A Brief Report of YOUTH EXCHANGE “SPRING CARNIVAL”

10th – 19th March 2016 Latvia, Daugavpils

Youth exchange organized by Partner Organizations:

ERFOLG (Applicant) GLOBE - Global Learning Opportunities for Better Education KYTTARO ENALLAKTIKON ANAZITISEON NEAON KEAN

ASOCIACION JUVENIL INTERCAMBIA

Edited by GLOBE No Profit Association – PIC Code 928481576

Global Learning Opportunities for Better Education

ABOUT THE PROJECT “SPRING CARNIVAL”

GLOBE is happy to share the experience as Partner (Sending Organization) in the ERASMUS+ Project “SPRING CARNIVAL” (Project Code 2015-3-LV02-KA105-000952), a youth exchange proposed by ERFOLG “Latvian Organization”. “SPRING CARNIVAL” was a youth exchange that was held in Daugavpils, a second city of Latvia, from 10th March to 19th March 2016. It brought together participants that from 4 different European countries: Latvia, Italy, Spain and Greece. The main aim of this youth exchange was to give the young people from different European countries the possibility to get to know their own culture and the culture of other countries, holiday traditions in Easter and Carnival Period, and to integrate into the European society, to meet each other, to promote the intercultural dialogue and youth mobility, as well as awareness of belonging to the European youth community. These objectives were reached by using non formal learning methods, energizer and icebreaking activities, creative workshops, peer learning, and organization of national evening.

During the youth exchange the participants worked together realizing handicraft master classes, creative workshops, presentation of Carnival and Easter traditions in the partner countries, morning exercises. Also they got the chance to know each other, to learn new tradition and new aspects of other cultures connected with the Carnival and Easter holidays in the different partner countries and to share their own experiences. SPRING CARNIVAL has provided to the participants the opportunity to: work together, improve their creative skills,

English language knowledge and communicational skills, do a social work with kids and elders in the local social care center, discover themselves, see new things and places in Daugavpils, and visit Aglona and Kraslava.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

All participants developed the activities planned in a positive and creative way. Following a brief summary of daily activities.

Day 1 (Travel day) – During the first day each national group travelled from their home countries to arrive in Latvia. During the day all participants arrived in Daugavpils and were accommodate in Hotel ERFOLG. The hosting organization organized the welcome of the participants.

Day 2 – Participants got to know each other better thanks to energizer, name games, team building and icebreaking activities. All together started to cooperate and share their expectations and needs and to define the common rules. Then the participants in mixed group took part in the City Game to discover the city. A very amazing game!!!

Day 3 – During the morning other icebreaking and team building activities were organized to involve all participants. Then we joined the Easter Event organized in the City square, with a live music performance. This is a fantastic way to see and know the city and local tradition; in the afternoon we developed a first workshop “Brainstorming Carnival” in which each national group described, with a creative approach, the means of Carnival and Easter in his own country. Finally during the evening all participants prepared together Sushi and Crepes. Both dishes were delicious! Day 4 – It was the first national day dedicated to Latvia. Latvian team presented the tradition of Spring ceremony and some typical ritual of the country in this period. Then Latvian team presented the workshop with the wool to make a typical decoration and all participants developed this workshop together. In the afternoon all participants divided in mixed group developed a workshop “Easter Masks”, aimed to create a Masks using different materials (sheet, wool, glitter, color …). All participants were very creative! Finally in the evening Latvian Team organized a Latvian evening during which they presented the country and the city and prepared a quiz about their country. Finally they presented some typical dishes, sweet and biscuits and beverage (bier and balsam liquor) to taste. Very nice evening!!

Day 5 – During this day the activities were prepared by the Spanish Team. They presented 2 workshops: the first to create 2 typical decorations of Carnival period: the hat (for men) and the flower (for women); the second to decorate the balloon for the Spanish evening. Both workshops were made by all participants and some Latvian kids hosted in the ERFOLG office. Thanks to the Spanish Team we had the opportunity to learn more about Easter and Carnival Tradition in Spain because they organized a presentation about their tradition. Finally they organized the Spanish evening preparing some typical dishes (delicious tortillas!!) and beverage (fantastic sangria!!) and presenting their country. They prepared also a dancing competition involving all participants and a quiz about their country. It was a very exciting evening!!!

Day 6 – This day was dedicated to our country “Italy”. Italy team presented 2 workshops to all participants and kids: Balloons decorated with colored wool and necklaces with paper flowers (with Italian colors, green white and red) for the Italian evening. Then the Italian participants showed their presentation about Carnival in Italy and Easter tradition (religious and pagan) and typical dishes and sweets. In the afternoon we visited the Fortress and the Mark Rotko Museum. During the Italian evening the Italian team presented typical Sicilian biscuits and prepared some typical dishes (vegetables in “pastella”, sweet of chocolate and “pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino”). Then we presented our country, organized a quiz about Italy and teach a typical dance “Tarantella” to all participants. It was a crazy and participatory night!!!

Day 7 – This day was dedicated to the visit of 2 cities, Aglona and Kraslava. During this day we visited a beautiful Basilica of Aglona (with the near lake iced) and the Bread Museum. Then we visited Kraslava where we climbed the wooden tower. These activities offered us the opportunity to see and visit other places and know more and more of the hosting country. Day 8 - It was the last national day dedicated to Greece. Greek team presented the workshops to realize together to create decorations for the national evening and a kite. Then they presented the tradition of Easter in Greece. In the afternoon all participants developed with some kids the workshop “Easter Eggs Decoration”. Finally Greek Team organized a Greek evening during which they presented their country and showed the typical dinner with the presentation and tasting of some typical dishes, food and beverage (as moussaka, delicious!!). Then they explained to us the typical Greek dancing (beautiful sirtaky!). It was a very interesting and beautiful evening, as a big family!!

Day 9 – Last day of activities was dedicated to the Public event. We visited a Social Care center of Daugavpils and we presented our 4 teams, our 4 countries and our national traditions about Carnival and Easter. Then we developed with the guests of the Center 2 workshops (Latvian Workshop with the wool and Spanish Workshop to create the hat). Finally we spent the last evening ice skating on the ice rink and eating pizza together. All participants were very professional skaters! During the dinner the Youthpass ceremony and the recognition of the secret friend were organized. It was a very nice evening with our new European family!

Day 10 (Travel day) – Early in the morning Latvian team accompanied Italian, Spanish and Greek Team to the train station where there were the first greetings. When we arrived in Riga station our 3 teams had to separate to continue the journey to home. The time to say goodbye was unpleasant but we are sure that we will meet again soon in Latvia, in Greece, in Italy or in Spain!

FINAL FEEDBACK

The Project “SPRING CARNIVAL” had positive impact on personal and social development of the participants. Thanks to the activities carried out they gained and improved their communication skills, their ability to work in international team and their language skills. This youth exchange allowed to the participants: - to discover the opportunity offered by Erasmus+ Programme; - to visit a new city; - to live in a multicultural context and to know each other; - to acquire creative skills, - to acquire non formal learning methods, - to know the culture of other countries, and national traditions about Carnival and Easter, - to welcome and support young people from european countries that will visit our country, - to be open minded, confident and free from prejudice. All participants were active and involved during the activities and created a good and positive team! It is not possible to fully describe all the unforgettable moments of this amazing and unique experience. Surely memories will remain forever of the Easter Event in the city square, the visit and lunch at the Bread Museum, the climbing of the tower in Kraslava, the National evenings, the games, the dances, the laughter, the snowfall and much more. We thank all national groups, the host organization in Latvia ERFOLG and the project manager assistant Edgars Kucins for this experience and we hope to see each other very soon!

ITALIAN PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS

“... this trip was for me like a melody with no mistakes and no false notes, and I'm happy to have played it with my friends like a family” Alessio “We were lucky to find these beautiful people .... It is hard to explain how easy it was to build a community, a group, or maybe "an intercultural family" .... Then I remember the words that Edgars told us last night ... to paraphrase a bit "do not be sad because it's over, be happy to have met and to have each other from now on, even if far away” Andrea “I still remember my fears about not being able to acclimate or to communicate in English, and now I smile thinking how it was easy and natural to make friendship with everyone” - Edith “ … these days have flown … I knew wonderful people! .... they were able to encourage me and to put me at ease. I didn’t think to feel so well with people from different countries that I didn’t know” Alessandra 1 “It is an experience that I recommend to everyone because it opens their minds, their hearts and increases their cultural baggage” Alessandra 2 “There were wonderful moments that I can not write because they would not enter into a book. I am also happy to have found a fantastic group to live this experience with” Salvo “.... It is enough to hear your words, see your sparkling eyes, hear your laughter to understand that this experience has centred straight to your hearts ...” Serena

Thank you!

CONTACT GLOBE Address: Via Notarbartolo n.49 - 90141Palermo - Italy

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