Youth exchanges are a fantastic opportunity for young people to visit other countries and learn about the culture in other parts of the world. As I write this, I am sitting in a youth hostel in Poland surrounded by many voices discussing what to show people to showcase the country they live in.

The exchange was funded by Erasmus+, a funding programme for youth exchanges and other international events. I went as part of the Breckland Youth Advisory Board, which is an organisation funded by Norfolk County Council that gives funding to different youth projects to deliver things based on Breckland's needs. Some of the Thetford Police Cadets also came on the youth exchange.

In Poland, we did many things, including visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau II and experiencing traditional Polish culture both in Krakow and with the Polish participants at the hostel. In exchange, we cooked English foods for them to try and taught them about the culture in our country.

It was a fantastic experience and I would love to do it again, and encourage everyone who can find out about youth exchanges to apply and go. You can meet some great new friends from all over the world and have a lot of fun, and it's good to find out about different cultures as much as you can.

To find out more information about Breckland Youth Advisory Board, email Anita Beckett on anita.beckett@benjaminfoundation.co.uk

Kristina Fox, 14