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City Bound Europe - Reintegrating young people after pandemic with adventure-based learning activities

2022-1-DE04-KA152-YOU-0000671492022Mobility of young peoplefinalized
Countries: DE|CZ|ES|EL|PL|IT · Grant: €90,675
Preventing radicalisationDemocracy and inclusive democratic participationAwareness about the European Union

Objectives

“City Bound Europe – Reintegrating Young People After the Pandemic with Adventure-Based Learning” was a next cycle of City Bound Europe Network activities aimed at revitalizing interpersonal and intercultural competencies among young people, which were underdeveloped during the last two years of the pandemic. The project consisted of five international youth exchanges taking place in Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Poland. These exchanges continue the mission of the City Bound Europe Network, which has been uniting young people from across Europe since 2011. One of the primary aims of the network was to support the personal growth of young people. We believe that now, after pandemic, this support is more necessary than ever. The young people we work with have suffered greatly from lockdowns—at an age when social interactions with peers are crucial for developing social competencies, this aspect of life was completely shut down. While online learning provided academic knowledge, it did not replace the “life skills” aspect of education. Young people have expressed that schools provide solid academic knowledge but fail to equip them with the life skills necessary to navigate society. The generation of City Bound participants (aged 14–17) experienced isolation during two of the most critical years of their development and now require additional opportunities for reintegration with their peers. City Bound is the answer to this need—this intensive intercultural learning experience fosters strong group bonding through a structured and facilitated process. City Bound Exchanges particularly focused on the mental well-being of young people and helping them transition out of the COVID crisis. This theme was chosen by young participants from previous exchanges, as well as by target groups of our organizations, who reported that the pandemic negatively impacted young people’s mental health and that they need to re-learn how to function in a group. Additionally, we aimed to empower young people by showing them that their voices matter. To achieve this, we incorporated structured dialogue consultations into every City Bound Exchange.

Project partners (6)