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Reconciliation youth exchange 'Crossing Borders'

2019-2-BE05-KA105-0027132019Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: BE|IL · Grant: €23,334
Inclusion - equityPost-conflict/post-disaster rehabilitationSocial dialogue

Objectives

Achievements: We wanted to bring together Israeli, Palestinian, and European youth to start their reconciliation journey, to raise the participants' awareness and understanding of other cultures and perspectives, which in turn supports the reflection on and development of their own maturing identity. Reconciliation can be difficult to achieve as it requires restoring relationships between individuals and groups, and addressing the structural, systematic, and legal powers that often discriminate and oppress certain groups, which damages the ability for people to reconcile. Moreover, many of the youth are coming a segregated environment that classifies them as enemies and does not allow them to meet daily. Some participants (Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli) have difficulty engaging with each other; the space to meet on common/neutral ground is scarce, and with few experienced leaders to support exchange on potentially sensitive topics. The need to balance learning with relationship building and fun is crucial; and the need for the youth to understand themselves better both collectively and as individuals to take steps towards self-development, reconciliation and good citizenship was of top priority. New relationships were forged between all the groups, understanding for cultural and historic perceptions were enlarged and respect was built for the values as participants of democratic societies. The objectives of this project were to foster understanding about reconciliation and provide a safe environment for the youth to learn from and about each other. Through past experiences and reconciliation youth exchanges, we have learned to appreciate the value of first-hand experience and dialogue between youth of different backgrounds. We aimed to provide this hands-on and transformative experience based on non-formal learning methods during our youth exchange. We sought to address the issues of stereotyping, discrimination, and historical biases that would provide an adequate setting for them to appreciate the possibility of building lasting bonds between them. We aim for the Israeli and Palestinian groups to feel, think, and react to each other and the Belgian youth to learn first-hand (through the interaction with these groups) the importance and fragility of cooperation, collaboration, and relationships. All groups would have taken part in activities through which they can get to know the others, learn about their history as seen through the eyes of the other groups, and get to discuss topics that are important for the development of trust-based relationships.

Project partners (2)