EqualiTEAM

31 July 2023

Program: Erasmus+, KA152-YOU – youth mobility
Leader: Greece – Change Your Life Now – CYLN
Duration: 31 October – 7 November, 2023

Partners:

• Poland – Association Reflections on Europe
• Greece – Change Your Life Now – CYLN
• Lithuania – Enterprising Partners
• Portugal – Psientífica – Associação para a promoção e desenvolvimento social
• Italy – COMUNE DI CINISELLO BALSAMO
• Romania – Asociatia Bistrita Business Academy

Goals of the project:

– Exploring the topic of gender inequality

-Comparision of gender inequality in partner countries

-Finding ways to reduce this phenomen

Summary of the project:

ROE representatives spent 7 days in sunny Chania, taikng part in the “EqualiTEAM” project, financed by the Erasmus+ program from European Union funds. The project aimed to raise the issue of gender inequality among young people. Everyday, participants took part in workshops, where in diverse groups, they had the opportunity to exchange eperiences in the field of inequality and find a way to deal with the problem. Accompanied by beautiful views and sunny weather, the young people not only gained knowledge, but also became friends with peers from other countries and spent time actively and visited the phenomenal beaches and the center of Chania

Project Progress

Day 1: Ice breaking!

The first morning in the well-known Chania arrived, and with it several activities on the beach that were aimet at integrating the group. The organizers made sure that everyone felp comfortable and safe, what allowed to start the actual work

Participants divided into groups prepared posters on gender equality in various sectors. In this way, the youngsters learned the perspective of peers from other European countries and exchanged experiences.

At the end of the day there was an intercultural evening, during which the Polish and Greek teams presented the culture and traditions of their countries.

Day 2: Work, work, work!

After breakfast, the youngsters needed to be stimulated, so interesting energizers were prepared on the beach.

After returning there was a short meeting with the facilitators, where the group learned basic information about the project and the main theme of the exchange, which was equality. There was also talk about what Youthpass is and the benefits it provides.

The time has come for another workshop. This time, in a World Cafe format, participants discussed gender inequality in different countries. This was followed by a discussion on women’s rights from the perspective of each country participating in the exchange.

Day 3: Journalism activity

First thing in the morning, the group went to the center of Chania, where undoubtedly the most interesting task of the participants took place. It consisted of interviewing local residents of Chania about the situation of gender inequality in this very region. The survey showed the gap between people’s views depending on their age and different living situations.

In the evening, the young people shared the lessons that came out of the experience.

Katarzyna Stępień

“An element of the project that I will remember for a long time was conducting surveys with the residents of Chania. It was great to juxtapose our existing knowledge and what we learned during the project with the point of view of ‘ordinary’ Greeks. The experience showed me that there is still much that can be changed for the better “

Day 4: Time to compete!

Physical activity in the fresh air – this is how another day of the exchange can be summed up. The organizers prepared a beach volleyball competition for the youngsters. The teams competed bravely, but the victory was earned by Igor and Kasia.

Karolina Szczepanik

“Due to the fact that I love sports, my best memory is the all-day volleyball competition. It was very tiring but extremely liberating, and of course it was a super chance to integrate with other project participants.”

Day 5: Youth advocacy

It was time for another day full of group work and discussion of problems relevant to young people. Teams of several people chose one problem related to gender inequality and together tried to find a solution for it, pouring their ideas onto paper.

That day also included a discussion of the violence generated by gender inequality. They discussed how gender stigma affects people in sports, business and education, for example.

Day 6: Creating new youth projects

That day, the inexorable end of the exchange was felt in the air. To keep the atmosphere of the project alive, the next workshop was devoted to planning the next projects. The youngsters were tasked with coming up with a completely new project on any topic, and activities and workshops that could take place there.

Day 7: See you again, Chania!

The last day of the project has arrived. The youngsters shared their impressions and summed up the knowledge they had gained. After several days spent together, peers from different parts of Europe became very close, so the farewell was not a pleasant one. It was heartening to see the youthpasses ceremony.

We hope that the experience the young people gained during the workshop will be useful in their work for the local community, but also in the private lives of each participant. This is certainly not our last visit to Crete, so keep an eye out for future posts!

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