24th of March – 2nd of April 2018
Beja, Portugal
Youth Exchange
Young participants from Cyprus, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Estonia and Poland gathered in Beja, Portugal to participate in ThinkerING youth exchange between 24th of March and 2nd of April 2018. The project was implemented by the Portuguese NGO CheckIN and funded by Erasmus+.
This Youth Exchange aimed to inspire young people in finding creative ways to express themselves in their local communities. Through artistic and cultural activities participants realised the importance of democracy and the need for active citizenship in order to safeguard European and democratic values. Each country had the opportunity to present its reality of democracy and citizenship. The specific topics of our presentation were the “Rise of the Far-Right and Racism” and the “European Feeling”.
During this youth exchange, efficient non-formal education activities were used such as team building games, simulation games, experiential activities, good practices sharing, visits, reflex groups, intercultural evenings and creative workshops. Five workshops were organized and facilitated by the participants. Music, visual art, theater, dance and communication workshops aimed to enhance the knowledge of opportunities and ideas for active citizenship. The main mission of the workshops was to work with marginalized communities of citizens using creative forms of artistic expression. At the end, each workshop had incredible results which were presented in a street performance at the city-centre of Beja.
Being part of a big team and learning to coexist with others was one of the most enriching experiences. Good practices and skills were shared between the participants during the week, as all got the opportunity to share their stories, experiences and work with the rest of the group. Each one of the participants got closer to the meaning and importance of Citizenship and Democracy.
A Big thanks to ThinkerING and Erasmus+ for funding this project, and to PlanBe, Plan it Be it for giving us the opportunity to join the project and represent the organization!
