This time in an unusually large group of twelve, the Slovak team participated in mobility in the Turkish town of Afyonkarahisar, a town referred to as „a jewel among the mountains“, especially because of its geographical location.
This city is located in the heart of Turkey and is known for its rich history, thermal springs and unique natural beauty or culture, which we had the opportunity to explore during the week we spent together in the interior of Turkey.
In addition to the participants from Slovakia, countries such as Romania, Hungary and of course the host country Turkey took part in this specific project, which ensured the conditions for the smooth running of the whole mobility.
In spite of the exhausting journey we spent the whole first day, the main organizer Necmettin (Nedžo) warmly welcomed us, accommodated us and the mobility could officially start. From the next morning onwards, we had a full day filled with programs and activities of various nature, which mainly focused on promoting the inclusion of disadvantaged youth in society.
We had a lot of discussions on these topics and did various workshops and physical activities together that used the power of sport for psycho-hygiene, stress relief, education or health promotion. We played modified football, volleyball and basketball to best simulate the sports from the perspective of the handicapped and to put ourselves in the shoes of physically disadvantaged youth and understand their problems and perspectives first-hand.
Besides doing activities, we had the opportunity to get to know Turkey in a different way, culturally. We went to a celebration of the Circumcision ceremony, or to a traditional Turkish thermal bath. We had the opportunity to meet Dervis Aynaci, the mayor of Bolvadin. The mayor gave us a friendly welcome, treated us to a meal, and after our time together, he presented a commemorative plate to each country’s expedition.
In Turkey we also took a trip to Antalya, where we relaxed, recharged our energy, swam in the sea and visited the historical part of the city. We saw the countryside on the way by car and had a lot of space for deep discussions with participants from other countries. We ended our stay with a cultural night where we presented Slovakia and in good mood we enjoyed our last evening together and said goodbye.