“Totem R.I.S.E.” is a concrete follow-up to the youth exchange “EuRoB.I.N. Food”, which took place in Amsterdam in 2018. During that project, participants experienced a deep spiritual connection with food, as well as with the rituals, religious beliefs, and cultural values connected to it.
As food was recognized as a fundamental element of culture, participants began researching its origins and traditions, discovering that many typical dishes and food-related customs originate from—and are still preserved in—rural areas.
According to Eurostat, around 28% of the EU population lives in rural areas, where one in five people faces the risk of poverty and social exclusion. Due to limited economic, educational, and social opportunities, many young people are leaving their villages, resulting in abandoned homes and land, and the gradual loss of traditions passed down through generations. This process weakens not only local cultures but also national cultural identity.
The thematic focus of this project draws inspiration from Native American communities, whose cultures were largely annihilated through colonization. This historical process is used as a parallel to the way globalization today contributes to the marginalization and erosion of rural cultures.
Alongside cultural loss, young people are also increasingly disconnected from community values such as sharing, collaboration, care for others and for nature, and spiritual awareness. Urban environments often emphasize material success, competition, and productivity, fostering stress, individualism, exclusion, discrimination, and conflict.
This youth exchange aims to reconnect young people with their cultural roots and emotions, fostering a strong cultural identity grounded in solidarity, peace, and respect.
The title “Totem R.I.S.E.” (Rural Introspection & Spiritual Evolution) reflects the project’s objectives:
To create a safe, community-oriented space inspired by Native American values, where over 8 activity days, 30 participants from 5 countries co-create a shared understanding of culture and identity, embodied in a collective Totem inaugurated at a public event
To explore rural cultures, traditions, and rituals through non-formal education, practical workshops, and intercultural dialogue, while reflecting on the impacts of globalization
To support participants in meaningful introspection connected to cultural roots, emotional well-being, empathy, and respect for others, nature, and themselves
To develop soft skills and introduce Youthpass through interactive methods that encourage participants to step out of their comfort zones and actively shape ideas into action
To inspire personal and collective evolution rooted in inclusion, active citizenship, and social, economic, and ecological awareness
Methodology & Activities
The exchange is based on non-formal education methods, including creative and practical workshops, role plays, discussions, gardening and cooking, storytelling, self-assessment, introspection, and the creation of totems reflecting cultural diversity and rural empowerment. Informal learning, reflection, and evaluation are integral to the process, which follows a spiral learning model: inspirational input, group contribution, and guided reflection.
Each activity day focuses on a specific theme to create an intense and emotional learning experience, including:
Community building and team bonding
Exploration of rural traditions and food cultures
Role plays on globalization and modern “colonization”
Intercultural village presentations
Engagement with local communities through photo stories and trekking
Collective Totem creation and public inauguration
The exchange brings together 30 young people aged 18–24 from Italy, Spain, Romania, Greece, and the Netherlands, many of whom come from rural, disadvantaged, or vulnerable backgrounds and have limited educational or social opportunities.
Impact & Results
By exploring the 8 Key Competences, participants increase awareness of their learning processes, leading to personal growth, self-esteem, and self-respect—foundations for respecting others and fostering community. Cultural diversity, sharing, tolerance, and mutual understanding become drivers of spiritual evolution and social cohesion.
The project’s rural itinerary enables participants to explore cultural realities across countries and time periods, strengthening cultural identity through introspection, creativity, collaboration, and reconnection with nature.
Expected outcomes include:
30 Youthpass Certificates and symbolic learning tools
5 thematic board games
One or more Totems inaugurated during a public event in Guardia Sanframondi
A public event promoting the project and the Erasmus+ Programme
A booklet and short video documenting the exchange
5 photo stories created with the local community
A public garden was created and donated to the local community
Replicable methods and workshops to be implemented locally by partner organizations
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Coordinator: Twoplustwo
• Start date 01-08-2019 • End date 29-02-2020
• 2+2 Asociacion 🇪🇸 Spain • Asociatia de Tineret ONESTIN 🇷🇴 Romania • PLATFORMA GIA TIN EKPAIDEUSI KAI KATARTISI POLITON - ELLAS 🇬🇷 Greece • Stichting Adventures of the Valparaiso 🇳🇱 Netherlands
2019-1-IT03-KA105-015569