Successfully completed Youth Exchange “STOP, DROP and ROLE!”.

Behind the Argonauta’s association and its partner organizations, is another successfully completed Youth Exchange called “Stop, Drop & Role!”. Teams of six young people from Croatia, Macedonia, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania and gathered in Šibenik from 6th to 15th April 2019  to learn more about climate change and open space fires.

During this Youth Exchange participants exchanged experiences from their countries in topics of climate change and open fire space. Through different workshops and lectures they gained impressions, new knowledge and skills they presented to the local community, and that will continue to spread in their countries. We believe that only common forces can influence solving global problems such as climate change and natural fires.

At the very beginning of the exchange, spite of the rain, youngsters shook their sleeves and cleanup really polluted beach in Šibenik, named Duboka. They found a variety of plastic items that the sea had thrown into the bay during the stormy weather, but also objects that were badly thrown by locals. Satisfied after the cleanup job, participants agreed in one: “The best way to be aware of the plastic pollution problem is by organizing and / or joining this kind of cleaning action!”

During the study trip, participants had a chance to see the consequences of a catastrophic fire that happened less than two years ago in a surrounding area of ​​Split. It is assumed that this fire catastrophe is also a result of human activity. Unfortunately, only when a catastrophe occurs, “Pandora’s box” opens, and many problems and omissions occurs. Those problems Croatian forest experts presented to the participants of the Exchange. In the following days similar problems and omissions were also shown by firefighters from the Public Fire Department of the city of Šibenik, but from their angle of view and their profession. They also spoke about one big fire catastrophe in National park Kornati, which grew all the present, and left a strong impression on them.

All these new impressions and feelings of youngsters have allowed them to create a modern art exhibition on climate change and fire in one primary school in Šibenik. Using educational postcards and artwork on small pieces of canvas-shaped puzzles, they explained to the children all they had the opportunity to learn in the previous days. In addition to enjoying modern exhibitions and learning, children had a unique opportunity to talk to young people in both English and Italian, to share multicultural values and to promote the Erasmus plus programme.

For the end, officials of the Red Cross showed first-aid procedures in nature. After having mastered all first aid procedures, from reanimation to overturning of burns and open wounds to different parts of the body, a competition was organized between the teams. Their knowledge of first aid were also presented to the locals, who unexpectedly found out what to do in case they find themselves surrounded by a fire: “Stop, Drop & Role!”

On the official page of the Youth Exchange “Stop, Drop & Role!”, each day you can find out valuable facts about climate change and open space fires, so check it on: https://web.facebook.com/StopDropandRole/?tn-str=k*F