What did I learn in the Fit2Belong Project?
The Fit to Belong project has been a wonderful and an unforgettable experience from beginning to the end. Throughout the project we’ve had the opportunity to come together with our peers from around the globe. We made lots of new friends and learnt how loneliness affected our lives, and how we could tackle it. In doing this, not only did we develop our communication, organisation and cooperation skills, but we learnt how to solve problems and act in accordance within a group. I cannot think of a better opportunity that would help me acquire such invaluable qualities. It has been a greatly welcoming learning environment. Not to mention the support of my friends and teachers, without whose help this would have been impossible.
What was the aim of the project?
The Fit to Belong project aimed to mitigate loneliness among youth and help them find ways to cope with it. According to research, loneliness is quite an issue universally. It affects quite a lot of people than one might guess and is a growing problem in modern life. On an interesting note, in the research carried out by BBC, the age group that was affected the most weren’t older people. The loneliness ratio was actually higher in young adults. This was interesting, since young people were socially involved and physically able compared to older people. This was an important discovery concerning us and our age group at our school. When we contacted and got positive feedback, works began and lots of mobilities and tasks awaited us.
What has been done so far?
Three mobilities have been organised in three different countries. Working with teachers and students from Turkey, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, and Belgium, the mobilities took place in Poland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Lots of conferences were held and most importantly the Hackathon took place. During the three-day-long work the Intellectual Outputs were produced by students and later tested by schools. More detailed work and results about the IO’s were discussed in the mobilities.
Opinions and Conclusion
Overall, I feel very accomplished and proud of our works. It meant a lot to me since the beginning and has contributed to my personal well-being. I gained new perspectives and discovered new ideas and improved my self-awareness. I felt like I belonged to a part of something big. Much like the petals of a flower, similarly to the symbol of Fit to Belong. It profoundly excited me for what is next. I am more than willing to seek out more opportunities like this one. It has been lovely being a part of it.
