Youth Exchange «Citizens in Action» in Poland

(Ochotnica Gorna, Poland)

27.12.2007—05.01.2008

Participants:

• Total number: 31.
• Countries: Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal.
• Age: 18 to 25 and leaders with no age limit.

Summary of the project

The aim of the project was to awake an initiative in young people, to encourage each other to take up the initiatives in our communities through getting to know the idea of active citizenship in the different dimensions and levels while practicing communication and civil skills which enhance the involvement.

Each day during the exchange was concentrated on one of the aspects/areas/problems on issues like citizenship itself, democracy, communication, human rights and time management. Using interesting methodology (like workshops, simulation games, outdoor activities) and among this also using the young people's experiences and let them reflect on these issues on their own, in intercultural diverse group. The most interesting was that also each countries team-leaders were involved in preparing and planning the exchange and had to present one or two of the work-shops to the whole group. By that it was not only an exchange organized by the host- organisation, it was also a result of team-work of 5 European countries.

Besides workshops one of the interesting activity in this exchange was also European Walk through the History, when during each evening one national group was responsible for preparing 10 years of the history, starting from 1950 up to 1990ies and had to present the events in the European history in most spectacular way.

The exchange consisted also many, many other activities that made this project one of a kind. The exchange project was a good opportunity to learn about important issues in life, also to learn about different cultures in life generally, but most important — to make a move in your thoughts and actions and start to think, what can I do better, where I can be involved.

Description of the activities

• Getting to know each other
• Team building, ice-breaking, trust games
• Workshops about human rights, communications, time-management, citizenship, democracy
• Outdoor activities — snow-figure contest, sledging, walk in the surrounding mountains, bonfire, sleigh-ride
• Working in a groups preparing costumes for Koledowanie, learning Christmas songs in 5 languages and presenting it in the homes of local people in Ochotnica
• Presentations of traditional Christmas dinner tables in our countries
• Evening with traditional Polish mountain- people, learning their songs and dances
• Presenting different decades in Europe- 50`s, 60´s, 70´s, 80´s, 90´s with intercultural evenings
• Organizing Olympic Games activities for the small children in Ochotnica village
• Trip to Krakow

EUYA representatives: Priit Kallakas, Kristel Kukk, Sven Selge, Tarvo Kärgenberg, Timo Rahnel and Kirsi Remmel as a group leader.

Project coordinator: Maria Kljukina.