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Cities of Humor and Satire
Start date: Aug 1, 2016, End date: Nov 30, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Aalst and Gabrovo are twining towns since 2010. For the fourth time in a row we want to organise an youth exchange project.This time the chosen theme is humor and satire, because both cities are known as the capital of humor and both have very popular carnivals. All the activities have a link with humor. This is an aspect who was not implemented in previous exchanges, although we think it is an important one. With this exchange projects we want to establish an intercultural exchange of ideas, best practices and experience on youth work, informal learning, and personal contacts ... A mix of methods will be used by the implementation of the activities; always with the focus on a dynamic group process and sustainable relationships over the borders of the European countries.The participation of youngsters in the organisation and preparation of this exchange project is extremely important.Youngster of previous exchange project were nominated as youth ambassadors. These ambassadors are invited to brainstorm sessions. They use their experience to choose the theme, organise the exchange, plan the activities, ...These youth ambassadors were also invited at Odisee University College during an "international day" to talk about the town twinning between Gabrovo and Aalst and the previous exchange project. After their presentation they asked the audition to send them per e-mail some recommendation and advice. Six rapports were the result. This advices were taken into account during the organisation and planning of the activities.Participants will be between 16 and 25 years old. All of them will have a link with Aalst or Gabrovo. The theme of our project is humor, so the participants have to be interested in humor and creativity. The objective is to enlarge the number of youngsters involved in the twinning project between Aalst and Gabrovo. Therefor we have to select new participants (previous participants will still have the opportunity to participate, but the focus will be on new participants). Hence a recruitment process needs to be done.The youngsters will learn about the differences between their carnivals and the sense of humor during different interactive activities, each discussed and carried in cooperation with the young participants. At this moments, we have the plan to create a carnival car with characteristics of both carnival cultures, for example. During workshops some carnival songs will be written with the assistance of two experienced persons in this matter. To prove that the participants are creative, they will create an artistic performance together with artist of "Cirk!". The participants will also be confronted with the sad side of life. They will discover that even in sad times there is always time for humor by meeting cliniclowns and by visiting "levensvreugde", an organisation who takes care of mentally disabled people. A visit at the European Cartoon Centre in Kruishoutem will broaden the participants' perception of humor.An official meeting with the mayor and aldermen of the city of Aalst will be organised along with a press conference. This will disseminate the project results to a broader public. Some results of workshops will be offered as gifts to the city of Aalst and to the city of Gabrovo. Some part of carnival cars can be used on actual carnival cars for more dissemination.Through the activities and the informal contacts between the participants, they will go through an individual learning process and gain new personal competences. This will be monitored and will led to a Youth pass certificate.The aim is to establish a good network between individual youngsters, organised youth organisations and youth services of the municipalities Aalst and Gabrovo. A network that can grow in the near future, that can strengthen the town twinning relations between the 2 cities and that can show a united Europe from west to east.
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