Joining the Youth Exchange 2025, NL
- Simon Nzinga a.k.a. Nzingaboy
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Growing up with a stutter has never been easy.
There were many moments in my life where I held myself back because of it, avoiding opportunities and growth. But things began to change when I made the decision to accept my stutter and face the world with confidence — choosing to live in the moment, with my stutter.
Joining the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange was my first experience stepping out of my comfort zone in this way. It was an incredible feeling to live and connect with other individuals who also stutter. Hearing their personal journeys inspired me deeply and gave me a big confidence boost. It felt like a new side of me came alive.
As someone who loves languages, I especially enjoyed that we spoke so much English. The days were filled with amazing workshops, but one that really stuck with me was "Voices on the Stage" — a deeply emotional session where many of us opened up about growing up with a stutter. It brought us closer together in a powerful way.
I also had the opportunity to be featured in the local newspaper De Stentor, where I spoke about the camp and mentioned my new single Mariquinha. During the camp, I performed one of my songs, Wakanda —an Afrobeat track in Swedish— and it was so much fun seeing everyone dance and enjoy the music.
Music has helped me tremendously throughout my life. I'm now focused on building a music career, aiming to reach an international audience while continuing to grow my brand in Sweden. One day, I hope to speak about both my music journey and my experience with stuttering on larger platforms and talk shows.
I'm truly grateful that I had the chance to share my story and hear others' during this Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, a 9-day program where about 50 participants from Sweden, Finland, the UK, Italy, Spain, Hungary, and the Netherlands lived together. It was an unforgettable experience. ❤️🌍
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