An integration and educational trip for young leaders of youth volunteering took place from September 19th to 21st, 2025. Fifteen young volunteers active in Świdnica and the surrounding area met in Przesieka.
The goal of the trip was not only to develop social and leadership skills but also to create a space for conversation, exchange of experiences, and building a support network among young people involved in the local community. It was three days of learning, collaboration, and positive energy. The program included team-building workshops, activities on volunteering and civic education, and practical project exercises. There was also time for mountain hiking, which proved to be a great lesson in cooperation, mindfulness, and trust in others. The joint expeditions demonstrated the importance of each person in a group—and how much can be achieved when we work together. During the workshops, the youth proposed declaring 2026 the Year of Świdnica Youth. Ideas and proposed actions will be presented to the city authorities. During the discussions, projects that could be developed as part of this initiative were also explored, discussing their strengths, potential challenges, and approaches.
Event program:
September 19, Friday
- 15:30 – Meeting at the Non-Governmental Organisation Support Centre and transfer of participants to the facility in Przesieka.
- 17.00 – Check-in to rooms and dinner.
- 17.30 – Let’s get to know each other better… integration workshops.
- 20.30 – Dinner.
20/09/2020 SATURDAY
- 09.00 – Breakfast.
- 10.00 – Before we start acting… or about volunteering and civic education in theory.
- 10.30 – going out to the field to solve tasks in groups – preparing projects based on the youth’s demands.
- 16.30– Lunch.
- 17.00 – Initial discussion of projects.
- 18.00 – Afternoon tea.
- 6:30 PM – initial discussion of the projects with the entire group (pros, cons, what still needs to be worked on).
- 21.00 – Dinner/bonfire (weather permitting).
SEPTEMBER 21, SUNDAY
- 9.00 – Breakfast.
- 9.30 – What is worth remembering… or a joint summary.
- 13.00 – Lunch.
- 13.45 – Return to Świdnica.
The evenings were a time for networking – a bonfire, conversations, and exercises focused on the topic of peer hate. Participants explored how to recognize hate and how to respond when it affects them or their peers. The trip concluded with a joint debriefing, in which the young volunteers shared their reflections on what was most important to them and what they would take with them after the three days.
Trips like these demonstrate that young people need not only opportunities for action, but also spaces where they can learn, develop, and inspire one another. It's in moments like these that ideas emerge that have the potential to truly transform our local communities—making them more open, supportive, and thoughtful.
The "Świdnica for Volunteering" project is being implemented in the city and district of Świdnica in 2024–2026, thanks to funding from the "Partnership for Volunteering. 2024 Edition" program, as part of the Solidarity Corps – the Government Program for Support and Development of Systematic Volunteering for 2018–2030.
