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TOGETHER FOR OUR YOUTH
Project's priority: promoting active citizenship, young people’s sense of initiative and youth entrepreneurship including social entrepreneurship.
KA2 - SMALL-SCALE PARTNERSHIP
"Eesti & España - together for our youth"
Objectives:
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To create the working definition of “diversity”, “inclusion” and “intercultural communication” through multicultural dialogue;
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To learn how to overcome intercultural, geographical and social barriers;
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To focus on such problems as lack of youth initiative and ignorance of how to develop it;
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Use entrepreneurship as a model of developing soft skills and civic engagement;
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To promote active citizenship among project participants and create opportunities for the dissemination of these skills;
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To value the material and intangible heritage of our regions and its heritage;
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To improve skills and develop different competencies in the process of non-formal education;
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To develop a strong partnership with a long-term perspective;
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Strengthen relations between Estonia and Spain and its youth.
Ist stage of the project - Expert team meeting I
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A few days before the first meeting of experts, in the mayor's office of the capital of the region, the city of Ponferrada, a presentation of the project was held for the media with the Delegate Councilor for Rural Affairs - Iván Alonso Rodríguez.
It was a short but very intense exchange of twelve youth in total: half of them from Estonia and the other half from Valdeorras and El Bierzo (Spain). Let's see how it was:
From the first day we wanted to dive into the topic and local history. We talked about rural and social entrepreneurship and for this we wanted to do it firmly, drawing on real examples and knowing the territory well, as well as the problems and opportunities of such a special place as Tebaida Berciana. It was time for workshops to get to know each other, guided tours of the village and its Mozarabic church, presentations, debates and a memorable intercultural night in Bierzo.
Despite the rain, the project was full of outdoor activities. The second day we made the traditional route to the Cave of San Genadio, and the same day in the afternoon we went to Montes de Valdueza, where we visited the Monastery of San Pedro de Montes: an exceptional environment to learn about the complex history of this region, but also to discuss the abandonment and recovery of heritage. Back in Peñalba, we continued with day's workshops. We learned about new skills and techniques for group work, with practical preparation based on the example of a potential project for the restoration of the monastery of San Pedro de Montes. The highlight of the day came with the Estonian intercultural evening, with a variety of traditional dishes, snacks and drinks, accompanied by Estonian music.
The third day of the project started with a workshop to talk about the skills an entrepreneur should have, as well as leadership styles. We brought out the creativity of our participants during a theatrical performance (one of the non-formal learning methods we use) and had a lot of laughs!
Later the Estonian team prepared a workshop on argumentation and debate, we built our "house-shaped arguments". Some of the members of Estonian team came from a debate club of Estonia, and it was a real luck to have such an active group!
The surprises are not over! To continue the day, we headed to... Canedo Palace! We promised to learn from local examples, but how could it be otherwise! We were well received, learned about the personal history of Prada, took a ride with the mythical carroviñas, learned the difference between Rosé and Clarete and tasted local products. It's really inspiring to see the amount of jams, wines and other Bierzo products that are made there in an artisanal way. To clarify the context a bit, this place is by far one of the most important examples of entrepreneurship in the entire region.
Time flew by and on the last day we started the morning with "Six Thinking Hats", a very practical workshop on communication styles and future planning. After the coffee break, we came up with local activities and dissemination of everything we had learned and contributed during the stay. The afternoon was the most emotional moment with the farewells, the evaluation activity, the ceremony of YouthPasses... And of course the moment to say goodbye with a very special magosto. It has been our first rural Erasmus+ experience in Peñalba, but we are sure that soon we will be back. Thanks to all of you who made it possible!
IIst stage of the project - Local Activities
We understand the importance of developing meaningful partnerships, and that is why we are proud to have implemented local activities in Estonia and Spain as part of our strategic partnership project. These activities were designed to strengthen relations between Estonia and Spain, particularly youth from our two countries, and to develop a strong partnership with a long-term perspective.
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In December, as proposed in the expert meeting in Spain (stage I of the project) we organized an art workshop in Estonia, where participants painted Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. The workshop was an opportunity to showcase local talent and creativity, with two local girls leading the workshop. These two girls are just in the beginning of their entrepreneurial path and they dream about opening their own art studio. Perfect match for us! The result was a series of beautiful canvases that we scanned and turned into postcards, which we can use as meaningful dissemination material and in all our future projects, or just as souvenir for our participants. This activity was a great example of using entrepreneurship as a model of developing soft skills and civic engagement.
In addition to the art workshop, we organized a Spanish (Galician) cultural evening, where a representative from Valdeorras Vive, a Spanish organization, presented the region where they are based to Estonian youth. This event was open to anyone who wanted to join, and it was an excellent opportunity to learn about the rich cultural heritage of Spain. After the presentation, we had a board games night where people could make more questions about Spain in an informal environment. This activity was designed to create the working definition of "diversity", "inclusion", and "intercultural communication" through multicultural dialogue.