YMCA - Personal development youth program INTERCULTURAL HORIZONS

It’s a personal development program that brings together 40 young people from 8 countries for a dynamic individual learning experience in a group context.

The program is based on experiential learning and is made by processes and activities that embrace various areas of life and focus on the relation with others and with oneself.

Those are opportunities to explore inside, to identify concepts and patterns that come from culture, family, social environment, from the experiences and understand how they are supporting and how they are limiting us in specific situations and with different people; that allow the participants to broaden their horizons, to get out of their automatic thoughts and actions expanding their limits and gaining complete control over their life.

The approach is based on the concept that everybody is the creator of his/her/their own experience and set the limits regarding how far to go during the project.

The project focuses also on cross-cultural communication, on the topic of culture and employability in a multicultural environment.

Intercultural Horizons is a project made by 3 phases. Participating partially can not be an option as by the regulations of the Erasmus Plus program.

Phase 1- Preparation: in this phase the participants prepare for the exchange together with the sending organizations, they plan the practical aspects of the exchange (travel, finding the resources to pay the personal contribution), reflect and start to identify their main personal learning goal.

Phase 2 – International Program: it’s the core experience of the project. The participants reflect on the concept of culture and go through a number of processes that are the playground to improve competences and to identify elements that they want to improve or valorize in their life, then they have concrete opportunities to practice what learned out of the accommodation. They also plan how to create the impact they want in their life and organize a mutual support system.

Phase 3- Post program: after the exchange the participants implement their individual action plan with the support of their sending organizations and of another participant of their choice, they have 2 support meetings (in person or through Skype) within 6 weeks after the end of the exchange.
They also fill in the self-reflection, self-evaluation form and write a testimonial of their experience.

OUTCOMES

The program embraces a variety of topics and different areas of life therefore an individual while going through the program can identify different areas of improvement and choose to work on them according to her/his needs. Nevertheless the possible outcomes connected with the topics of intercultural sensitivity and cross-cultural communication are:
– To foster intercultural sensitivity meant as the development of the skill of recognizing and living in contact with difference.
– To look at people and at situations as opportunities instead than obstacles.
– To raise the competencies needed to choose consciously different cultural lenses according to the situations and with the people, to allow the access to Wider Horizons of understanding and connection.
– To provide concrete opportunities to meet and interact with diversity in order to overcome stereotypes and prejudices, to create empathy, openness, positive vision, cooperation and support in the everyday life.
– To increase competences relevant for the employability of youngsters in a multicultural environment, to empower cross-cultural communication skills, facilitate the access to job opportunities abroad and to youth international mobilities.
– To provide safe space for the participants to share ways to combat discrimination, to promote and disseminate a culture of inclusion and cooperation beyond borders with a sustainable win-win strategy.

WHEN & WHERE

26th November 2018: Arrival of the leaders
27th November 2018: Arrival of the participants (from 16:00 till 18:00)
28th November 2018 (morning): Program starts
6th December 2018 (night): Closing of the program
7th December 2018 (within 10:00 am): Departures

The exchange will take place in Rødekro, municipality of Aabenraa, Denmark, from the 27th of November till the 7th of December 2018. The travel days are the 27th of November and the 7th December, it’s not allowed to arrive later or leave earlier. You can travel for a maximum of 2 extra days.
The facilitators and co-facilitators need to arrive on the 26th November for the preparation. More precise information about how to reach Rødekro will be provided to participants and Team members after the confirmation. Don’t buy your tickets before receiving the confirmation letter!

The main accommodation of the exchange is “Bildungsstätte Knivsberg“, a hostel located in Haderslevvej 484, 6230 Rødekro, Denmark.
Bildungsstätte Knivsberg is an oasis of peace and calmness, a safe place very suitable for reflecting and focusing on oneself surrounded by nature. Busses are connecting the accommodation to the closest town. The property includes a wide activity room, a relax area for the coffee breaks, a kitchen, a dining room, rooms with 4-5 beds and private toilets, gardens, forests surrounding the main building.
The accommodation may host other groups during the project Intercultural Horizons, it’s required to reduce to the minimum loud noises and don’t disturb the activities of the other people. It’s possible to spend the free time outside the accommodation.

3 meals per day will be provided plus coffee breaks. Participants will stay in shared rooms of 4-5 people and will take part in simple house duties to make the whole accommodation system work

THIS PROJECT IS FOR YOU IF:

– Your age is between 20 and 28 years old
– You are committed and focus on working on your personal development: you want to work on yourself to make the difference that will bring you forward.

-You are interested in developing your attitudes, skills and knowledge in the areas of personal development, cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication and employability.

– You are willing to take part in the whole programme and in all the activities

– You are ready to be challenged

-You are ready to get involved in non-formal activities for a duration of 12-13 hours per day

-You are able to freely communicate in simple English

– You are officially resident in one of the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Spain or Romania
– You will not be benefitting from any other Erasmus Plus fund during the program in Denmark (ex. you are not doing the European Voluntary Service)

The total number of people per country is 5: 4 participants and 1 co-trainer.

The co-trainer can be over 28 with the condition is to had done a Basic Sinergy Training/Event wise training.