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Hope2Cope: Up 4 Change invites young Europeans to share and care!
Start date: Jun 17, 2014, End date: Feb 16, 2015 PROJECT  FINISHED 

This e.p.a. International Youth Exchange (IYE) took place in Liverpool and on a rural Farm near Buxton in the English Peak District, UK, between 23rd August to 6th September 2014 and brought together 60 young people from: Bucharest, Romania; Hamburg, Germany; Tyumen und Kurgan, Russian Federation; Kiev-Crimea, Ukraine; and the hosting group from Liverpool, United Kingdom. This mobility project followed on from the very successful IYE “Rainbows of Citizenship” in Crimea-Ukraine in 2013, under the theme “Rainbows of Citizenship”. In a spirit of international friendship the participants met with the goal to discuss and debate under the theme “Hope2Cope: Up4Change invites young Europeans to share and care!”, looking at how young people from disadvantaged backgrounds can be “Up4Change – ready for change!”. We talked about the issues young people are facing today (e.g. unemployment, social and political exclusion, precarious economic situation), shared experiences of how to cope with them and understood how we can use our full potential and be active citizens. The participants came from politically, socially and economically neglected communities: an orphanage in Bucharest (RO), young people with migrant/refugee backgrounds from Hamburg (DE), participants from the geographically isolated Siberian regions of Tyumen and Kurgan (RU), young people from Feodosia-Crimea (UA) affected by the Russia-Ukraine Conflict. They were hosted by young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods from Walton and Speke in Liverpool (UK). In spite of their difficult contexts, they all showed and shared an amazing potential for their empowerment, creativity and a willingness to be up4Change! All 6 groups and every single one of the young people brought a range of abilities and creativity, which was indeed an added value to the programme of this IYE. The activities were developed through non-formal and informal learning approaches with a programme and methodologies focused around the participants, e.g. Workshops, Cultural excursions, Intercultural night etc. During the two weeks the participants introduced their cities/projects, as well as a self-designed and organized workshop on the theme. These workshops were produced from the creativity of each group and presented in varied ways and methods, resulting in a collection of experiences, examples, ideas and tools that the participants could use and share within their youth groups and communities after they returned home, multiplying what they learned. This IYE had a great impact on participants, groups and their communities: • For the participants personally, by supporting their personal development and process of empowerment as well as their intercultural understanding, especially between participants from Ukraine and Russia. They discovered their potential and willingness to work together, enhancing their individual and social capacities. They learned new skills, competences and felt encouraged to get “up4change” (see participants evaluation comments); • For the 6 youth groups, by developing their teamwork and daily practice with new tools and methodologies, strengthening their cooperation and motivation to continue their work; • For their communities in 6 different corners of Europe, by now having the participants and groups returning home sharing new ideas, experiences and developing new initiatives to achieve social, political and economical change.

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