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Keep calm and follow your passion

2019-1-PL01-KA105-0627532019Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: PL|SI|RO|GE|UA · Grant: €18,424.23
Disabilities - special needsYouth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)Inclusion - equity

Objectives

The initiators of the exchange are a group of disabled and non-disabled young people. We want to be active at the international level, regardless of our background or physical fitness, and we want to shape the surrounding reality together. We can see how rarely young people with disabilities have the opportunity to engage in international activities. This is largely due to the lack of basic social skills and self-confidence. Participation in such initiatives often seems unachievable to disabled people. European organizations implementing international projects such as exchanges, trainings or European Voluntary Service rarely engage people with disabilities, because it is logistically difficult. It requires organizing adapted to the needs of disabled participants: accommodation, work space, transport; additional support and/or the assistant. Persons with reduced mobility are consequently excluded from the community and not integrated with their peers. On the other hand, non-disabled people do not know how to communicate and behave in the company of disabled peers. This leads to a lack of understanding and fears, and stereotypes. In addition, usually implemented activities often bring people with disabilities to the role of passive recipients. They do not encourage them to be active and independent. In many countries there is a widespread stereotype showing people with disabilities as unable to function independently and dependent on the help of third parties. Prejudices about disabled people are passed on to them at every step. As a result, often people with disabilities adapt to the stereotype defined by the behavior. They become passive and dependent and they are perceived in such a way by society as well. Meanwhile, many disabled people have enormous potential in the form of passion, skills and knowledge. They lack the confidence in themselves and that they can and should, as much as their non-disabled peers, actively participate in social life. To work in the international field, intercultural education is an extremely important element. Many young people, both disabled and non-disabled, had no previous contact with people from other countries. Lack of knowledge about different cultures leads to the formation of stereotypes and prejudices. In response to the above problems, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We want to learn, develop and fight existing barriers and stereotypes together. This is the opportunity offered by the Erasmus + program, whose overriding goal is to counteract discrimination and enable young people from different countries, including young people with fewer opportunities, to actively participate in social life. As a result, , together with our disabled and non-disabled peers from Slovenia, Romania, Georgia and Ukraine, we want to organize an international youth exchange in Poland. its topic is sharing our passions. We do not want to concentrate only on the topic of disability and be perceived through its prism. We want to focus on what connects us and is deeply interesting, so that we can learn, gain new experiences and skills. With such facilities, we will all gain self-confidence and motivation for further action and active participation in the social life of Europe. The proposed project is based on our motivation to be active and on the experience of partner organizations in the field of international youth activities and cooperation with people with disabilities. The project is continuation of the youth exchange carried out in 2015 in Poland "Diffrent abilities, common activities", which turned out to be a great success. Both the main and specific goals are in line with the objectives and priorities of the Erasmus + program. The aim of the project is to acquire or increase key competences among 25 disabled and non-disabled exchange participants. Detailed goals are: 1. Increasing the social activity of participants 2. Intercultural education of participants 3. Increasing social integration between full and disabled participants from different countries 4. Increased participation of young people with fewer opportunities, in this case due to incomplete physical fitness, in the social life of Europe

Project partners (5)