CHANCE TO DANCE
Funded by
Participating countries: Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, North Macedonia, Italy, Romania
Coordinator: Somali Diaspora Alliance
Start: 31-05-2021 End: 29-01-2022
Project Summary
The main purpose of the project is the definition of shared creative space to fight marginalization, discrimination and xenophobia, and to promote and spread values as solidarity, mutual understanding and intercultural awareness as core European values, through the use of the universal language of dance, art and creativity. The activities of the youth exchange will be aimed at creating a dance show, to be held on the last day of the project, in which elements of the traditional dances of the countries of origin of the participants will be combined in order to form a message of brotherhood
and solidarity. This will contribute to express in the same time a glimpse of their culture, but understanding in the same way how these cultures can mingle and enrich each other, fostering the idea of diversity which is at the base of the European Union itself, developing at the same time a strong sense of belonging as citizens of Europe without barriers.
The main objectives are:
– To foster dialogue among cultures and respect diversity
– To underline the role of dance and arts as a tool for communication without distinction of nationality, race, sex, wealth and age.
– To identify common elements shared among young people to build a common sense of belonging to Europe
– To promote awareness of European cultures through dance, music and art
– To share knowledge and learning in an intercultural context
– To promote the active role of young people in society through initiatives that, through a multiplier effect, leads to the realization of other initiatives in the countries of origin of the participants. The activities of the youth exchange will be aimed at creating a dance show, to be held on the last day of the project, in which elements of the traditional dances of the countries of origin of the participants will be combined in order to form a message of brotherhood and solidarity. This will contribute to express at the same time a glimpse of their culture, but understanding in the same way how these cultures can mingle and enrich each other, fostering the idea of diversity which is at the base of the European Union itself, developing at the same time a
strong sense of belonging as citizens of Europe without barrier
Article - ``Chance to Dance``
In January 2022, young people from Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Macedonia, Romania, Italy and Bulgaria, had a chance to participate in the youth exchange “Chance to dance” about folk dances as a tool to fight against discrimination, marginalization, prejudices and stereotypes. We had a lot of games, workshops, theoretical lessons and dancing exercises and performance.
Participants were learning folk dances from each country. By the end of the youth exchange few dancing leaders took the responsibility to create a new choreography that include steps and elements from the folk dances of each participating country. As a final event, participants performed the final dance that represents unity of different culture and called the dance: European dance!
One part of the training which cannot be missed is the intercultural nights. They were well organized, in several nights the tables were covered with delicious foods and drinks which people had brought from their countries. The hosts of the night taught national dances and played interesting games. The participants made this youth exchange particularly unique. All youngsters were dedicated on the topic of dances and hopefully they will continue working on it to make the project happen again in the near future. Each participant went home with new knowledge on folk dances and cultures, unforgettable memories, new friendship and new partnerships for future projects.
The project was in the context of Erasmus+ and funded by EU and Sweden National Agency.
“The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”
#Erasmus+ #YouthInAction #ChanceToDance #Dancing #Inclusion #YouthExchange
