Europe of a thousand cultures

Background Together, we came to the conclusion that a significant problem in our local communities is the low level of acceptance of large groups of young people for peers from other countries and cultures. A large proportion of young people perceive the cultural diversity of their peers as a threat, and their anxiety results mainly from the misunderstanding of other cultures combined with the influence of stereotypes and fake news disseminated in the media. Lack of acceptance often turns into acts of physical aggression, such as beating up EKS volunteers from Turkey in Starogard Gdański, or beating a Gdańsk University of Technology student from Syria in 2019. A survey conducted by a partner organization from Turkey in 2020 showed that 34% young people would not like their co-workers to be people of other nationalities, 72% of the survey participants admitted that their knowledge about other cultures is very limited, 42% of the survey participants derive their knowledge of other cultures mainly from news services on TV. In view of such an attitude of local communities, we decided that it is necessary to create a space in local youth communities where it will be possible to strengthen the voice of migrants. Objectives The aim of the project was: - creating a coherent space (website) in which local youth will have the opportunity to learn more about the phenomenon of migration, learn about its causes and effects for local communities, get to know the point of view of young migrants coming to our countries, - interest of local youth in the subject of multiculturalism, encouraging them to expand their intercultural competences, - creating a space for young migrants that will allow them to talk about themselves, their culture, and their motivations to change the country of residence, - developing the competences of the project team in the organization of international projects aimed at young people. Implementation The main activities carried out under the project were: 1. Preparation by the project team of a website devoted to the topic of young migrants, containing, among others, - the publication "Analyze of young migrants situation in Europe", - a collection of interviews recorded in the form of video films with young migrants from local environments of partner organizations. - a collection of tutorials and materials that can be used as part of intercultural education classes for young people, - reports on the course of project activities. 2. The project team members in their local communities organize workshops on various European cultures, addressed to children and young people from the region. 3. Organization by the project team of the "Festival of a Thousand Cultures" in Gdańsk. 4. Organizing 3 TPM meetings (two stationary, one remote), online kick-off meeting, organization of regular working meetings. 5. Organizing mixed mobility (LTT) in Gdańsk. 6. Conducting dissemination activities in social-media and in local environments of partner organizations. 7. Conducting evaluation and monitoring activities related to the implementation of the project. Achievements The hard outputs of the project are: - the publication "Analyze of young migrants situation in Europe", describing the causes and scale of migration of young people in Europe, opportunities and challenges faced by local communities due to the intensification of migration processes, and presenting the migrants' perspective on assimilation in a new environment, including a collection of interviews and experiences presented by young migrants from local communities of partner organizations, - a collection of interviews recorded in the form of video films with young migrants from local environments of partner organizations, - a collection of tutorials and materials that can be used as part of intercultural education activities aimed at young people. The soft outcomes of the project are: - strengthening the voice and position of young people, in particular young people from migrant families, living in our local environments 4 partner organizations, - involvement of young people from 4 Partner Countries in the organization of international activities for young people, promotion of youth volunteering, - raising awareness of local communities of partner organizations about the needs of migrants.