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Where Do I Belong
Start date: Sep 1, 2016, End date: May 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

With the EU being home to so many different people and the freedom of movement in the EU allowing people to live and work anywhere in the EU we have become truly European countries. Statistically this might be correct but realistically speaking most people living and working in other countries are perceived as intruders or foreigners in other countries and they continue to feel this, so are we truly European countries?We have become social groups within our society and too often we are excluded from society, we need to bring people together to understand each other in order to end discrimination.Our project will look at discrimination in all forms, starting with the principals of the fundamental EU rights including mobility and seeing the impact this has on discrimination and then extending our views of the problems of discrimination to all forms of discrimination including gender equality and racism. Our project hopes to give our young people the opportunity to learn from each other and from their own mistakes so that we can understand each other better and respect each other, so that we can truly be European countries living in harmony. When we can learn to live together as European we will also learn that all people are equal regardless of gender or race, religion and preferences.Tolerance will allow us to accept each other’s differences and embrace our similarities and accept people for who they are so that as young people we can set the example of overcoming xenophobia and discrimination. The profile of the participants is vital for this project and we will select the participants best for the project but at the same time giving priority to those who are disadvantaged.In order to achieve these goals the activities foreseen for the project are vital. Very importantly we will need to establish a trust between the participants so that they can openly discuss the issues and problems in each of their communities. These discussions will give the youth more confidence, especially when seeing that youth from other countries are facing the same problems. Open debates will allow the youth to express their personal viewpoints of different matters and to justify them through discussions. This will also allow for others to gain knowledge based on the experiences of others.Workshops will be designed to maintain a European dimension as all groups will be made up of at least one person from each country allowing for cultural learning during the workshops. Workshop are designed around the various subjects allowing the different youth to discuss the issues and work together to solve problems and share experiences.Role playing will also be used to allow the participants to get another perspective of different problems. This has proven to be very successful as it allows for the youth to see common problems from the viewer’s point of view rather than the actor. This also allows for innovative ways of showing problems.Simulations are also done during the project, allowing people to take on roles which are often opposite to their real roles. During the simulations the participants will take on roles to re-enact a real situation based on events and problems in the real world. The participants will work together in their different roles to solve problems and to find solutions to these problems. Important here is that the participants take on random roles which add additional learning tools as they need to think and act as the person they are simulating. Using all the above tools and methodologies the youth learn through fun activities which are real, but are within a safe environment allowing them to learn from each other, make mistakes which can be corrected through discussions and not put themselves at risk. In real life when making these choices the results could be dangerous but these activities simulate reality and allow for learning in a safe and secure environment.As a result we hope to give our youth the tools and knowledge to understand and be able to identify discrimination and act in ways to stop it. To be more understanding of differences and to embrace change rather than fear it.They will also be able to identify problems with their peers and help them by giving them guidance and support when it is needed. We hope that the information gained during this project is shared within all the communities and especially with the youth of these communities. In addition to learning about the problems the youth will also exchange cultures and traditions and learn about the different cultures from the different countries allowing for better understanding of each other and therefore creating a more unified EU, fighting xenophobia and also discrimination.
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