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The Butterfly Effect: dialogue and acceptance of other cultures
Start date: Jul 1, 2014, End date: Nov 1, 2014 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The Youth Exchange aims for Connecting Cultures and understanding that are the most promising initiatives we have. We want to empower the participants to put their true potential, creativity and strengths into action to get the best out of a new/ challenging period of life and to be able to use this ability for the good of young people, dealing with the topic of "Cultural Diversity". "The Butterfly Effect: dialogue and acceptance of other cultures" was setted as a common desire between two organization: Laja Fundation (Poland) and Benjamin Foundation (United Kingdom), both with the purpose to get people interested incultural learning. It contains exploration of some of the key concepts necessary to start understanding intercultural learning: culture, stereotypes and prejudice, intercultural learning as a process, transfer to everyday reality, suggestions for follow-up or going further. The Youth Exchange objectives are: To explore cultural diversity and identify the opportunities and challenges it presents. To raise awareness and understanding about Intercultural learning. To share and discover different intercultural work practice in the youth sector. To generate creative strategies of how and what youth in community contexts can do to promote best practices in intercultural work within the youth sector at a local and European level. To raise awareness on Erasmus + as a program tool to improve intercultural work in the youth sector. Our project is concentarted to responde to two main priorities in intercultural work as participation of young people and cultural diversity. The Youth Exchange supports the participants´ responsibility for their own life and for their communities. We want to challenge the classical way of dealing with “intercultural learning” by using as well the “theory of sub-cultures” and “anti-bias approach” in general. We aim to question one's own solution thinking and general values in life and one's biography (the activity proposed is "Can you trade values"). While setting life questions and strategies about how to answer to the contemporary challenges of young people into an intercultural context, participants will reflect their own positions and values and also rethink general images and stereotypes they might have had of other countries . While including cultural features and backgrounds of the participants' priorities as well as cultural traditions during the time of the Youth Exchnage – such as International evening – participants will recieve a deep experience of cultural diversity, but also raise the awareness that cultural diversity doesnt mean that young people have different issues, hopes and challenges in their lives and that an exchange between cultures can inspire them in other approaches. One of the key topics of this project is how to deal with a new, different environment (Poland) and on the question how far people tend to blame the outside world for their state of mind and their situation (the main activities proposed for this part are the "Cultural Journey" to Krakow and "Stories from the past: To be or not to be" with visiting Auschwitz). A number of 26 participants will learn the challenges of represantants from other countries and cultures and therefore develop a sense of openness and tolerance and reduce their tendency to build prejudices against other groups, through discussions, group and individual exercises (the activity proposed are "The onion of diversity", "GRRR – PHUT – BOOM!" ). For the learning process to have maximum effect, this interactiv exchange will make use of non formal learning methods including working in small and large groups, role plays, simulations, discussions, energizers, team work activities, outdoor activites etc. The very nature of this subject matter, when combined with the content of the Youth Exchange programme and the methodology used, will ensure that participants gain a greater awareness and understanding of how to prevent and challenge prejudice, discrimination and create deeper intercultural understanding. A number of activities of this promoted Youth Exchange is already planned for implementing impacts and follow-up for the participants after their return home. The impact is connected with the objectives of Youth Exchange and better understanding of the cultural issues and future collaboartion. All the program elements are evaluated by the youth workers both on a personal level for themselves and on proffessional level as it offers tools that can be used while working with their young people in their communities. Each of the participants will be deeply moved and inspired by the experience, with an increased understanding of each other and of our common heritage, a heightened sensibility regarding the vicissitudes of cultural stereotyping and misunderstanding, and a newfound love for the hospitality and natural beauty of Poland.
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