" Together Europe" is a bilateral youth exchange with 54 participants that will host in Cyprus between 08-16/7/2017. Partner groups comes from Sweden and Cyprus. The theme of the project developed following consultation with the partners and participants. It was recognised that the theme was of significant interest to the participants. The objectives of the project are to provide a forum to share ideas across cultural lines and increase awareness of differing social and cultural realities. The project will explore the differing cultures of the participant countries and seek to develop a sense of tolerance. The participants will have defined and crucial roles in the project demanding that take responsibility and demonstrate initiative, through this process they will achieve personal and social development.
The new generation learns to see themselves as citizens of the free country but even for them it is still not easy to believe that they can be not only a part of and defended by the country they live in, but also of the broader community of the European Union. Project will reach remote areas where people do not have enough possibilities to participate in life of the European Union. Countries with the longer experience of being a part of Europe will be able to share it. During the whole project participants will share information, will have a possibility to contact specialists of partner NGO`s for consultations and information. Project idea is to organize inter-cultural outdoor project about importance of intercultural communication and understanding other culture.
Given the importance of making people realize that we are all members of a large family called Europe, we intend to contribute to making young people aware of their European citizenship. Basic purpose of our project is to promote cultural diversity by developping the intercultural learning.
The main topic of our exchange is discovering cultures and learns new ethics, arts and traditions. During the project we will try to build bridges between the European Youth and we will promote the volunteering and the values of our common future in Europe. Also during the project we will organize intercultural nights where all the partner groups will present their country, their culture, traditional foods, drinks, music and dances. With this project we want to mix different cultures and cross borders to other traditions, languages and mentalities by involving actively with groups from other countries. We aim to understand the lifestyle and social backround of each country by looking into the problems and the way of life of youngsters in EU Countries. The project seeks the diversity of ideas, opinions, ethical awareness, and cultural differences of the participants in a unique framework of experience and activities. We shall look for similarities and differences between us. We also aim to familiarise ourselves with each other’s culture, to learn about the educational system in these countries and acquire new experiences and cultural knowledge.Our activities shall include seminars and working groups related to art, culture and education. Those activities involve discussions, workshops, lectures and evaluation in order to create a strong interaction between the youngsters of the participant countries.
The exchange will be based on non-formal education methods, such as creative sessions, discussions, debriefing, participant-led workshops, simulation games, video-shooting, reflection groups, evaluation sessions, etc. The participants will be actively involved in each phase of the project. The project will give possibility to participants to share experience, knowledge and improve their daily habits to came closer to everyday issues of more healthy living in a healthy inclusive society. The project will collect participants of different background, cultures, religions and geographic areas with the specific focus on fewer opportunities. This will give an opportunity to participants to see the diversity and similarity of different regions regarding the main topic and to discover other cultures, which at the same time will help to break down stereotypes and respect diversity.