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In the Common Language of Different Cultures: Places Where Lives Converge

2023-3-TR01-KA153-YOU-0001761032023Mobility of youth workersfinalized
Countries: TR|PL|IT|BE · Grant: €26,662
Bridging intercultural, intergenerational and social dividePromoting gender equalityPreventing racism and discrimination

Objectives

While implementing this project, our core motivation was to transform the way young people relate to the society they live in and the decision-making processes that shape it. Today, although many young people are directly affected by decisions made at both local and national levels, they often lack sufficient knowledge about these processes or hesitate to participate in them. Through this project, we aimed to break this cycle. We adopted an approach that positioned young people not just as consumers or observers, but as active citizens, and aimed to help them recognize the value of their own ideas. One of the main objectives of our project was to familiarize young people with democratic values, rights-based approaches, and the concept of active citizenship, and to ensure they internalize these principles. We wanted young people to be able to identify the problems they face at the local level, develop potential solutions, and gain the confidence and skills to share these ideas with decision-makers. Additionally, fostering healthy communication both among youth and with institutions, encouraging critical thinking, enabling them to express their opinions freely, and helping them become more responsible members of society were also among the important goals of this project. To achieve these goals, we designed workshops, simulations, field visits, and group activities that would both increase their knowledge and allow them to gain hands-on experience. We created spaces where young people could directly interact with local governments, civil society organizations, and decision-makers. In doing so, they had the opportunity to observe how these structures function and to ask questions directly. Moreover, we aimed for participants to learn how to respect differing opinions, find common ground, embrace cultural diversity, and strengthen their sense of social belonging. In short, this project aimed to offer young people an experience that values their ideas, gives them space, and shows them that they can play an active role in society. We sought to build a process in which young people could say, "I have a voice too," not only by learning but by taking action — a process where they feel the value of thinking and producing together. In this sense, our project was designed as a tool for transformation at both individual and societal levels.

Project partners (4)