Young people from Finland, Croatia and North Macedonia came together in Helsinki for an Erasmus+ youth exchange built around outdoor adventure education. Aurora Network took part with young Macedonian participants, joining peers from partner countries for a week of learning through nature, movement and shared experience rather than classrooms.

Living the themes through nature

Sustainability, healthy lifestyles and teamwork were not just discussion topics, they were lived every day. The group hiked in national parks, went kayaking, cooked together by the lakes, and shared sauna sessions followed by cold water dips, building trust and connection through shared physical experience rather than lectures.

Exploring Helsinki and beyond

Alongside outdoor activities, the group explored Helsinki and had plenty of intercultural moments along the way, from everyday conversations to a visit to a shipyard. One of the standout highlights was preparing a public sauna themselves, chopping wood, building the fire, and then running straight into the freezing sea together.

Closing note

Good people, good energy, and memories that stay: this exchange was about stepping out of comfort zones every single day, together. The project was hosted by Valo-Valmennusyhdistys, in cooperation with Y-Säätiö and the Jiippi project.