With this Youth Exchange, we continued and deepened the practices initiated during our first Youth Exchange in June 2018, “Share Your Story!”. Building on this foundation, Story Hunting became an even more engaging experience in storytelling and cultural exchange, taking our ideas about sharing cultural diversity to the next level. This time, we integrated theater and performance methods to foster sharing, cultural exchange, and learning around the theme of discrimination.
“Share Your Story!” was an 11-day Youth Exchange that brought together 30 young people from the Netherlands, France, Spain, Greece, and Italy. Participants shared their stories, experiences, and cultures to raise awareness of discrimination within their communities. The key message of the project was clear: although we are different, there is no reason to discriminate against one another in society. On the contrary, there are many reasons to collaborate and marvel at the beauty of our diversity.
Focusing on storytelling and the performing arts, the Youth Exchange enhanced participants’ cultural awareness and self-expression. Throughout the project, young people used theater and performance methods to explore and present either their personal stories or those from their communities. Over time, their ideas evolved into a collective performance presented to the local community in Poussan.
All participants were highly motivated and genuinely interested in the exchange topic, eager to develop the competences outlined above. In preparation for the Youth Exchange, we also hosted a two-day Advance Planning Visit (APV) in March 2019, bringing together five group leaders and five participants from the Netherlands, France, Spain, Greece, and Italy, with equal representation from each country.
The project pursued the following specific objectives:
Raise awareness about discrimination and its various forms; Improve cultural awareness and cultural expression competencies
Increase social and civic engagement among young people
Raise awareness of young people about their cultural heritage, foster confidence, and encourage commitment within their communities
Create a space to exchange existing perspectives and gain new ones through cultural sharing, fostering tolerance and appreciation of differences
Foster communication and cooperation with relevant stakeholders
Strengthen cooperation between youth from the participating countries
Throughout the learning journey, participants used non-formal education methods such as theater and performance to develop social and civic competencies, enhance cultural awareness and expression, and deepen their understanding of discrimination in its various forms. By sharing ideas, cultures, and stories, they gradually transformed their learning into a public performance aimed at raising awareness about discrimination, which was presented to the local community in Poussan.
Through this project, we fostered a deeper understanding of different cultures by encouraging appreciation of diversity and active participation in building an inclusive society grounded in respect for human dignity and cultural diversity. In terms of long-term impact, this Youth Exchange laid a strong foundation for further Youth Exchanges within the Catfarm community. The project generated valuable ideas for future initiatives, and by the time of submitting this final report, we had already hosted two additional Youth Exchanges at Catfarm focused on creating spaces for sharing diversity and learning, one centered on gardening and the other on non-violent communication. These projects were directly inspired by and incorporated suggestions from participants of the Story Hunting Youth Exchange held in June.
Coordinator: Stichting Adventures of the Valparaiso
• Start date 01-01-2019 • End date 31-08-2019
• Asociación de los Estados Generales de los Estudiantes de Europa - Burgos 🇪🇸 Spain • Catfarm Education 🇫🇷 France • KINONIKI SINETAIRISTIKI EPICHERISIELLINIKI SYMMETOCHI NEON 🇬🇷 Greece • Twoplustwo 🇮🇹 Italy
2018-3-NL02-KA105-002312