On 22–23 July 2019, Utena hosted a cultural awareness and expression event organized by the project "Person to Person", during which participants had the opportunity to learn more about the culture of Lithuania and other countries, spend time creatively, try their hand at new activities and discover new hobbies and acquaintances.

Participants began both days with morning exercises, during which they had active sports activities and relaxation exercises based on meditation and yoga practices. The exercises woke up both, the bodies and minds of the participants: before the exercises, the participants did self-awareness tasks, willingly sharing their observations and unexpected discoveries about their qualities and character. The exercises and original self-awareness tasks inspired strength and positive attitude for the rest of the programme which was indeed filled with a wide variety of activities, classes and discussions!

On the first day, participants familiarized themselves with the concept of culture, discussed what can and cannot be called culture, explored distinctive features of Lithuania's culture. This discussion was followed by two methodological games that encouraged participants to think about our role in shaping the culture of our country, the important cultural, social and historical events that have marked our lives, and why they are important to us.

In the afternoon, a film screening took place in the cozy hall of A. and M. Miškiniai Public Library, followed by a sensitive and interesting discussion about why we sometimes feel constrained by our culture, how to free ourselves, and what we can learn from other cultures.

At the end of the day, participants had the opportunity to briefly forget their familiar everyday selves and try an actor's role during a theater session. The director of Utena Chamber Theater, who led the theater session, introduced participants to the behind-the-scenes world of the theater, shared his knowledge about the art of performing, and allowed participants to feel what it means to be an actor, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone and gain new experiences. The fact that this activity took place on the stage of Utena Chamber Theater helped participants to better put themselves in the role of an actor.

Participant Aldona, in describing the special atmosphere created during the session, picturesquely said that she heard "the muse of creativity playing" and that the two hours devoted to the session seemed to "fly by like five minutes".

On the second day, participants went on an excursion to Utena Regional Museum, where they learned about the culture and history of Utena region. During this excursion, participants had the unique opportunity to be among the first to see the new exhibition on the history of Utena with a computer terminal, where they could interactively learn about the history of the city, its interesting facts and events. After the excursion, the participants agreed that they could have spent the whole day at the museum – there were still so many exhibits to see and stories to hear.

Participant Laima, who was visiting the museum for the second time, was delighted to have learned something new again. After lunch, the participants gathered again in the hall of A. and M. Miškiniai Public Library, where the programme continued with discussions about different foreign cultures and cultural stereotypes.

The second day was topped off with a brainstorming session where participants could apply in practice the cultural knowledge they have gained.

The whole event was full of smiles, interesting thoughts, self-reflection and captivating discussions, making the time spent together truly creative, productive and meaningful.

We are delighted with the participants' activity and involvement in the programme of the event and hope that these two days will leave them with positive and pleasant memories for a long time to come.