Courses / Euro-Mediterranean / International Projects / Living Library / Refugees

“Euro-Mediterranean Living Libraries” Mobility of Youth Workers

The "Euro-Mediterranean Living Libraries" youth mobility project was held from 10 to 16 May near Tarragona and brought together 25 activists, young refugees, migrants and youth workers from different communities around the Euro-Mediterranean area to explore the challenges faced by intercultural dialogue and to develop competences for the preparation, implementation and evaluation of Living Library actions in the public sphere.

The Living Library methodology is based on a "library" that does not consist of paper books but on "human books" that share their stories and live experiences with others and enter into active dialogue with their "readers" in order to de-construct prejudices and promote respect for diversity.

The aim of the course was to develop youth workers' competences to create spaces for a meeting between the different communities in the public sphere where people can find diversity and de-construct the fears and prejudices especially regarding migrants, refugees and diversity (cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious, ...) in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

As part of the project a Living Library Event was organised in the center of Barcelona. The action exceeded the initial expectations of citizen participation. Through the living library event, the project promoted intercultural dialogue and de-constructed prejudices fostering encounter and interaction with Barcelona's citizens.

The specific objectives of the project were:

Address the challenges faced by intercultural dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean context and explore the role of youth work in de-constructing prejudice and discrimination.

To develop competences for the preparation, implementation and evaluation of local actions based on "Living Libraries" methodology in the public sphere.

To draw up guidelines to support the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the events of the "living library" in the Euro-Mediterranean context;

To increase the quality and the development of cooperation strategies under the Erasmus + Youth in Action programme.

 

This project is part of a Long Term Pan Euro-Mediterranean Project to support the organisations in the development of Intercultural Dialogue through the use of Living Library methodology, coordinated by the Noorteorganisatsioon Trajectorya  (Estonia)

This were our partner organisations in this project:

  • JORDAN Youth Innovation Forum  (Jordan)Voices of Young Refugees in Europe (France)
  • Noorteorganisatsioon Trajectorya  (Estonia)
  • Associazione di Promozione Sociale Young Effect (Italy)
  • Inno-Peace (Tunisia)
  • EDUMA Od emócií k poznaniu, n.o. (Eslovaquia)
  • Tanweer Association Egipto
  • Ronesans Enstitusu Dernegi (Turkey)
  • Dialogue for Life and Reconciliation Organization (Lebanon)

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