Lots of places of interest, experiences, knowledge and community work – this is how to sum up the YOUTH CAMP ZALAEGERSZEG – a youth event organised between 10-12 June by the Zalaegerszeg Foundation for Economic, Informatics and Technical Training, as the lead partner of the MURA-ZALA Youth Community project, in cooperation with the Hungarian Youth Organisation of the Mura Region (MMISZ) and the Municipality of Lendava, with the support of the Slovenia-Hungary Interreg Programme.

The centre of the camp was the University of Pannonia Zalaegerszeg Campus, where 38 of the 46 young participants enjoyed the hospitality of the campus dormitory. The first day was labelled as “Career Day” and the young participants had the opportunity to meet the management and lecturers of the University of Pannonia Zalaegerszeg University Centre and to get to know the academic programmes offered by the host university in a playful way.  As it turned out, many of the participants had applied for the courses offered by University of Pannonia, Zalaegerszeg University Centre.

Due to the guided tours of the Tourinform Office, the participants were able to get to know the places of attraction and the sights of Zalaegerszeg. Unfortunately, the weather on Monday was not in favour of outdoor events, so the programme had to be implemented indoors. The participants enjoyed the playful activities, and the most skilful ones could take home a bracelet with Zalaegerszeg inscription at the end of the programme. The first day ended at Legend’s Pub, a popular student hangout place, where the organisers held a short quiz game, followed by an elective programme of darts, billiards and table football.

On Tuesday, the second day, we started the day with a morning exercise.  It was a challenge for the sun to get out from behind the clouds, but at least it didn’t rain. The day was dedicated to sustainability. By introducing our Green Campus, we gave the participants a short tour of the Green Campus Trail and showed them the latest sustainable solutions. The staff of Veszprém Headquarters of the University of Pannonia presented the many aspects of the topic in the form of a sustainability adventure tour. Within the framework of the six-stage programme on the ground floor of the Innovation and Knowledge Centre, the teams had to solve playful tasks on biodiversity, food consumption, energy use, consumption, environmental protection and conscious thinking. The winning team received a birdhouse as a reward.

By the afternoon, the sun had come out and we had a pleasant time visiting the Gébárt Regional Folk Art and Craft House, including the iconic yurt. The young participants also took part in two craft workshops, where they learned about the use of fibre materials and ceramics. The day was rounded off with a dancing event, where dancers from the Zala Dance Ensemble introduced Moldavian and Zala folk dance steps, circle dances and the mysteries of the Csárdás to the enthusiastic participants.

The closing day was dedicated to Innovation.  After breakfast, the participants started the day at the ZalaZONE Proving Ground where they were introduced to the unique automotive test track and the high-tech environment surrounding it through a presentation. This was followed by a technical lecture on “Digital self-defence”, which drew the participants’ attention to the dangers of the internet and excessive screen use. Then, boarding the bus, we were able to see first-hand the results of the multi-billion-euro development and the different track elements.

Before lunch, our team visited the home of the Hungarian champions and cup winners ZTE FC, the ZTE Arena, where we were introduced to the history of the over 100-year-old club through an exhibition, and then we had the chance to visit the changing room of the home team, the VIP room, the press room, the stands, and the benches.

The camp ended at the Sports and Adventure Park of Alsóerdő, where four groups of youngsters enjoyed sports competitions, snow sledding, and go-karting. At the end of the programme, the secondary school students said goodbye to each other, having had a great time and hopefully having established lasting friendships. The camp participants received a commemorative diploma and a certificate of extra credit for the University of Pannonia Zalaegerszeg University Centre.

In September, Slovenian and Hungarian secondary school students will meet again in Lendava, Slovenia, as MMISZ (Hungarian Youth Organisation of the Mura Region) is organising a camp in the framework of the Slovenia-Hungary Interreg SIHU00102-MURA-ZALA Youth Community project. Until the end of the year, the Municipality of Lendava is expecting the heads of secondary schools from the Mura Region and Zala County to attend a workshop to exchange experiences and discuss the requirements for higher education.

Photos by MURA-ZALA Youth Community