Website: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2020-1-FR02-KA105-017059
Start date 01-05-2020
End date 31-12-2021
Budget: 13.550,00 €
Coordinator: Comité de Liaison Diagonal France
Partner: GYUMRI YOUTH INITIATIVE CENTRE NGO (AM) , ICSE & CO (IT) , YOUTH ASSOCIATION DRONI (GE) , UNIT (UA) , SDRUZHENIE GLOBALNO OBEDINENIE ZA INOVATSII RAZVITIE I OBRAZOVANIE(BG)
Objectives
The Migrants influx at the European borders jeopardizes democratic values of European Union. First, because Migrants are coming from countries where political and social practices are far away from our Human Rights, even if they are not perfect. Secondly, because intern reactions of European residents, too often manipulated by medias and politicians without any scruple, lead to rising intolerance, racism and discrimination. The Hate Speech is opposed to our fundamental values. It is necessary to share about this serious issue.
Our objective? To share our conviction that migratory phenomenon we observe in Europe and in the whole world is the heart of social problem. Far from an isolated case for a determined time, migrations stand out as a basic data for present and future generations. So it is an issue of the utmost importance to make youngsters aware of, though ignorance of such a theme uses to lead to extreme actitudes as we may notice in all States of European Union.
In our global world where information is instantaneous and transports easier, mobility became an intrinsic value of the European building. This situation is favourable for studies diversity, enterprises prosperity, better opportunities for professional life. It does fascinate people obliged to let their countries because of civil war, all kind of persecutions, natural disasters (climate changing), unemployment, misery… Our duty is to make European youth know the reality of these dramas, the accepted human cost to emigrate, the trauma of violence crossing the border.
We want that solidarity between youngsters we may observe at school, will be extended to European and Non-European young migrants who carry on their shoulder what is suffering, fear and bad treatments… The first step to do this is the look. So we choose photography as a tool to discover the Other. Naturally, young photograph is acting himself when he looks to the Other. But he learns too that the pictures of the Other he can see at the TV and in social medias are not neutral. We choosed the citizen look as an independant one.
Implementation
First of all the account of the migratory problem by the youngsters themselves. What are the laws and the rules in force in each present country? How are they implemented? What is the actitude of the inhabitants in front of migrant influx? Who are these migrants? How young Europeans react in front of young migrants and their families?
At the same time, we think together about the vocabulary, more or less large definitions, more or less clear concepts. Opening the mind of each participant. And consider different approaches.
All practices of Popular (informal, no-formal) Education are used: to debate after conferences, to play games and sketches,to share thoughts into small groups, debrief…
Experimented and amateur photographs help any mobile owner to discover the look of the Other, the different one, the feared one, the admired one, the envied one…
But nothing may replace the ground visits and the meetings with refugees in their camps or villages, as we did inTserovan.
Results
The main success is the sympathetic mood between participants frol the start. There is no point underlining that French people have few opportunities to meet Georgian, Armenian, Bulgarian or Ukrainian. That is true for each delegation. Indifference wall felt down, and with him a lot of prejudices, clichés, legends swept away. The building of European youth, based on friendship and respect is on the way.
This actitudeleads to empathy for migrants. Participants from diverse origins (african, asian…), perfectly integrated in our Occidental society destroid de facto initial preventions.
Confidence in the future quickly characterized the daily atmosphere, the COVID mask often forgotten in the pocket. Youngsters of DRONI made us appreciate the visit of Tbilissi and its Historical center, in a very free, peaceful, cool mood.
