Youth of Europe's Regions

About the idea and main objectives of the project:

"Youths in Europe’s Regions" is a multilateral youth exchange designed under the frame of the Youth In Action programme, action 1.1, the basic motivation of this project is to gather youths around Europe to work together in the concept of a common European futureThe main goal of the project is therefore to increase the European awareness of youth and encourage young people into active participation in their regions.

YER - ‘Youths in Europe's Regions’ is an initiative involving 42 youngsters from rural areas of six countries. The project will take place in the greater area of Florina, a city located in the region of Western Macedonia in Greece, and also in some neighbor hooding villages. The activities will last 8 days and participants will try to live according to traditional lifestyle in a small region of a member state. The rural areas are often rich of latent treasures that can give the opportunity to overcome the crisis and other problems concerned the environment, unemployment and unhealthy lifestyle. It is important to become aware of those possibilities and see them with modern eyes. The global tools (e-market, internet, social network, languages knowledge, networks) cut distances and can offer, in a international market, what rural areas offer. The traditional lifestyle foresees a healthy life in touch with the environment. The project proposes activities aimed to grow local traditional knowledge (culture and folklore), crafts and farming. The young people will learn the different way to cooperate each other, successful cases of entrepreneurial activity matched with global instruments.  Being awake and developing the local traditions on the one side permits a better comprehension of own identity, on the other offers the opportunity to get job opportunities. The young people will live the experience in an informal setting with the opportunity to participate actively, compare each other and grow. The foreseen activities are: visits in rural areas learning history and traditions, excursion "Into the wild", workshops at the farms and tradecrafts locations to learn organic farming and professions, job shadowing about sustainable economy and final presentation. The program aims to promote the importance of creative and the need to develop small regions of the EU.

 

The activities will be based on a non formal methodology

 

Local organizations will support the event letting young people take part into their activities and with the local community, then participants may express their creativity. We will encourage them to make the difference, to understand that they are the difference and can go beyond the limits of their age and they do not need to wait for becoming adults to start up, managing or handling any kind of activity. What is really active participation? This is the question we'd like to answer with the participants. Greece is getting through a particular moment and that is why it is a perfect environment where to set up the activities. And then the Greek youth, people who well know what means going beyond and looking ahead and in this way youth initiatives multiply the message and people become the change. Greece needs also this kind of space: where people listen to each other and look for the solution rather than discouraging each other.

 

Partner organizations and amount of participants:

The event gathers together 42 young people from six different European countries: Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Latvia, Cyprus. Each country has 6 participants aged between 18 and 26 years + 1 leader (no limit age) (7 in total).

Florina - Greece - 25/09/2013 - 02/10/2013