation in 4 exchanges 9% 10% 9% 5. participation in more than 5 exchanges The surveyed youth most often participated in more than 5 international exchanges – 37%, in 1 exchange participated 35% of respondents , in 2 exchanges – 10%, and in 3 and 4 exchanges – 9% of respondents each. The answers to the question about the country of exchange in which the respondents participated indicate that the youth went to very different places. Among the most frequently chosen countries were: Greece, Poland - 14 indications each, Portugal - 11 indications, Hungary - 9 indications. Among the countries that were indicated by at least 5 respondents were also: Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Romania and Georgia. The above analysis shows that the participants of the research participated in a wide variety of international exchanges, addressed to different groups of participants, both in terms of their age, country of origin, place of exchanges, as well as the substantive program. Based on their own experience of participating in these exchanges, respondents then commented on the motivation of young people to participate in the exchanges. 16 Page 2.Motivations of young people to participate in exchanges Respondents from all three research groups were asked what they thought motivated young people to participate in international exchanges. This was the subject of both quantitative and qualitative research, which allowed to enrich the scope of collected information, as well as to verify it mutually. In the first place, the statements of young people were presented. The responses of young people given during both individual and group interviews and online surveys were taken into account. The surveyed youth, deciding to participate in exchanges, most often stated that they were guided by the following motivations: a. Interest in the substantive exchange program. b. The desire to see another country. c. Integration with people from all over the world. d. Increase language skills. e. The desire to try something new. f. Desire to gain professional experience. g. The acquisition of qualifications and skills confirmed by certificates. h. Knowing history and culture of the country of exchange. i. Having a nice time. j. Making new friends. k. Toget to know people from the world of politics, science and business. Examples of respondents ' statements given during individual and group interviews: (...) getting to know a culture other than in Poland, Portugal is quite different from Poland: culture, flavors. And also the training of English language. You know, in school you talk, but when you use it every day, it's quite different. 17 Page Spending a nice time, doing something new, "breaking away" from home, exploring the world, sightseeing, making and maintaining new acquaintances First of all, curiosity and the desire to meet new people. If someone takes part in one exchange, he immediately wants to go to the next one. Exchanges are addictive. In my opinion, these are a bit of tourist motives, there is no denying that young people want to see different places in the world, see how people live in other countries and compare it with their environment, see something new, acquire some knowledge about other countries. I think this tourist motivation is important. Such an exchange is a great language school, mainly English, if we have such a multilateral exchange. On the one hand, I noticed that many people are very afraid of it, that they will not be able to communicate, and on the other, at the end, they appreciate at the evaluation sessions that these few days of exchange made them open up and acquire a greater willingness to learn, or polished this language at all. The distribution of respondents' statements in the CAWI survey on the discussed issue is presented in the chart below: 18 Page Figure 3 Motivations of young people to participate in international exchanges SPRZEDAŻ [NAZWA 9. Others 2% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 13% KATEGORII] 16% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 8% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 13% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 12% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 12% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 13% [NAZWA KATEGORII] 11% The surveyed trainers and educators speaking in individual and group interviews pointed to the following motives, which – in their opinion – guide young people to apply to participate in international exchanges: a. Willingness to acquire knowledge, both theoretical and practical. b. Increasing employment opportunities. c. Getting to know people from other countries. d. Possibility to go abroad. e. Increasing social competences. 19 f. Getting to know other cultures. Page The statements of respondents from both individual and group surveys: Certainly the desire to get to know another culture, the world. For young people, the younger one especially, a plane flight is already a great experience, so it is already worth taking part. Certainly, after returning there is a motivation to learn the language, they always say that this is not it, it will not be useful to them in life. Well, curiosity above all, the desire to experience adventure, breaking down these barriers, especially in the case of young people from smaller schools. At first, they are confused, but over time they open up. Certainly an adventure, because there were many people who flew by plane for the first time, were abroad for the first time, it was an experience for them. At first, everyone had fears, but then everyone is satisfied. I think that young people are most motivated by receiving experience. Also the opportunity to meet people from different countries and direct contact with them. Possibility of going abroad. The subject matter is the issue, I have the impression, secondary, while the very possibility of going, seeing, getting acquainted with other people - this is something that motivates very strongly. Certainly the values of sightseeinge, in the sense of wanting to get to know another culture, another history, other monuments, other people. I think that sometimes also linguistic considerations, in the sense of actually testing your communication skills in practice. According to representatives of organizations responsible for international exchanges speaking in qualitative interviews, young people participate in exchanges due to: a. Possibility of going abroad. 20 b. Getting to know the culture of another country. Page c. Getting to know other people. d. Detachment from everyday problems. e. Learning a lot of new things. f. Fun. g. Exchange of experience. h. Acquisition of new professional skills. i. Improvement of language skills. Examples in the respondents' statements: In my opinion, these are a bit of tourist motives, there is no denying that young people want to see different places in the world, see how people live in other countries and compare it with their environment, see something new, acquire some knowledge about other countries. I think this tourist motivation is important. Certainly the desire to get to know peers, to get to know their point of view. It should also be emphasized that young people from rural areas, just such young people took part in this project with us, probably do not always have the opportunity, they have a little less such opportunities to take part in such an international project, so it was a nice opportunity for them to meet these peers from a foreign country. I would divide it into three categories: the desire to meet other people, young people hear about what these exchanges look like, who you can meet, how you can have a good time, so based on this they want to participate and are motivated to live the same experience as the people who give them information. Such an exchange is a great language school, mainly English, if we have such a multilateral exchange. On the one hand, I noticed that many people are very afraid of it, that they will not be able to communicate, and on the other, at the end, they appreciate at the evaluation sessions that these few days of exchange made them open up and acquire a greater willingness to learn, or polished this language at all. 21 Page In my opinion, the most motivating thing for young people to participate in international exchanges is to go abroad. Young people, from my experience, they prefer to just want to go somewhere. To a new place to get to know a new country, get to know the culture to meet other people from a given country. First of all, the desire to travel, meet new people, new information, new perspectives. Usually, people are curious about it, which is why they want to participate in them. As for the last exchange, I know that the participants from Ukraine really wanted to travel, meet new people. On their example, we can see this. Another plus is the ability to break away from your problems, from what is happening in our country, or simply from the duties of everyday life. First of all, curiosity and the desire to meet new people. If someone takes part in one exchange, he immediately wants to go to the next one. Exchanges are addictive. Summing up the results of the research, it can be concluded that the opinions of three research groups on motivators of young people to participate in exchanges mostly coincide. The group of young people additionally mentions such motivators as trying something new, acquiring qualifications and skills confirmed by certificates, establishing new acquaintances, and getting to know people from the world of politics, science and business. The above motivators were not indicated by other research groups. 22 Page 3.Expectations and needs of young people towards exchange programmes All three groups of respondents were asked what expectations and needs of young people were met during the exchanges in which respondents participated or organized. Below are presented statements divided into individual research groups based on individual in-depth interviews and focused group interviews. Youth: 1) Expectations related to a clear substantive program 2) Interesting methods and tools used during the exchange, e.g. games, storytelling, gamification, ice breakers. 3) Good atmosphere during the exchange, a variety of tasks and activities. 4) Openness of other participants in the exchange. Onthe respondents' statements: I think everything has been fulfilled. I didn't have too many of those expectations either, because it was my first exchange. I had everything I needed, everything I wanted to see - I saw and learned a lot. Going there, we wanted to get to know the culture of the Portuguese, Portugal, we could look at how the Portuguese function, and they function completely differently than we do. Poles live in such stress, haste, and there they have slack. They don't care if something doesn't work out. We have such a mentality that you have to strain, stress, and there it is quite different. Trainers and educators: According to the trainers covered by the study, their international exchange programs met most of the expectations of young people and responded to their needs. Trainers/educators 23 additionally point to the following needs and expectations that have not been met: Page 1. Preparing participants for a trip abroad. 2. Meeting people, integration. 3. Continuation of activities after the end of the exchange. 4. Compliance more free time in the programme. 5. Linguistics preparation. 6. Direct contact with representatives of the host organisation. Below are the statements of respondents that illustrate the above statements: It seems that everything that the youth expected has been fulfilled. In the evenings we asked what was good, what was not. They were satisfied with themselves, because it turned out that if they broke through, they could talk in English, although earlier they thought that they could not. The plan was fulfilled and in fact the children are happy with this trip. All in all, so did we, although it was actually a pandemic period, so not everything could be done. I also immodestly admit that I do not see such elements that were missing in the program, but I also think that it is because we did summaries and evaluations every day. If something did not fully meet the expectations or the expectations were different, we tried to modify the program. I have the impression that at the beginning there were concerns and expectations about the project, and I can say that we were positively surprised by how satisfied the youth were with all these elements. Organizers: The organizers, like the trainers, believe that the exchanges met the expectations and the needs of the participants. 24 Page Statements of respondents: Usually, a little time was missing. The expectations of people who had never been on exchange were such uncertainty, and then a great satisfaction and surprise, that it does not take so much to spend time in a constructive way and then use it in the future. As for the expectations of young people that we realized during the program, we examined it with evaluation surveys. There were always some people who were dissatisfied with part of the program, whether it was a topic raised on many levels, many activities, or too much something, e.g. when it comes to politics, religiosity, it was too much in some cases. When it comes to expectations and needs, there were such basic needs and expectations related to the very fact of mobility, to the very fact of going abroad. In our case, these were people who, for the most part, were going abroad for the first time, so the needs related both to the provision of individual support consisting in accommodation, food, organized transport of these people to the place of mobility, providing adequate care on the spot, a person who will communicate with participants in a foreign language. On the other hand, expectations and needs were also associated with an appropriate quality substantive program, a program that will be able to interest these young people, from which young people will be able to get something valuable for themselves. The statements of individual groups of respondents show that the expectations and needs of young people in relation to exchanges have been mostly met. The key to this is, m.in, daily evaluation, through which the current needs and expectations of young people are taken into account. 25 Page 4.Advantages and disadvantages of exchange programs In this thematic block, respondents' statements on the advantages and disadvantages of programs implemented during international exchanges will be discussed. The statements of 3 groups of respondents about the advantages were presented in tabular form, taking into account the results of CAWI, IDI and FGI surveys, with the order of the listed cases being random. Table No. 1 Advantages of international programs in the opinion of respondents Youth Trainers and educators Organizers 1. Meeting new people. 1. Integration of 1. Adapting the 2. Getting to know the participants. program to the culture of other 2. Inclusion of its needs and countries. participants in the expectations of 3. Building relationships. substantive participants. 4. High educational level. program. 2. Interactive 5. Interesting substantive 3. Organizing the workshops. program. exchange by an 3. Learning English. 6. Well-conducted experienced 4. Integration games, integration of institution. ice breakers. participants. 4. Clear wording of 5. Getting to know the 7. Organization of the exchange culture of another cultural evenings. rules country. 8. Exchange of 5. Tangible learning 6. Diversity of the experience. effect: program 9. Interculturality. performance, 7. Learning to work in 10. Well organized time recording a team 26 11. Openness on the part 6. Inclusion in the 8. Increase in soft skills Page of the organisers of program culinary 9. Methodology based the host country. and dance on non-formal 12. Improving language workshops education skills. 7. Possibility to learn 10. Opportunity to get 13. Professional a foreign language to know other development. cultures 11. Qualified trainers In addition, young people participating in online research were asked to express their opinion on the workshops in which they participated during the exchanges. The following question were asked: Which activities during the exchanges were the most important for you and you remembered them in a special way? Respondents pointed to a variety of activities. Below are the answers along with the number of indications: a. Integration workshops - 28 indications. b. Trips - 13 indications. c. Intercultural evenings – 8 indications. d. Lecture on culture-5 indications e. Specialization workshops, e.g. in psychology, business, online tools, diplomatic protocol - 5 indications. f. Soft skills workshops - 4 indications. g. Learning foreign languages - 4 indications. h. Meetings with interesting people - 3 indications. i. Sports activities - 3 indications j. Specialist lectures, e.g. on data analysis, on maritime economy - 2 indications. 27 k. Participation in cultural events - 2 indications. Page l. Networking – 2 indications. m. Evaluation and discussion on future cooperation- - 1 indication. n. Meetings with practitioners - 1 indication. o. Practical workshops -1 indication. p. Culinary workshops - 1 indication. q. Creating your own Facebook page - 1 indication. r. Workshops related to professional development in English - 1 indication. s. Happenings- 1 indication. t. Getting to know the methods of teaching and development - 1 indication. u. Exchange of experience - 1 indication. v. Competitions – 1 indication. Young people pointed to a very diverse variety of activities, while in the first one there are those that are related to integration and spending free time, i.e.: integration activities, trips and intercultural evenings. The disadvantages of international exchanges in the opinion of respondents can be divided into 3 groups: a. defects of a substantive nature:  incorrectly conducted evaluation,  improperly selected group of people participating in the exchange,  high level of complexity of the project,  difficulties in involving young people in activities,  improper choice of the country of residence, failure to take into account the specificity of a given culture in the program, creation of programs without the participation of young people, implementation of exchanges based solely on multimedia presentations. 28 Page b. defects of a systemic nature:  low budget for the implementation of tasks,  the failure to adapt the ERASMUS programme to the real needs of young people;  improper promotional campaigns on the part of donors. d. defects of an organizational nature:  tight program,  too short exchange duration,  inadequate housing conditions,  chaos in the schedule,  unskilled staff coordinating the exchange In addition, young people participating in online research were asked a question about only organizational defects. Only 20.5% of respondents said that there were such defects during the exchanges: a. poor housing conditions, poor nutrition – 5 indications, b. biurocracy , e.g. lack of cooperation between the sending part and the hosting organization, poor communication from the international cooperation office at the home university, late information regarding eligibility to participate in the project, extension of refunds for travel costs - 4 indications, c. lack of response from the organizers to the needs and problems of the participants - 3 indications, d. chaos in the schedule - 3 indications e. lack of good organization of time - 2 indications, f. lack of time for sightseeing - 1 indication, g. no evaluation after the project - 1 indication. 29 Page Young people participating in online research also commented on the shortcomings in international exchanges. The question was open. Below is a summary of respondents' statements: a. nothing was missing – 19 indications, b. more free time - 12 indications, c. meetings after the exchange - 6 indications, d. more or no trips - 5 indications, e. Contact with the mother tongue of the country of exchange - 3 indications, f. More integration workshops - 2 indications, g. Practical knowledge - 1 indication , h. efforts to break up the "national cliques" that often take place in meetings of people from many countries at one-1 indication, i. help at the apartment - 1 indication, j. common evenings/parties--1 indication, k. greater assistance from the host university at the beginning of the exchange-1 indication, l. certifikats-1 indication, m. networking-1 indication, n. financial support– 1 indication, o. qualified staff – 1 indication. Most of the respondents indicated that they did not lack anything. If they already pointed out any shortcomings, most often they were: spending free time, meetings after the exchange or organizing trips. Analyzingthe statements of respondents collected using various research methods and among different categories of people participating in exchanges , it can be concluded that the greatest advantages of international exchanges are their diversity of programs, high 30 Page educational level, getting to know the culture of another country, an interesting substantive program, including various types of workshops, such as culinary or dance. The value of the programme is strengthened by the workshops carried out to integrate the participants. According to the respondents, a good international exchange is one that integrates the team, allows you to shape such social skills as, for example, working in a team. According to the respondents, it is also important that there is a well-organized time during international exchanges. In planning a substantive program, it is worth considering integration activities, trips, intercultural evenings, because for young people they are the most interesting and attractive. It is also worth providing participants with more free time, planning evaluation meetings after the end of participation in exchanges. When it comes to organizational issues, it is worth ensuring good living conditions as far as possible: housing, food, planning a well- planned schedule of activities and responding to the current needs of exchange participants and approaching them in a less bureaucratic way. The impact of participation in exchanges on the perception of other cultures and their history by their participants The young people covered by the empirical research agree that their participation in the exchanges influenced their perception of another culture and its history. Respondents believe that participation in exchanges changes the way of thinking about other cultures, attitude towards them, besides, stimulates curiosity to discover other cultures, engaging in their problems. Thanks to the exchanges, young people learn how to behave in an international environment, learn about customs in other cultures, become more open and at the same time realize how many stereotypes there are about other cultures. 31 Page Examples of statements of respondents participating in both individual and group interviews: They are also very close-knit, they spend a lot of time with their families. In our country, for example, families go to restaurants from time to time and there they do it every day. The nice thing is that during work there is this one-hour break for lunch. These are very open people, they always wanted to "catch" some contact with us. There were two types of cultures, there were people from the Caucasus, and on the other hand, e.g. from Portugal, Spain, Italy and we knew that there was a huge gap between them, we knew that sometimes such communication styles do not go in the right direction, because, for example, for people from Portugal, saying "no" has a completely different connotation than for people from the Caucasus region. That is why sometimes such difficult situations resulted from it, so it was a great opportunity for me to see how important such intercultural communication is. If you are motivated, you can see these communication differences and learn a lot of new things. According to the statements of trainers and educators, participation in international exchanges affects:  getting to know different cultures,  openness to other cultures and history,  broadening horizons,  development of international cooperation,  learning responsibility,  getting rid of prejudices,  building relationships. 32 Some trainers believe that the impact of participation in international exchanges on Page changing the perception of history by their participants is very important. This applies mainly to exchanges in which older youth are participants. The situation is different for primary school pupils, who are usually not interested in the history of a given country. Respondent's statement: Because when it comes to adult youth, it is much easier, but it was also visible on the example of our participants that they, although at the beginning they were not very interested in it, later being on the spot and directly communing with culture, you could see that the level of curiosity was rising and integration was also growing. In our project, we also had the opportunity to see what an ancient theater looks like up close. So I think it's very, very much uplifting to cultural awareness. It also gives you the opportunity to develop your cultural expression, often after returning or even during your stay, so I think the most important thing is to give such a good impulse to instill curiosity, to make the participant feel that something is cool in this story, this culture, to want to get to know it. Maybe this will also work for students. There is also a statement that participation in exchanges at the same time makes its participants aware of how little they know about their culture: I think that they are very interested in these cultures and I paid attention to such a thing, even the youth told me this, at the moment when they tell us about their cultures, about their tradition and history, we listen very much, because we are terribly interested in it and we realized that we do not really know our history well, because somehow we were not interested in it at all. Only now, after getting to know each other, getting to know the elements of the history of a given country in which we are, we realize that we do not know much about ourselves, from that moment we want to learn more. In turn, the younger group of participants, according to the respondents, is not so interested 33 in the history of the country in which they live, but above all in its modern life, fashion, Page culture, cuisine, nature. Respondents statements: Children are not quite so interested in the history of the country, it seems to me that they are more visual and perceive the beauty surrounding them more. It is true that what Edyta said, that listening, e.g. guides who were able to express themselves on this topic. And when they really ask a Pole what can be said about Poland, hardly anyone can tell the story as they can tell about the history of their country. It seems to me, however, that the young people themselves have rather certainly learned something, they have learned something from it, although I do not know if they use and are interested in the words of guides so much. But yes, our youth were a little more interested in that life of the youth they met. They did not ask so much about these historical things, but they focused on what is here and now, around. In turn, according to the organizers participating in empirical research, the participation of young people in international exchanges affects:  breaking stereotypes, especially in eastern countries,  broadening horizons,  learning about interculturality,  realizing how many young people from different countries unite, not divide,  development of international cooperation,  openness to other cultures and history. To sum up: the impact of participation in international exchanges on the perception of culture by its participants is serious and multidimensional. The situation is different in the case of history, because especially younger participants in exchanges are much more 34 interested in contemporary culture and current life in a given country. Page 5.The impact of participation in exchanges on gaining knowledge and skills by their participants. Two groups of respondents were asked to indicate what the youth learned during the exchanges: the youth and the organizers. They have many of the skills that young people have acquired during the exchanges. They can be grouped as follows: Linguistic skills • knowledge of English, Social competence • ability to speak in public, including constructively expressing one's views, conducting and giving interviews, • acquisition of greater boldness, openness, • organizational skills, resourcefulness, • ability to work in a group, • the ability to tolerate diversity, • the ability to talk to local residents you do not know, • decision-making, • ability to solve problems, • creativity, • leadership skills, Knowledge: • knowledge of other cultures, customs, history, • knowledge of the economy, • setting up paid promotions in social media, • skills related to camera operation, video editing, photography, writing journalistic texts, 35 • skills related to acting (organizing exercises to increase the awareness ofthe body, voice Page manipulation). Sports skills • riding a scooter, • kayaking, • bachiata. An important competence that the studied youth could acquire was openness to other cultures, developed as a result of observation during the exchange of Portuguese society, their work culture, positive attitude towards people, towards the environment. The youth emphasized that they use their fascination with "openness" in their daily professional, school and private relationships. To sum up: during the exchanges, the young people improved their language competences, learned about the history of the exchange countries, gained greater self-confidence, increased their self-presentation skills. In addition, some of the youth learned how to use the camera, video editing, acting skills. 36 Page 6.Influence of exchange participants on the shape of their programme. The young people surveyed were asked whether they had an impact on the shape of the exchange programme and to what extent. They stated that they had the opportunity to decide about their free time: about organizational issues of trips, choosing specific days and hours. Part of the surveyed youth points to the possibility of minor organizational changes during the exchange consisting in adapting classes to the needs of the participants: We had a day off and a chance to create sessions in which we had the skills, which was the most interesting for us. That's why I think that changing the entire training program is a very good idea, so you can create your sessions, your topics. The organisers of the exchanges were also asked about the impact of young people on the design of the exchange programme and the extent of this impact. Most of the exchange organisers surveyed say that at the stage of writing a youth exchange project, they already have to indicate specific provisions and a specific substantive plan for the exchange. Hence, young people during the exchange can only decide on smaller issues such as: • shape of integration parts, • topics discussed during the workshops, • choosing the subject of your film, photos, article, • selection of the technique of your own artistic work. However, some of the exchange organisers covered by the study point to the possibility for young people to decide on their substantive programme. Astatement was presented 37 indicating the possibility of this influence: Page It is usually the case that together we determine the topic, some main goals for the exchange and what should happen during such a week. In the sense of what we are striving for. What we want to achieve, what will interest them. To a greater extent, it is known that the Polish group is involved in this, which later in the course we also verify on partner sides. This is actually what it looks like with us. I feel that this is an insignificant thing in organizations. This is still far from the perfect vision of the donors and it irritates me terribly. I am glad to be able to say this, because the assumptions of the youth exchange should be written by young people. The trainers were also asked whether the youth had an impact on the exchange program in which they participated as coaches. The experience here was different: some of the trainers talked about the influence of young people on the program, some about only partially deciding on the shape of the program. An example of a coach's statement confirming the influence of youth: In our project, the mobility program was set by a career counselor who met with participants, so he studied their needs on an ongoing basis and on the basis of this a program was developed. Later, it was also confirmed with a foreign partner, so the participants indirectly had an impact on the implementation of the program, but during the project itself it often happened that this program was changed and the participants were kept informed about it. The first version of the program was determined after the diagnosis of the needs of the participants. On the other hand, some of the trainers included in the study, indicated the need to establish an exchange program in advance without the participation of young people in its planning, pointed to the possibility of minor modifications to the applications of young people during the exchange: As part of the exchange in which the youth participated, they did not really have much 38 influence on the program itself, but they had an impact on the principle that they could make Page a difference. That is, if working conditions, climatic conditions appeared and were not right, or too hard work, some stressful situation that had a big impact on these people, or a total problem with the language of employers, a problem with communication, then they could change the place of this practice. In this regard, they had an impact. If the employers were very open, the youth could also negotiate with them, on the principle, say: I really want to stay in this department a few days longer, because I want to get to know the specifics of this job better, I am more interested. A girl working in a pastry shop told me that by accident she was transferred to a bakery, it turned out that it was a place that suited her better, she asked for the opportunity to stay there, there was no problem with it. Various such situations took place, but the program of stay itself was not influenced by the youth. To sum up: young people most often had an impact only on the way they spend their free time during the exchange, because substantive programs were developed before the exchange. However, several of the organisers and trainers surveyed indicated that before developing the exchange programme, they examined the needs and interests of young people and then included them in the programmes. 39 Page Part II – Programmes for future youth exchanges The second part of the report is devoted to collecting guidelines for organizing a good international exchange. These guidelines were provided in various selected aspects by three groups of respondents: young people participating in exchanges, exchange organisers and trainers. The study focused on aspects of exchanging such as: • subject matter, • places, • methods and tools, • knowledge and skills to be obtained during the exchange, • development of social competences, •ensuring that young people maintain contact with each other after the exchange, • features of a good trainer at exchanges. 40 Page