After a two-year break due to the pandemy the friends from Germany, France and Slovenia finally met again in person over Ascension Day. This time, as planned since 2020, in the French town of Saint-Florent-sur-Cher. Every year, the young people from the three twin towns form the vanguard for the big partnership meeting in the course of the youth project.

Eleven young people from the Adolf Reichwein School travelled to Paris by train with teacher Lili Kramer and Helga Feller, Chairperson of the Association for the Promotion of International Relations Neu-Anspach (VzFIB). Even the 90-minute sightseeing tour in the French capital was a great way to get in the mood for a week in France.

In Saint-Florent-sur-Cher they met the French participants of the youth project and the young people from Sentjur in Slovenia. Mayor Nicole Progin welcomed the young people at the beginning in her official residence in the Florentais castle. The first day was full of interesting impressions for the 47 young people and their companions and so it continued. With workshops, discovery tours in the twin town and the nearby district town of Bourges, a visit to the climbing park that literally fell into the water, where, due to the weather, instead of scrambling, they were able to exchange ideas and get to know each other, and numerous other highlights, the organisational team in France, consisting of the twinning committee and the school, especially the teacher Sandrine Gatinois and her colleague from the youth centre, Magali Grochoki, had designed an exciting programme. This not only met the strict evaluation standards of ErasmusPlus, but also excited the young people and their companions. Everyone worked with commitment, learned a lot and had a lot of fun. As usual, the workshop results were presented to the participants of the citizens’ encounter and the parents of the French young people at the colourful final evening.

This week of exchange, learning and working together and having fun went by much too quickly – as always, there were tears of farewell and the heartfelt wish of all to see each other again soon… In the spirit of Erasmus: enriches lives, opens minds.

We look forward to seeing you again in 2023 in Šentjur – the invitation was already extended by the committee chairman Robert Gajsek at the “Bunten Abend” and a heartfelt “Merci” to the friends in Saint-Florent-sur-Cher!