Pose it Up! was nine-days training course based on experiential learning, which was applied in non- formal educational settings, focusing on the individualised needs of the participants and encouraging them to share their experiences, in an attempt to familiarise them with concepts such as volunteerism, European citizenship, acceptance of cultural diversity and equal opportunities for personal development. The participants were people within the ages of 18 to 30 years old from all 27 EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein (the EFTA- EEA countries), Switzerland, Croatia and Turkey, from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds.
The Learning Objectives
The project was expected and managed to:
- Raise debates and confrontations about the subject of cultural differences and European identity
- Use social theatre as a tool to approach the topic of cultural values
- Introduce new working methods using different experiences
- Create an atmosphere of mutual understanding between people from different cultures
- Develop innovative activities at local level
- Provide the knowledge to participants to act as multipliers in national and international level
- Provide the opportunity to socially excluded youth to participate in non-formal educational settings.
Results
The achievements of human development, such as technological evolution, better quality of life and recognition of human rights, are among the most significant factors of modern life. They are all important to keep us moving forward in this crucial period and to ensure a better future. However, we need to focus on what seems to be forgotten and taken for granted; that is the values of life! It is because of these values that every human being is entitled to have certain standards of living and expect to be treated rightfully and with respect.
The values of life in modern Europe, such as equity, democracy, law and order, solidarity, freedom, human rights and justice, values that have been forgotten, characterize people and their lives in the hope of a better future.
The project “It’s all about our values. Pose it up!”, which was implemented by NGO AENAO (http://aenao.org) and was funded by Youth in Action, sub-action 1.1, aimed to increase awareness of young people on the values of everyday life in the European Union, etc. , and their importance in everyday life.
Experiential learning, which applies in non-formal education settings, was used to achieve the goals mentioned above. Emphasis was given particularly in the history of the European Union as well as in the development of the youths’ creativity through dancing and photography.
The project was implement in Chalkidiki (27/7-3/8 2013) at sports camp “SKOURAS”, where 35 beneficiaries from 7 European Union countries (Italy, Romania, Malta, Estonia, Turkey, Sweden and Greece) were able to interact, get sensitive and adapt into the group in order to learn and develop their personal creativity.
Outcomes of the project
The participants:
- Were informed about the European values and their importance.
- Raised their awareness about given values such as peace, justice and solidarity in the society.
- Increased understanding and acceptance for cultural diversity.
- Promoted the idea of active citizenship.
- Identified and prioritized each participant’s values.
- Were able to express themselves and act as multipliers.
For the dissemination of the project’s outcomes, video and DVD were produced. In addition there will be a photograph exhibition in Thessaloniki at the European Youth Capital 2014.
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