WE ARE ONE

21 April 2002

Program: Erasmus+, KA152-YOU – youth mobility

Project leader: ACD La Hoya – Hiszpania

Duration: 24 March – 2 April, 2024

Partners:

• Poland – Association Reflections on Europe
• Italy – ARCUS – arte e cultura sociale
• Türkiye – Youth Eurasia
• Czech Republic – Hodina H

Project goals:

-Discussion on cultural diversity

-Fighting against stereotypes and prejudices against different social groups or nationalities

-Intercultural dialogue

-Prevention of discrimination

-Stimulating youth creativity through interesting activities and workshops

Project progress:

Day one: Hola Espana!

After a slightly tiring journey, the ROE delegation arrived in Alicante, where participants from Italy and Türkiye were already waiting for them. From the first moment, the young people from the different countries began to integrate while waiting for the team from the Czech Republic. Once everyone was there, the participants headed to their destination, the village of Muro de Alcoy. The organizers, together with the participants from Spain, talked about the rules of the exchange and assigned rooms to everyone. It was already late in the evening, so the whole group went to bed to happily greet the next day

Day two: Ice breaking

The morning began with breakfast together, after which the youngsters went to the workshop room. Several games were prepared that allowed the youth to get to know each other better. An interesting activity was drawing each other’s portraits and describing their interests.

When everyone got to know each other, it was time to share their expectations and concerns about the project. In addition, everyone said what they could contribute to the project, and based on that, the next activities were planned so that everyone could contribute something.

Then, in groups, young people talked about what Youthpass is and what competencies can be gained through it. Each group had to complete a series of tasks that contributed to the acquisition of competencies in eight categories

At the end of the day, the participants prepared posters about the associations and organizations they come from. This allowed us to better understand the activities and functioning of their organizations.

At the very end there was also a cultural evening of the Czechs. As it turned out, a second youth exchange was taking place at the same time, so some activities like this evening were combined with the other group. Participants from both exchanges from the Czech Republic presented typical snacks and customs of their country.

Day three: Little trip and workshops

In the morning, the youngsters went for a walk in the area. This gave the group a chance to integrate and explore the picturesque mountains around Muro de Alcoy.

When the youngsters returned from their walk, the Turkish group prepared some outdoor activities to get the participants excited. Then it was time for a workshop led by a group from Italy. The topic of their class was stereotypes. First, the Italians told what stereotypes are in theory, and then all the participants were asked to write down stereotypes about other nations on cards. After that, the answers were read so that participants from different countries could clash with opinions about each other. The stereotypes were then sorted in national groups into those that are true, those that are quite made up, and those that have a particle of truth in them.

The final task of the day was to illustrate on paper their interpretation of the exchange’s title, or “we are one.” Everyone drew their vision, which was later voted on. Several of the winning works will be used in future activities of the ACD La Hoya organization.

After the class, it was time for a Spanish cultural evening. The participants prepared a quiz, a dance show and, of course, snacks for the rest.

Day four: A super intense day!

This day’s workshop began in a ‘world cafe’ format. In diverse groups, we discussed the traditions of our countries, as well as the differences and similarities we see. This activity allowed us to understand each other better, as well as gain non-obvious knowledge about other cultures.

The next task was to prepare scenes in groups about stereotypes and their harmful effects on society. Each group dealt with stereotypes about a different nation. Pry this activity was not short of laughter and fun!

After the break, it was time for the workshop prepared by the Polish group! The topic of our workshop was cultural diversity. We wanted to give the participants knowledge in practice, as well as have fun, so we conducted the workshop in the form of recording short videos. We divided the participants into diverse groups. Each of them was to record a video about traditions and cultural differences between their countries. We also came up with 5 issues that each video had to include: language, dance, music, food and national costume. As a result, the participants had to be creative to present each of the mentioned elements of their culture in a short time.

After watching the recorded videos together, the group went to the center of Muro de Alcoy, and there another attraction awaited them, this time it was a field game. The participants were divided into groups, and each group was given a card with tasks to perform. This allowed everyone to get to know the city better, as well as integrate with people they hadn’t had a chance to talk to before.

After returning to the hotel, an Italian cultural evening was held. The Italian group prepared a lot of interesting information about their country, as well as a dose of Italian music during a joint karaoke.

Day five: Preparing the festival

The morning workshop was prepared by a group from Turkey. The theme of the workshop was the prevention of international conflict. The participants, divided into groups, drew a situation in which international conflict and prejudice are prominent. Then the task of each group was to prepare a scene on the drawn topic so that it contained a punch line. At the end, all groups presented their scenes, and the rest of the participants had to guess what was the original punchline received by the group.

The next activity took place outdoors. Once again, participants worked in diverse groups. This time each team was given a list of natural elements to find in the park. Some were very non-obvious, such as the “honey factory”, “the element you can’t see”.

After returning to the hotel, the group got busy coming up with activities for the upcoming festival. The participants came up with numerous games and activities for the locals, as well as a dance show. The very next day, a big festival was to be held in the surrounding town of La Hoya

The last item of the day was a Turkish cultural evening. A team from another continent prepared an unforgettable dance show. There was also a quiz on Turkish knowledge and refreshments, during which there was plenty of great Turkish tea!

Day six: Festival time!

First thing in the morning, a bus was already waiting for the participants to take them to the centurm of La Hoya. The day before, each participant had the opportunity to assign himself to a task force in which he would like to work during the organization of the festival. This gave everyone the opportunity to handle the preparation of the festival according to their competence. Some dealt with the preparation of sports activities, others with artistic activities such as origami. The festival was very interesting, many local residents came to see the results of the exchange participants’ hard work. Children eagerly participated in the prepared activities. The culmination of the event was a show of choreography, which the group had prepared the day before.

After the festival, it was time for another excursion. The group went to the town of Santa Pola, where everyone could find an activity for themselves. The Polish team decided to swim in the sea, while others played ball on the beach or explored the beautiful area.
The Polish team decided to swim in the sea, while others played ball on the beach or explored the beautiful area.

Day seven: Polish intercultural night

Another day and another activity prepared by the Polish group. This time the ROE representation prepared some stimulating games for the participants. Then they divided the young people into groups, in which they were to prepare posters about the main principles of the project such as diversity, respect, equality.

Then each group was to record and edit a several-minute video about their topic. The youngsters played different characters and roles to best represent their chosen topic. For example, one group acted out a scene about school and a lesson on diversity.

At the end there was a Polish cultural evening. As usual, the Poles were famous for their hospitality and filled the table with snacks! They also prepared a funny quiz about Poland and the most famous Polish memes. At the end, the youngsters taught the rest the Polonaise.

Day eight: Debating and creating future projects

The penultimate day of the project…. There was a sense of fatigue in the air, but this did not prevent the next workshop. A debate was held under the theme “should a mosque or a school be built in the city?”. The participants were divided into groups. Some groups were to support the idea of building a school, and others a mosque. Each team had to be creative and come up with the best possible arguments to convince the authorities that they were right. It was an extremely interesting task, touching on the topic of culture and prejudice

Then, in national groups, the youngsters discussed future projects. Each team prepared a plan for the next international project. The topic of the project was arbitrary. The ROE delegation prepared a project plan on ecology, fashion and food. Who knows, maybe in the future we will see this project not only on paper!

Finally, there was an evening of games and movies.

Day nine: Last trip and evalutation

On the last morning it was time to evaluate the project. The organizers prepared interesting ways for the youngsters to share their opinions on various elements of the project. Everyone talked about their feelings and what they learned during the exchange. We also talked about Youthpass and key competencies.

In the afternoon, the group went on one last joint excursion to a nearby village. As it was an Easter Monday, the Polish group did not disappoint and prepared a surprise for the rest of the participants. Everyone had the opportunity to be sprayed with water while exploring the area.

After returning, the group met one last time to recap all the events and share their feelings about the project. There was also the reveal of a secret friend! It was a very touching moment, but also a motivation to create more joint projects.

Gallery: