La Storia Nostra: towards Active Citizenship for shaping more inclusive and sustainable societies

Nyhet
publiseringsdatum Publicerad 2020-05-12
plats Fryshuset Global

In 2019, Chaordica (NL), in partnership with Paradiso Ritrovato (IT), Dynamo International (BE), and Fryshuset (SE) collaborated to bring a diverse group of 22 young people together between the age of 16 – 19 years old in an abandoned Alpine village in the Piemonte region in Italy. The event took place from the 1st of July until the 16th of July 2019, in Piana di Forno (Italy).

The participants shared an interest in the topic of Active Citizenship and were committed to being/becoming active agents in shaping more inclusive and sustainable societies. During the 15-day-long course, the themes of active citizenship, sustainability and inclusion were explored through the means of experiential and non-formal learning (i.e. through gamification, role-playing, interactive exercises, performative pedagogies, creative expression, teambuilding exercises, dialogue, etc). Collaboratively they explored these themes through personal development, intercultural dialogue, workshops, cooperative games, and hands-on actions – carrying out regenerative projects in the village using environmentally friendly and traditional methods. Throughout the youth exchange, the participants co-organized a public event to creatively present their own insights and raise awareness about sustainability and social inclusion in Europe. This learning experience allowed young people to feel empowered and recreate this event in their local communities back home. Through a range of participatory, practical and creative methods, this youth exchange enlivened an abandoned rural reality while strengthening the capacity of young people to uncover their unique potential to respond to personal, social and ecological challenges.

The goals of the project were:

  • To empower young people to become active agents in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable society by:
  • Cultivating interpersonal and intercultural dialogue.
  • Developing tools and skills for developing projects, learning to become proactive in their communities and challenging global narratives on sustainability, de-growth and inclusion.
  • Creating a memorable and unique experience through which they will get to know various new and diverse realities; e.g. through meeting peers from diverse social-economic/-cultural backgrounds, experiencing life in a rural and sustainable Alpine environment and by stepping into their leadership potentials.

The project was funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme which supports activities in the fields of Education, Training, Youth and Sport.