The “reACT” project was created by the European Center for Youth Initiatives in cooperation with organizations from 5 different countries of the European Union (Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Romania and Spain) as a response to the needs expressed by the youth sector. Representatives of all organizations declare their willingness to contribute to improving the situation of young people in the field of expressing their emotions, opinions and use acquired skills in practice. The whole project, and above all the Youth Exchange, will allow young people to face the real opportunity to test their acting skills and all other theater-related competencies, confronting expectations with reality, turning ideas into real action, motivating and stimulating each other.
Project goals:
educating and developing personal skills through art, thus creating open, active and creative attitudes among youth;- joint creation of an artistic event of transnational value, illustrating the possibility of turning ideas into the real actions (sense of initiative);
- leaning over the condition of modern Europeans, “looking in the mirror” and trying to answer the ever-present questions about who we are, how social media and modern technology affect us, showing the true potential of the participants, making young people aware of their great role in the development of nowadays’ societies;
- cultural exchanges and exchange of experiences of young people from different parts of Europe;
- working together to develop a real outcome – a performance that will be confronted with the audience;
- familiarizing with the methodology of non-formal education and using it to stimulate the development of participants;
- developing sensitivity to art as a form of expressing emotions or wider – a form of communication;
- developing empathy and respect for diversity by stimulating the other person’s sensitivity and respect for the differences;
- appreciating the value of freedom – individual freedom, freedom of expression, emotions, and artistic freedom.
Each partner organization during the Exchange will be represented by a group of 6 active volunteers, including a leader, which will give a total of 36 participants in the main action. These are young people aged between 20 and 25 who are interested in the topic of the project and in their personal development in the international environment.
“reACT” provides a Youth Exchange to be held on 2-12.08.2018, which will take place in Warsaw, Poland. During the main activity participants will have the opportunity to acquire a number of complementary competencies related to personal development, to test their skills in practice and to develop a measurable effect, which will be presented to the wider audience with a focus on issues of youth importance.
Methodology: activities based on elements and approaches of non-formal education – Holistic Learning, Experiental Learning, Intercultural Learning, Diversified Education, Learning through Challenges, Comfort Zone Expanding – used in thematic workshops, exercises and simulation games, as well as discussions and other activities.
Expected results:
– to increase the participants’ self-confidence;
– to develop among the participants responsible, active and creative attitudes of young Europeans;
– to raise young people’s awareness of existing opportunities, methods and techniques of working on their development;
– to initiate and intensify the process of self-reflection to identify strengths and weaknesses;
– acquisition and improvement of practical skills for self-presentation, self-expression, work on stress during public speaking and interaction with peers while working in international groups;
– development of widely understood communication competences;
– to motivate participants to take up new challenges;
– raising the level of empathy and sensitivity to the emotions and needs of another person.
The nature of planned activities and the fact that young people who participate in the project will acquire a range of competencies related to the effective expression of their emotions, make each participant taking part in the project capable of exerting real influence on the surrounding reality through individual and/or grouping positive interaction with their peers, local communities and at the same time also on national and international issues, based on the idea of intensified international co-operation. This impact should be understood first of all as increasing the role and participation of participants in the lives of their societies, promoting the European ideas and values and the existing opportunities among target groups, transferring their knowledge and experience, but also inspiring and initiating further actions.