Eight young people and two staff from Dr.M’z, Carmarthen Youth Project went on their first foreign exchange to Lorient in Brittany during August 09, funded by the Lefèvre Trust. “It was an honour to be a part of Dr.M’z first ever exchange project. It was an amazing opportunity, I would definitely recommend the Lefèvre Trust to other youth groups” said Gemma Jones, Youth Worker. 

During their visit to Lorient, the group attended the Interceltic Festival, where they participated in traditional Celtic dancing and were even allowed to go backstage which was the first time that the organisers had ever granted this request.

“It was brilliant, I can’t wait until October to see them all again and I hope that we will stay in contact for years to come. I am now more aware that other young people are similar to us even though they appear to be different to us,” Thomas Dack a Welsh young person from Dr.M’z young peoples forum.

Gayle Harris, one of the Project Managers at the centre said, “We are so proud of the young people who went on the exchange as they have worked so hard to learn some French, prepared a presentation for our exchange partners and enjoyed the experience so much. Some have had a life changing experience! Also, without the hard work of the staff and Gemma’s dedication in applying for the funds initially, the young people would not have had this experience and we would like to thank Amanda, Sarah and Gemma for their efforts.