YOUnity through diversity

The “YOUnity through diversity” project is a youth exchange written and proposed by 4 partner organizations: Asociația Hârșova 3D from Romania, Cercul Global from Italy, Cercul de Studii Orientale from Ukraine and Asociația Tineretului Walbrzych from Poland.

At Asociația Hârșova 3D, we help young people overcome their superficial impressions of people and see others as they really are. We believe in equality, which is why we focus on supporting those marginalized by society. During one of our first meetings as a newly established organization, we thought of ways to involve and inspire our target group – young people – to be more inclusive and oppose discrimination. One of our volunteers, who had just returned from another Erasmus+ project, suggested that a youth exchange would be a great way to raise international awareness and spread respect and empathy among the younger generations, so we contacted the 3 partners and started this process.

Based on a needs assessment process carried out in the 4 communities, supported by research on the consequences of discrimination and marginalization, we were able to outline the vision of our project. First of all, the aim of our Youth Exchange is to help young people integrate European Values into their own personal value system, thus becoming more open to embracing cultural and ethnic diversity.

Young people to learn about the theoretical concepts of the European Union (historical development, member states and European fundamental rights) and the link between EU values and an inclusive society.
Equipping participants with the skills they need to oppose situations of cultural injustice and marginalization.
Increasing participants’ civic spirit, empathy and respect towards ethnic minorities by implementing non-formal methods (role-playing, debates, campaigns) that will generate positive long-term changes in their attitude.

The first day of the project is dedicated to creating an appropriate context for learning. We will facilitate methods of getting to know each other and strengthening team relationships to break the ice between us, then we will have a session where we will set our expectations and contributions for the project. We end with an introductory session on discrimination – what it means and how it makes us feel.

Day 2 is dedicated to teaching young people about key concepts within the European Union. Through non-formal working methods, they will understand each of the 6 EU values and their meaning, the Fundamental Rights and will also discover the opportunities funded by the EU.

Day 3 is an introduction to the second focus of our project: culture. We will learn what culture is, what is the connection between culture and ethnicity, what elements belong to each culture and how unique and different (in a beautiful way) our cultures are.

Day 4 introduces the third element of our project: inclusion. To be inclusive, we need to get rid of stereotypes about other people’s cultures, so this will be the focus of the day: activities that help young people understand the negative effects of labeling and discriminating against people.

Day 5 puts all the pieces of the puzzle together. The day is full of dynamic sessions, such as role-playing games and emotional debates. A key point of this day is the interaction with the people from the Hârșova Social Assistance Directorate, with whom we will create a work of art, tell them about our project and invite them to the event the next day.

Day 6 revolves around community action. Participants will prepare an escape room activity for young people in Hârșova. The concept is simple: beneficiaries will have to solve 6 clues/puzzles, each related to a European Value. To prepare, each intercultural team of participants will receive a European value and generate ideas for the story and the escape room, then think about their clue, based on the value received. After that, we will return to the accommodation for a debriefing session.

Day 7 will be dedicated to the conclusion of the youth exchange. We will finalize the dissemination and follow-up plan, discuss ideas for future Erasmus+ projects and share our general thoughts about this project. The day will end with a Youthpass ceremony and a farewell party to celebrate the experience.

YOUnity through diversity

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