I SEA YOU
Start date: Dec 31, 2016,
End date: Jul 30, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Over 2015-2016, Europe has experienced the biggest crisis of migrants and refugees after the Second World War. Italy, Greece, Croatia and Spain are amongst the countries that were more impacted by the flows. Those countries have to manage a crisis, which is, first and foremost, humanitarian but also social.Migration is regarded as negative in Europe. The report "How the world see migration" suggests that the perception that Europeans have about migration is negative if compared to the perception that people living in other areas of the world have about the phenomenon. Young Europeans, however, show more openness compared to other age groups. About 24% of young Europeans, in fact, are in favour of increasing the number of immigrants. The report "How the World Views Migration" considers young people as potential "leaders of change" and calls on investing on them to increase the sensitivity and the positive response of the entire population on migration issues. In line with the European political priorities in the field of youth for 2016, I SEA YOU invests on young Europeans and migrants so that they can learn to "see" each other, beyond prejudices, and learn how to live together, thus becoming drivers of change for their local communities. I SEA YOU is a youth exchange project designed, written and that will be implemented by young "leaders of change" in Spain, Greece, Croatia and Italy. The project wants to create a "bridge" between two realities that are seemingly distant: young people of the countries of destination and young migrants, who are often judged with hostility and prejudice. I SEA YOU is a project on intercultural learning, intercultural dialogue and of awareness about the phenomenon of migration. The project, which will last seven months, foresees a 9-day exchange host in the city of Vicenza (Italy) in May 2017. Participants are 26 young Croatians, Spanish, Greeks and Italians aged between 18 and 30.4 participants will be migrants, refugees and asylum seekers host by the City of Vicenza. During the selection of participants, I SEA YOU will give priority in to young people facing economic difficulties. The project will make use of the language of the theatre and, in particular, of the Theatre of the Oppressed. This methodology involves, through acting, the reworking of a trauma and the realization of an integration path. During the act, it is experienced a kind of empathy with people in difficulty, by putting oneself in the shoes of others, in a continuous dialogue between actor and spectator.During the exchange, participants will be involved in activities, such as workshops and discussions with migrants. So, following the sharing of stories and experiences, participants will build together a play that tells actually what the young migrants live every day and what drives them to move away from home. The preparation and implementation of activities will be managed with the active involvement of all participants. The participation does not required any special theatrical competence but rather a willingness to get involved in acting. More importantly, the candidate has to prove a strong motivation not only to explore the theme of migration but also to get in touch with the main protagonists of this phenomenon, welcome them, be willing to know their stories, build friendships and mutual trust. The main result, namely the play based on the methodology of the Theatre of the Oppressed, will become the key vehicle for spreading a greater knowledge and awareness on the topic of migration, as well as an inspiration to overcome barriers that often make young people distrustful and disinterested in opening and deepening relations with different cultures. The play will also boost young people’ active citizenship and foster them to be protagonists of their own lives and choices, in the social, cultural and political sphere. The play will be recorded and made available on YouTube and other social networks to become the main vehicle for dissemination and communication of the project. The activities will be reinforced by a communication plan that supports the achievement of the expected impacts at the local, national and European level.