Website: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2022-1-AT01-KA152-YOU-000067245
Start date 01-06-2022
End date 28-02-2023
Budget: 30.700,00 €
Coordinator: European Multidisciplinary Organization for Training and international Consulting
Partner: YOU IN EUROPE (EL) , Maison de l’Europe des Landes WIPSEE (FR) , Hidak Ifjúsági Alapítvány (HU) , Kulturni sudar Hrvatska (HR) , KATILIMCIGENCLIK DERNEGI (TR) , ASOCIACION BUILDING BRIDGES (ES) , ICSE & CO (IT)
Objectives
The project “Embracing Diversity and Inclusion” was founded on the steadfast conviction that equipping young individuals with the requisite skills for effective intercultural and human interaction is of paramount importance. It was born out of our form believe that effective intercultural and human interaction are integral to the flourishing of humanity, as instances of exclusion rooted in diversity remain prevalent. In this regard, research shows that robust diversity and inclusion strategies can organically foster heightened social development and community involvement, as we tap into the full potential of each individual. Therefore, the aim of our project was to enhance the awareness, practices, and understanding of young people to better navigate and value diversity and inclusion in their daily lives. We aimed to mobilize a cadre of young individuals who, in turn, would rally their peers, fostering collaboration to build a society that embraces diversity while fostering inclusivity. Through this project, we collectively acknowledged and experienced that inclusivity is more than a concept—it’s a skill, a mindset, and a strength that can and should be cultivated to enhance its impact. Additionally, we sought to establish an open and secure forum where these critical matters could be discussed candidly and grown and trained systematically. We tackled both topics pragmatically by creating a space where everyone could freely express their opinions and ideas without fear of judgment, thereby fostering a climate of mutual respect and understanding.
In this regard, the ten main objectives of this project were:
– Enhance comprehension of themes such as diversity, social inclusion, and intercultural awareness;
– Cultivate a shared recognition of the significance of peaceful societies and the advocacy of human rights;
– Build capabilities to probe, comprehend, and amplify the positive influence of intercultural interactions;
– Discover strategies to enable diverse groups to collaborate effectively and disseminate the benefits of diversity;
– Participate actively in civic duties and spark young people’s curiosity in contemporary European and global issues;
– Foster social commitment among the youth by planning for future actions;
– Cultivate foundational facilitation skills centered on intercultural learning and human rights education;
– Enhance participants intercultural communication abilities and self-assuredness;
– Engage with other communities through the reciprocal exchange of experiences, beliefs, and interests; and
– Bolster cooperation among the partners and plan for future collaborative activities related to the project theme.
In this regard, participants were asked to make a simple but useful research before their embarkation in this diversity and inclusion journey. A re-discovery of their own country’s position and efforts regarding inclusion was the result of this exercise. This was pushed further with the exploration of potential solutions to fill in the gaps neglected or not yet considered by their respective countries. With this project, we therefore responded to the needs in the field of youth by raising the awareness, increasing knowledge, and developing skills of young people; offering practical tools to deal with diversity and inclusion issues, increasing their spirit and sense of initiative to act actively against exclusion in their own communities. This, we believe, has fulfilled the needs and prospects of young people to experience the potential of inclusive and diverse communities. This also fulfilled their needs to experience certain matters and acts of exclusion in safe environments to realize their negative impact on concerned communities. This was helpful and needed to spark retrospectivity within the young people and help them reflect on their own behaviors and build counter-narratives. We firmly believe that participants have particularly unfolded their potential and what they are capable of doing in terms of taking action regarding diversity and inclusion. They have as well recognized how one’s biases can influence their attitudes and behaviors. Participants discovered the importance and benefits of exploring multiple perspectives, too.
The method followed in the project implementation was based on experiential and self-discovery through the lens of diversity and inclusion thematics and based on non-formal education methods. With theoretical inputs followed by intensive yet very interactive stimulating activities; the program has enabled the participants to assimilate the importance of inclusion in its divergent dimensions, within society. The process has also allowed them to develop their critical thinking, and manage in a more efficient manner their teamwork. Particularly, the actual follow-up activities, besides the dissemination activities, were very impactful and left a great impact on the participants.
Implementation
The project took place in Vienna, Austria; from September 05th to September 11th 2022 excluding the travel days. A journey that gathered 40 participants and 2 facilitators from 8 different European countries: Austria, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and Türkiye; covering a geographical wide range all over Europe, thus bringing in different realities and many diversities.
Our participants needed to respond to a set of criteria, namely:
– Being between 18-28 years old;
– Having a high interest in learning more about diversity and develop associated values;
– Being interested in learning more non-formal skills, methods and workshop techniques;
– Being capable of working and cooperating with others;
– Willing to commit to preparation, follow-up and dissemination activities;
– Willing to build closer connections with an international community;
– No previous experience in Erasmus+ was needed.
Through collaborative work with partner organizations in the above-mentioned countries, four young participants were selected along with one group leader per country. From each 4 participants there were at least 2 with fewer opportunities, while in some case the whole group was with fewer opportunities such as in the case of Austria and France because all participants have had migration/immigration background and they are not fully integrated yet. Each group brought its dynamics, its own societal characteristics and its aspects of culture depending on their geographical rich and diversified provenance. It has been noticed that participants were differently challenged in terms of inclusion: The ‘How’ and the ‘What’ were often divergent from a country to another, and even from one participant to another from the same country. Yet, shared points and issues, common objectives and similar solutions were managed to be found. Through a series of gradual and progressive activities, considerable progress was made by a homogenous group that has eventually been created throughout the program out of different but complementary backgrounds. Besides the formally included and funded participants in the project, we included several young people from our local community in Vienna in some of the activities such as the intercultural night, the open spaces, and the group outdoor and informal activities.
Overall, we had 40 participants from which 24 identified themselves as females and 16 identified themselves as male. All participants ranged between 18 and 30 years old. The average age was 23. Out of 40 participants we had 9 with immigration/migration backgrounds coming from Ukraine, Russia, Albania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Azerbaijan. Also, for 14 participants this was their first time to participate in an ERAMSUS+ project and for several of them it was the first time to travel out of the country. In total, 25 participants considered themselves or were considered as participants with fewer opportunities: 6 Geographical; 1 Health; 3 Economic; 4 Social; 11 Cultural obstacles.
Results
I. TANGIBLE RESULTS.
1. Project Booklet designed by participants and published on SLATO YOUTH. Its goal was to harness the gained knowledge by the participants and putting them in the shoes of educational ambassadors who has the mission to spread their knowledge and we decided to do so by actively involving the participants in this result and it became a nice documentary of their experience and also a guiding source for them in their daily life.
Link: https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/toolbox/tool/youth-exchange-booklet-embracing-diversity-and-inclusion.3595/
2. Project multimedia (9 explanation videos on main concepts such as diversity, inclusion, integration + 3 videos from follow-ups) recorded and designed by the participants during the mobility and shared on Youtube. The videos were created a spart of a group task and then each video was used in the program to discuss the respective concept and build common understanding. The videos also become a great source of inspiration in the follow-up activities carried out by the participants, and all partners have been using them in their educational activities to showcase good practices.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyVuJ53_BMpUARxwvTXqCMNVTAy8zv1dL
3. Project Blog was written by the group leaders to document the whole experience and also some of the follow-up activities. This blog was used in dissemination activities as well, and it has reached more than 440 views at the moment of submitting this report.
Link: https://www.emotic.org/post/youth-exchange-embracing-diversity
II. INTANGIBLE RESULTS
The project aimed to sensitize its participants about inclusion and diversity and give them tools to be themselves and actors of the latter in their respective communities and societies. It has been successful as a great improvement has been noticed during the short journey in the participants’ attitudes and societal reflexes within the group. As a matter of fact, the first step was to create an anti-discriminatory environment in the group itself rejecting and suppressing all forms of exclusion based on any criteria, mainly social, racial, linguistic or economical ( criteria that were more likely to be objects of discrimination and exclusion). Therefore, the activities of the first sessions tackled subjects that would raise the participants’ awareness on inclusion in society and the many traps in which one could fall unconsciously. Results have been surprisingly noticed since those first sessions as participants started to merge into one group. Language and culture barriers began to fall immediately. The rest of the activities were meant to give tools and share potential actions that can be taken against exclusion. As the activities progressed, the participants’ understanding of inclusion, its role and how to implement it, has progressively increased. In fact, most of the direct and written feedback was an expression of gratitude for the eye-opening exercises that led participants to see details that might seem obvious, yet hardly noticed on a daily-life basis.
Therefore, the project enabled participants to:
– Raise their awareness on inclusion in general.
– Explore the notion of inclusion in different societies and discover its role in their respective countries finding thus the points of strength and of weakness [ that would need to be improved] in their own societies.
– Discover local and international policies that struggle to realize a more inclusive world.
– Be aware of the different types of exclusion and discrimination, and the divergent forms these can take within societies.
– Experience the role of the oppressor, the oppressed and the witness.
– Understand the importance of ‘Taking Action’ and how each individual can make a great difference in the viscous circle of a normalized form of exclusion in communities.
– Discover methods and tools to use in order to fight exclusion and contribute to making society inclusive and anti discriminatory.
– Learn how to become actors in a game-changing process by increasing the acceptance and understanding of others’ differences.
– See the importance of implementing habits that encourage diversity and inclusion, leading thus to more tolerant and open minded societies.
-Understand the role of communication, task-splitting and role fulfillment in a team, a community, a society.
– Focus on the process as much as on the result: finding a common ground, sharing tasks and encouraging the other to reach a common positive result.
-Understand that inclusion is a the responsibility of society but of its individuals at first place: including the other is important, taking action to include oneself is as important. Actions should be taken from both sides.
Finally, participants became more connected to Europe and international projects after this experience, so they will potentially become more active in future in this regard, create their own projects and involve other young people in them.
