Refugee crisis: inspire to (re)act

Project description: This project aims to give an opportunity to youngsters from different countries to feel themselves as a minority within a strange and foreign society in order to foster a better understanding of how refugees feel in their societies. Eventually, this will enable them to understand their motives, behavior and dreams and make them more open-minded and receptive to other cultures, lifestyles and circumstances.

This Youth Exchange will involve different educational activities and role-play, where participants will act like “refugees” in a totally different society, where they have to face a language barrier, different traditions and conducts of behaviour. During the project participants are going to closely cooperate with the local community. During the activity they are going have sessions about conflict management, cultural diversity, employability,  interpersonal communication and human rights.

Objectives:
– to better understand the current refugee situation in Europe
– to create awareness of prejudices towards minorities in European societies
– to understand the emotional situation of minorities, cultural shocks
– to foster a basic understanding of the legal situation, terminology and human rights
– to encourage young people to become active in their home communities
– to foster communication and presentational skills

Methodology: Our activities will involve close cooperation with the local Armenian community, including a day of  ‘work experience’ and the organisation of a local event, where the participants will have the opportunity to test their professional skills, enhance their abilities in communication, art, public speaking and a variety of other fields. We aim to enhance not only the theoretical knowledge about the refugee situation for our participants, but also foster the intercultural dialogue, the understanding of what if feels like to be in a strange environment and face language barriers and cultural differences.