Youth Exchange “My Data, My Right” in Portugal (Estonian Team)

Project “My Data My Right” took place in Lisbon on 3-11 March 2022. Young people interested in the topic were brought together from Estonia, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Lithuania and Greece. The program was tight, but interesting and educational. In a short period of time we got to discuss data usage, protection and possible dangers of personal information falling into someone else’s hands. Since every participant had a different experience with digital world, we could learn a lot from each other. Estonia’s digital literacy and e-services got a lot of coverage.

At the same time we got to know each other’s cultures and traditions. This project was special, because every dinner was to be prepared by one national group. It was a big challenge for us, because no one had ever made dinner for 30 people before! Despite all, in the end we managed to do our job well and introduced dumpling soup (klimbisupp), lavash, dumplings and kama to the participants. The night ended with tasting Estonian snacks and Vana-Tallinn liqueur. We also performed a few Estonian traditional dances that many people liked.

Other countries’ cultural nights were high-spirited as well. The Spanish offered a 6-course dinner while the Lithuanians just copied Estonian food, offering borsch, garlic bread and Spotted-Dog cake. The Hungarian night was remembered for the infamous Balinka schnapps. The Portuguese grilled Chorizo outside. The Greeks organized a terrific fare-well party.

Overall, Lisbon was surprisingly cold for us. Probably that’s why in the evenings many decided to go discover Portuguese nightlife to get a little bit of warmth with dancing and some strong drinks,We also had one day to see Lisbon’s sights during the daytime, ride the famous Lisbon train and taste Pasteis de Natas.

The accommodation was in Spin Hostel, where we were placed in rooms by eight. Two toilets for 30 people was a real challenge, especially when one of them often didn’t work. But the cramped circumstances didn’t discourage us, because the overall atmosphere was always pleasant. We’re going back to Estonia with a big baggage of knowledge and experience, new connections and a positive mind.