ERASMUS+, Key action 1: youth exchange
Venue: Arcus, Romania
Dates: 3—12 November 2024
Czech team: 5 participants + 1 group leader.
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Inno Edu
Project report:
This November, during the Erasmus+ project Say No to Racism, the city of Sfântu Gheorghe in Romania became our home for nine unforgettable days.
At first, almost everyone was full of expectations. For many participants, this was their first Erasmus+ project, while others already had experience from previous ones. Every day during the project we gathered in the session room with around 60 people from 10 different countries, so it was great!
Our facilitator Éva Grüman organized amusing energizers and activities to help us get to know each other better and to create a friendly and supportive environment. The atmosphere throughout the project was really enjoyable. Our unwritten motto said “no space for hate”.
As the topic suggests, the main part of the program focused on combating discrimination. Together or in small groups, we discussed the situation in our countries. We described minorities, talked about whether they are accepted in society or have problems with connecting because of the majority, we looked into our legislation to see which laws concern minorities, and if they have the same rights as others, why they still don’t have the same conditions for daily living, working, going to school or earning money. We came up with solutions for how we can help them – or, perhaps more importantly, how we can react and what we can change in ourselves, in our behavior and in our mindset.
We also learned new ways to support cultural diversity and promote unity. For example, in small groups composed of different nationalities, we had to create a song with anti-discrimination lyrics and then present the song in front of the others. Another day, we worked in nationality-based groups to prepare and perform a short play, which showed specific problems of racism or discrimination against minorities in our countries. Or another time, we prepared and presented our own anti-racism workshops. We also visited StartUP HUB and schools in Őrkő, a local Romany community.
During the week, we had some free time for visiting the rest of the city, and we spent two days together outside the city. Our first trip was to Saint Anne Lake, the natural surroundings there were so beautiful! On the last day, we spent the afternoon in the historical city of Brasov, before that, we stopped at Bran Castle, known as Dracula’s Castle. Some of us were so enthusiastic about the snow that we even had a snowball fight. 🙂
Except for the activities mentioned, the evenings were dedicated to parties – within the framework of international evenings, we learned typical dances from different cultures, tasted traditional food, listened to music, and one evening we had an amazing karaoke night.
Overall, we had a really nice time! We met young people from different countries, made long-distance friends, got to know some traditions, gained new knowledge and skills, improved our English, sometimes overcame fears, explored new places, had fun, and, most importantly, spent these days together in unity.
Many thanks to all the organizers, including EYCB, thanks to whom such projects and others can happen!
Martina V.
