_m.jpg "Carlisle Castle in the sunset. Photo: D&H Photographers")
Youth Delegations
Through forty years young people have participated in youth,
school, sports particularly swimming and musical exchanges.
Some remarks and experiences have been recorded for prosperity.
Miss Hansen, Flensburg Youth Leader 1961, to the Mayor of Carlisle,
Thomas Logie MacDonald.
"We simply cannot yet believe that this is almost the end of our
stay in Carlisle. We had been looking forward to this visit with
the keenest anticipation and from the moment when we got to know
you in Flensburg and when you were taking to us with such warmth we
knew that we would enjoy our stay in Carlisle."
Herr Klaus Bartnitzke - a twinning stalwart of over 30 years –
shares the experiences of the 1962 German youth exchange visit to
Carlisle in an article titled "A Tearful Departure" in the
Flensburger Presse.
"Flensburgs hübsche Mädchen hinterließen in Carlisle einen
starken Eindruck die Jungen aber nicht minder. Alle verlebten in
der Englischen Patenstadt einen herzlichen Aufenthalt".
Flensburg’s pretty girls left behind a deep impression in
Carlisle - no more so, however, than the boys. All of them enjoyed
their stay in the English foster-city. How often have these
sentiments and scenes been expressed at the end of exchanges over
40 years?
Youth exchanges alternated between Carlisle and Flensburg until
the late 1980s. The first Carlisle/Słupsk youth exchange took place
in August 1988 less than two months after the signing of the
historic three way link between Carlisle, Flensburg and Słupsk. The
respective Flensburg and Słupsk Youth exchanges were arranged to
coincide to enable young people from the three countries to come
together and enjoy a football tournament and disco. The youth
exchange or youth camp in its present day form was re-launched in
1992. Young people from the three twin towns live and work together
on a common campus for two weeks rather than with a family. The
hosting rotates between Carlisle, Flensburg and Słupsk.