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A Common History
Start date: Aug 1, 2014, End date: Jan 31, 2015 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Context / BackgroundVallefiorita is a small town of country tradition, at risk mafia. When young people complete high school, they move away to pursue graduate studies or to seek employment because in Vallefiorita there aren’t any employment opportunities. In the last two years, promoter Association as tried to contribute to the cultural growth of the place by promoting reading activities, managing the municipal library and organizing a Festival of reading and image. The promoters think that European projects are a gold occasion for young people living in Vallefiorita because every project offer them the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with young people from other cultures.Objectives / Numbers and type / profile of ParticipantsThe project, which took place in Vallefiorita from 29 September to 5 October 2014, has promoted dialogue and permetted the comparison and interaction among three groups of young people (29) from Turkey and Poland and the young residing in Italy. The young Italian (two university students, six high school students one of which fatherless, two unemployed) had a preliminary meeting during which developed the project logo, printed on the cover of the brochure for the dissemination of project. The Turkish group was composed of the Hitit University’s students , accompanied by their teachers. The Polish group was composed by students and a young anthropologist. The first phase of the work was dedicated to raise awareness of the issues of the Union and to the concept of European citizenship. The questionnaire revealed weaknesses in Union knowledge (currency, anthem, institutional organizations) which were addressed during the feedback.Description of activities UndertakenActivities carried out during the exchange (1. Work about stereotypes and prejudices 2. storytelling workshops; 3. pottery workshop; 4. European Union’s ABC; 5. Turkish dances and organization Turkish evening Kurbam Bayrami; 6. organization Italian-Polish evening ; 7. evening open to the public 8. triangular football.) have used informal procedures and methodologies already indicated in the design phase as peer education, cooperative learning, discussions, focus groups, outdoor activities, learning by doing, workshops, adding sport and the importance of fair play. Guided tours: Squillace (workshops, Art Institute, Poetry’s house, Norman Castle), Le Castella (Uccialì Square and Castle); Taormina; meetings with poets and with an Italian archeologist, have allowed an improvement iof general knowledge of all participants.Result and impact AttainedFrom an initial moment of fear and curiosity, the participants have gone to a complete confidence, showing a keen desire to learn from the other, to learn words, traditions. All of them have improved self-confidence, verbal (in mother tongue and other languages) and non-verbal communication, and everyone of them has developed some essential skills that will contribute to personal and social development. At the end of the work, the groups continued to stay together, to listen to music of different countries, to dance, cook and share recipes and dishes or to go out all together for a walking.We believe that the exchange has offered to all the participants an important stimulus to organize a series of activities related to creativity that will allow beneficiaries to express their ideas using different ways of expression: art, theater, dance, storytelling, music, writing poetry and fiction.At the end of the experience, the beneficiaries completed a questionnaire to evaluate the experience and self-assessment. The questionnaire was used to compile the Youthpass Certificate.Longer term benefitsWe believe that the comparison between Catholic and Muslim religious culture had particular importance. During the exchange an important dialogue was opened about the respective religions of the participants, about role of women, customs related to prayer, fast period, Allah's Hadit and Jesus's parables, prayer beads (subha and rosario). Young people have understood the danger of any fundamentalist vision.

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