Seven young people and two coordinators from FACE CLUB took part in a study visit to Turany nad Ondavou, Stropkov and Svidník over the weekend of 21 to 23 August.
The main part of the programme was a visit to the Mladiinfo Slovensko Community Centre in Turany nad Ondavou. Peter Rybár introduced us to how the centre works, its activities and the opportunities the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) offers young people. It is thanks to this programme that our volunteer Toni works at FACE CLUB.
Turany nad Ondavou has about 335 inhabitants. During our visit the village was also holding its Village Day, so we got to experience the local community life too. We were especially struck by the work of the senior women who crochet little octopuses for babies in hospital incubators. We could buy the octopuses at the event, supporting further production and the purchase of materials. There were also homemade syrups from local producers.
Turany nad Ondavou is also the birthplace of Marika Gombitová.
The programme also included getting to know Stropkov and Svidník. In Stropkov we visited the Animal Park and walked around the town. In Svidník we visited the Military History Museum and learned about the history of the region. We also stopped at the memorial and the cemetery of soldiers who fell in the Second World War. We saw several churches and other places in the area too.
Of course, we also tasted local cuisine and made a stop for ice cream. Over the three days we got to know not only the community centre and its activities, but also the region itself.
To finish the study visit, we spent an evening together bowling.
The study visit took place as part of the project YPA – Youth Participation Activity “Mladí za Domašu”, with financial support from the European Union and the Erasmus+ programme.
