Name and kind of project: “Road of Hope”, Youth Exchange.
Date and Place: From 7 to 15 March, Ommen (Netherlands).
Organizer: Culture Clash – Netherlands
Partners organizations: CEIPES (Italia), Center of Intercultural Exchange (Sweden), Open Sense (Latvia), EN.O.GREECE (Greece), GEYC (Romania)
Financed by: Commissione Europea, Programma Erasmus+-Ka1
From 7th to 15th March 2018, in the structure of Wolfskuil, completely immersed in the green of the forest of Ommen, Netherlands, took life the project “Road of Hope”, that has unified six different countries (including Italy, Greece, Latvia, Sweden, Romania and Holland) in the more and more increasingly discussed issue of migration.
During the time spent at Wolfskuil, each team has contributed to share their ideas and perspectives regarding migration in a very creative and constructive way, through always different and very stimulating activities that have allowed the development of a perspective increasingly wide and multicultural, able to dig up the points in common and embrace the diversities. Peculiar and innovative characteristic of the project has been the ability to shape, directly, self-managed activities, which connoted in a unique way the trend of this experience of greater awareness, crucial for the purposes of an individual and collective wellness within a society without borders.
This flexibility has granted the opportunity for the different teams to also to breathe the various cultures through intercultural evenings completely managed by all the participants, both in food, that in the exposure of the peculiarities of each country. Here are the interviews of some of the participants who have replied to the following questions:
1) Use only one word to describe this project:
Orane: People
Darius: Rich
Artemis: New
Ieva: Experience
2) Do you think that your expectations about this project have met the reality?
Orane: Yes
Darius: it was a good project, we have learnt a lot about migration but the expectations have not been fully met
Artemis: Yes
Ieva: we say.
3) Do you think that this experience will be useful? Why?
Orane: Yes, the amount of knowledge gaps is reduced, I can not explain how i has changed because it did so in every sphere.
Darius: Yes, these projects are always useful because they make you open the mind, empathize with people who are not so lucky. I feel very lucky to be born in Romania, to have a job, to have had the opportunity to come here and get to know new people and talk about this issue.
Artemis: naturally, because it could help me in the work, in my studies, can be a chance to improve my English and help migrants in my country.
Ieva: Certainly, it was worth it. It was my first experience, I met new people, knew new cultures, I found points in common and diversity.
4) Do you think that your ideas about the migration have changed?
Orane: Yes, I developed empathy comparing with the vision of the other countries, because I come from France and it could be really easy to be in favor of migration, in comparison for example the Latvians.
Darius: Mine has remained the same, migrants have need of much help, and we must accept them and integrate them, and give them love.
Artemis: My position has remained the same, but I learned more knowledge about the various types of migrants.
Ieva: Yes, I have learnt a lot of new things and this knowledge could turn useful at University because I have developed new perspectives.
As regards the Italian team, composed by Valeria, Mario and Virginia, at the end of the project, we treasured the knowledge learned, maturing a rich and colorful vision of the thematic in all its aspects, through brainstorming activities, meditation, debates, role-playing games that have emphasized the need to always expand your own gaze to the one of the other and wear their clothes, and many other opportunities that allowed the definition of already known but still patchy knowledges.
