“Solving conflicts during the Spanish Civil War and in present Europe.”
Vallbona de Les Monges, Catalunya, Spain.
15-Jun to 26-Jun
Vallbona de les Monges, a small village in the centre of Catalunya.” The central subject of the
exchange is going to be non-violent conflict resolution, and we are going to work on that through
several games, debates, group activities, etc. We intend to deal specifically with conflicts in the
fields of gender, work and consumption. The working part of the exchange will consist on
recovering part of the line of defence of the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War. The
work consists mostly in clearing up vegetation and recovering walls, bunkers and refuges that
have been covered by soil. There will also be use of a nearby pool and visits to surrounding
areas.
Sustainable Living Project
Leades House, Macroom, Co Cork.
02 Jul to 12-Jul
This project takes place on a 250-acre Organic farm in the beautiful surrounds of West Cork and
will explore the theme of sustainable living. Groups from Italy, France and Hungary will take part,
and over the 10-day period they will take part in workshops on sustainability, water as a natural
resource, consumption, circus performance, drumming and local wildlife. The groups will also
carry out some voluntary work on the farm learning about organic food production and taking part
in excursions to a local waterfall or to the city of Cork.
“Cloud in Love” Project – Working with migrant Children
Brussels, Belgium
03-Jul to 14-Jul
The project is named after a Turkish Fairy tale and is summer project for the children of a
generally disadvantaged neighbourhood in Brussels, St Jans Molenbeek. The children (4-12) are
mainly from North African backgrounds. The aim of the project is to provide the children and the
international volunteers with a week of intercultural, artistic and exciting adventures. Therefore
the entire group of young people will start with learning more about the background of this
neighbourhood, the project and do some local visits. The second half they will spend time with the
children (around 50). The exchange will end with a big event with the parents, the local
community and all the volunteers (barbecue and performance).
Peace and Conflict Project
Durrow Abbey, Co Offaly
15-Jul to 25-Jul
This project will involve participants from Ireland, Bulgaria, Belgium and Catalunya exploring
issues related to peace and conflict (in a personal and global context) on the sight of Durrow
Abbey. The Abbey is an early 20th century building which is now the permanent residence for the
Arts for Peace Foundation and will host young people and children from conflict zones in the
coming years. The practical work will involve working in the gardens of the property (restoring
apple orchards, planting and maintaining vegetable beds, etc…), organising an open day for the
local community and producing a piece of artistic work on the theme of peace for the house as a
gift to the other young people will come (a peace mural or peace garden for example. In addition
to this the young people will take part in workshops on peace and reconciliation, and issues
related to the history of the property, peace and conflict. There will also be the opportunity to take
part in sporting activities and perhaps even some horse-riding.
Uniting Youth for Rural Development (Ecological Project)
Vlahi Eco-Center, Bulgaria
Last 2 weeks of July
The purpose of the youth exchange will be to discuss, promote and develop rural and ecological
alternatives for tourism, as well as discuss their cultural roots in the countries of participants, and
more generally in Europe.
Marking the walking paths which connect Vlahi to neighboring villages, which is a direct
contribution to the development of rural and eco-tourism in the region;
Presentation of typical folk tales, related to the culture of each presented country, that can be
interpreted during walking through the trails. These can be used in the future as a product for
attracting visitors and tourists in the region.
Bird Conservation Project
Gela, Sicily (Italy)
Dates TBC (August)
A small nature reserve close to the town of Gela, on the Southern Coast of Sicily, includes a
small lake, a wet zone and some fields, it is managed by the environmental organization “LIPU”
(bird protection league). Volunteers will be asked to clean up the area, build fences, help build a
wooden observation station for bird-watching and carry out other manual work. The work is not
hard but volunteers are expected to work during the daytime, under the Sicilian sun: temperatures
can be very hot.
“King Arthur and the Knights of Social inclusion”, Sterrenwijzer
Olen, Belgium.
Last 2 weeks in Aug.
This year we’ll organise a Medieval camp for the local children (9-12) on the meadows with real
self made knights and noblewoman! The international volunteers will prepare and build up the
medieval camp and participate during the festival day. They will make wooden horses, knight
equipment, build a wooden tribune, flags and clothing, circus acts… There will also be lots of
workshops to participate in: music & dancing, carpentry, making clothes, circus, etc. Next to that
there is time for local swimming and visits.
“Raval Through the Lens” - Photography and Immigration Project
Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
10-Sep to 18-Sep
The aim is to study and analyse the phenomenon of immigration in Europe through the
techniques of photography and the written report. During the exchange there will be theoretical
and practical activities about photography, led by a professional of this field. There will also be
other activities relating to the topic of immigration, such as the visit to social and cultural
institutions working with immigrants, a guided visit through the neighbourhood, video-forums,
games to discover the surrounding area, etc. The main goal is to generate debate among the
participants and give them an open, non-prejudiced overview to the phenomenon of immigration.
The practical outcome of the exchange is the organisation of a photographic exhibition with the
work of the participants. As for complementary activities, we’ll participate in some local festivities
and cultural events, and we’ll organise a couple of visits in order to give the participants the
opportunity to get to know the city. We will be staying in a youth hostel in the area, and we will be
eating in local restaurants. This year we are organising the third edition of this youth exchange
because it worked very well in past years.