Archie shares his experience of joining Virtual Youth Town workshops and activities in Brussels

Going into the Brussels trip I was quite nervous – I would be in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, and me not being in a group was made even worse because I knew everybody else would be. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to be included and have fun while I was there. However, the moment I met up with the group I realised I’d been worried over pretty much nothing. All the young people and workers were friendly, and they were so different from one another, some from Ireland, some from Greece and some from Scotland, that I didn’t really stick out at all. Furthermore, the activities concerning the European Union we took part in were far more engaging than I had expected. When I wasn’t hanging out with the Irish and Scottish kids, I was genuinely learning new things each day. Some of the speakers we met were quite dry, but the majority knew their stuff enough to engage us properly, letting us consider the possibilities for the future of our own countries, and what we could do as young people to influence them. I would definitely recommend this type of trip to pretty much any young person –  when you consider that I went in alone without knowing anyone or having prior experience, the fact that I had so much fun should be testament to the competence of the staff and the value of such opportunities.

Images from Brussel taken by Archie