By Viktorija Nestoroska, YES 2015-2016, Macedonia, hosted by World Link in Dinuba, CA and Ljubica Batkoska, YES 2015-2016, Macedonia, hosted by American Councils in Payette, ID

An exchange year abroad really influences people in ways that no one else can understand except those who have been through the same process. In the United States, we experienced the wonderful act of inclusion: including people with special needs in everyday society, including schools. We have both come to realize that we have a lack of inclusion in our country, and considering the fact that we live in the same area in Macedonia, we decided to work together on a project to address this issue.

The project was held on the August 31, 2016. We gathered a group of volunteers, including young people with special needs and instructors from a local school called Poraka Nova and worked together to repaint the faded court lines on an abandoned basketball court. The activity went as planned, and everyone was happy and satisfied with the result of the project and the change we managed to make in the community. We invited local newspapers and TV stations to cover the event in order to show the community that people with special needs do matter, can make a change, and should be embraced.

We both want to make a recommendation to all of the new alumni that are going to join our worldwide alumni network: don't give up! We know that sometimes you will feel like no one else cares, but try and take small steps that will eventually lead to a big result!