Learning to trust, to speak and to belong - together

To discover where and with whom you truly belong and who you really are, you sometimes have to leave the comfort of your home and take a step towards the edge of the world.

Trusting the entire process blindly is something I usually struggle with. I didn’t know where this would lead me or what I might discover about myself along the way. It wasn’t something I was used to and for that very reason, it was necessary.

By the end of the Youth Exchange journey, I realized: it was more than worth it, a thousand times over.

The Youth Exchange allowed us to explore diverse cultures, their customs and spirit, and I found myself surrounded by incredible people whose eyes reflected familiar fears, similar experiences, doubts and the self-stigma of stuttering. This shared vulnerability didn’t divide us, it brought us closer together.

It was in those shared glances and vulnerable moments that our workshops became more than just learning processes, they turned into bridges towards one another!

For example, Non-Violent Communication taught us to listen without defensiveness. We learned how to express ourselves in ways that make others feel understood, not attacked.

These workshops were opportunities to grow and to feel that we don’t have to hide anything, not even our stutter, in order to be loved.

The national evenings were like windows into other worlds, widening our perspectives. I learned that cheese is not just cheese. And that football is not just a game, it’s a way of life, full of passion, beauty and pain.

When you leave home, you feel small. But when you return, you feel bigger and braver for everything you’ve allowed yourself to feel, to share and to receive.

We were not just people who stuttered from different countries.

We were a living, breathing Europe, gathered in a small mountain village called Kniebis and pulsating in many voices, yet sharing one common heartbeat.