Name of the project: “Diversity in Europe:
Richness or?"
Date: 10th until
17th February
2017
Country/City: Elazig,
Turkey
What
was the main topic of the event?
Rynaldo:
Cultural diversity in Europe. Discrimination based on the stereotypes and
prejudices.
Discrimination
occurs
when people are treated less favorably than other people are in a comparable
situation only because they belong, or are perceived to belong to a certain
group or category of people. People may be discriminated against because of
their age, disability, ethnicity, origin, political belief, race, religion, sex
or gender, sexual orientation, language, culture and on many other grounds.
Discrimination, which is often the result of prejudices people hold, makes
people powerless, impedes them from becoming active citizens, restricts them
from developing their skills and, in many situations, from accessing work,
health services, education or accommodation
Training course
helped youth workers understand the obstacles which might steer towards our
society and how to prevent those aforementioned problems efficiently in the
future.
Kaia:
Diversity and different nations living together, migration and the results of
it in different countries.
Asko:
The
main topic of the event was, as the name suggests, diversity. We discussed many
different subtopics, including diversity’s effect on society and culture,
problems introduced by the rise in diversity, conflict resolution etc. Examples
ranged from Turkish food’s effect on the eating habits of Germans to the
integration of the Roma to the society of Romania and other countries. Apart
from the bigger issues that were originally planned to be discussed,
participants brought out many personal experiences, which enriched the debate.
While the topic of the
event was the question of diversity, the event itself also showed a great deal
of diversity, as the participants from different countries represented their
own culture and thus provided a chance to come into contact with a lot of
variety.
What
was the biggest learning moments on the event for you?
Rynaldo:
Most
of the learning was informal. Building social capital, creating new
connections, developing relationships with other international organisations
& meeting a lot of new people who have common interests. At first I was
terrified of the language barrier but it was rather easy to overcome within the
first few days. Despite I have frequently participated in training courses for
youth workers, it was my first time to participate in an international project
so I didn’t know what to expect. There
were participants whose English vocabulary and fluency weren’t the best but
there were others very helpful. Yet though, all this nonverbal conversation
added even more to the glance. It was an enjoyable experiences because everyone
who were there - they volunteered and wanted to be in the training course. We
learnt from each other and speaking directly with a person from a differenct
cultural prisma gave us insights we would have never encountered otherwise. For
an example, the Romanians spoke about their winter revolution, the Hungarians
told us of their immigration policy and the Turkish people told how they feel
about Erdogan and how the coup which happened recently was actually conducted.
The most we learnt that people are different & they change ever more when
they are brought out from their comfort-zone. They have different behaviours,
worldviews, mindset and charisma. If the awareness of the aspects aformentioned
is low then it might strive to serious intercultural problems. If the people
are aware of the issues then they can manage the situation well and that would
bring many benefits to the entire society!
Kaia:
The
biggest learning moments were the discussions and group works. Those activities
gave quite a lot to think about and made us realise that people in different
countries (with different backgrounds) actually see the world pretty
differently. Socialising was another big part of the event and it actually was
fun, however, it was one of the biggest learning moments as well.
Asko:
While
the non-formal learning part was, thanks to the experts, highly educational,
the informal learning part was even more beneficial in every way: although
focusing on learning allowed knowledge to be obtained quickly, actually
spending time with people from other cultures is unbelievably rewarding, when
it comes to education. Because of that, the parts where I learned the most
during the programme, were not the workshops, rather than the parts where
participants could spend their free time together. Hearing stories from people
with a variety of different backgrounds gives a whole different point of view
to all issues.
Do
you have any plans to continue active in the field? If yes, what?
Rynaldo:
I
really do! There are approximately 175 million people who are living outside of
their country of origin. Europe accomodates 88 another ethnicities under its
roof. Conclusion is that most of the countries have gigantic struggles to deal
with the concern – we need to increase people’s awareness which will lead to
bigger acceptance and that will reduce discrimination and prejudication. Field
is important and the field needs coverage.
Kaia:
Yes,
I enjoyed every day and every lecture that was given. I am sure that I will
continue activities in the field.
Asko:
I
would be more than happy to put the newly obtained knowledge to good use. One
of the ways I see myself likely doing so is taking part of an EVS programme.
Apart from that, the knowledge can also be put to use when it comes to local
issues.
Would
you recommend it to your friends? I yes, why? If not, why not?
Rynaldo:
Training
course lead several participants to existential crisis in a good way. We had a
participant who was called Matej. He had spectacular knowledge in several
fields. He has been in over 50 Erasmus+ projects, visited more than 40
countries and the experiences he acquires, he shares his knowledge in a local
university. There was another participant called Cove – he made everything that
was in his power to make people happy even if his prosperity was somehow
deteriorated. The organizers were spectacular as well – I have never seen how someone
can manage 25 adults to jump, crawl and run before their first coffee in the
morning so these adults actually have fun and they want to do that. The project
showed many of us that you can live your life differently – there are a lot to
explore in the world and with those experiences it is possible to create
awareness among the society, share your knowledge and meanwhile doing that also
bring happiness with you. I will definitely recommend NÜH and Erasmus+ projects
to my friends because it brings people out of their comfort-zone and that is
the point when the journey of learning begins!
I really do recommend
attending Erasmus+ projects!
Kaia:
I
would recommend the program to everyone who would like to broaden his/her mind.
The activity is really educating and it is a good way to get non-formal
education which is a fun way of learning and getting new acquaintances from
different countries.
Asko:
I
definitely recommend taking part of this kind of programmes to everyone who is
is interested, for many reasons.
First of all, you can learn
so much in ways that you could never imagine. Forget everything you know about
sitting in a classroom and experience learning in awesome workshops and while
having free time as well. You learn from the people and are likely to teach as
well, intended or not.
Secondly, you obtain a lot
of new friends from other countries. The week with them went past so quickly
and although one could think that so little amount of time is not enough to
actually bond with people, you will miss them once you get home
Thirdly, you see the
country. Every destination is a little bit different and events like this one
provide a chance to see the local culture, people, and sights.
Taking part of events like
this one is a must to anyone who is interested.
More
comments or anything else you would like to share? You can add here in your own
language, if you want!
Rynaldo:
It
was a wonderful experience and I am going to recommend others the same. All the
participants were full of joy, the organisers were stunningly helpful with even
the dumbest concerns, the locals were kind and warm and if you are considering
in participating – do it! Language barrier won’t become a problem, nobody will
be left out and the organisers have put years of effort to hold the event so
there shouldn’t be any hesitations!
Kaia:
I
would like to say that the experience was fun which included quite many learning
activities. The mixture of fun and learning made the course really enjoyable
training with a really relaxed atmosphere. The training itself was a great
experience and gave many different aspects of the topic. The lecturers were
aware of the topic and gave interesting assignments which raised many questions
and gave good basis for argumentation.
Asko:
It
was honestly amazing and now that it has ended, I actually feel a little sad. I
loved every part of it: the planned workshops, the people, the culture, the
city, the free time activities, everything. I feel as if I definitely need
another one of these events. I can’t even express how good it feels.
This Project was financed by European Commission's Erasmus + Programme
Maik
Mases:I learned to communicate calmly and constructively
on sensitive issues. I also learned how to carry out a session using non-formal
education methods.
Maik
Mases: Show initiative, be an active communicator
(including listening!) and make the most of your experience!
