Project Title: Eastern Culture for Overcoming Barriers Context of the project: Multiculturality, Development of international cooperation, Breaking barriers, Increasing chances and opportunities of young people Objectives of the project: - Strengthening intercultural dialogue by showing common elements, values and interests of all Member States of the European Union; - Intensification of international cooperation in the field of cultural and economic integration; - Presentation of youth opportunities and benefits that come with mutual cooperation with other countries and the European Union; - Show of the enormous role of young people contributing to the intensification of existing relationships; - The promotion of non-formal and informal learning, and show of the opportunities offered by information and communication technologies in navigating the modern states and societies; - The promotion of language learning as a way of finding jobs in foreign markets and gaining experience and new skills there; - Young people' encourage to take up similar initiatives in the future; - Increase their openness to other societies and their cultures as students and young workers. Partners: - Centre for Scientific and Cultural Initiatives Parnas (Poland) - NGO - the applicant - Ocean znanja (Croatia) - NGO - Tmelník o.s. (Czech Republic) - NGO - Still Runing (Latvia) - NGO - Initiative Sociale (Romania) - NGO - Magna Carta (Slovakia) - NGO Participants: 36 young people from Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia at the age of 18-26 years, and the leaders of the group - a total of 42 people for each Exchange. Description of activities: The planned actions will be implemented in two Youth Exchanges which are complementary to each other. Each of activities during them will be the next step in overcoming existing barriers and will prepare young people to enter the higher and more advanced level of cooperation, which has allowed to increase the efficient use of socio-economic potential that exists in the relationship between all 6 countries participating in the project. Participants will learn about common elements connecting their cultures (the common historical and cultural heritage) in order to go to the common elements in the economic or political issues based on mutual intercultural understanding. They will also identify the basic problems in their communities, linked closely with existing beliefs, stereotypes and barriers. With them in mind, young people will try to overcome them by building a conducive environment for making future initiatives. Workshop based on the instruments of informal and non-formal education, allowing young people to work in multicultural groups will have to familiarize young people with good practices existing in various countries as well as to work together for the benefit of their development and create new ones. Young people through the exchange of experiences, ideas and knowledge will be challenged to build systematically a set of best practices twhich in their opinion should be used to raise awareness and intercultural cooperation in each country. In their composition should enter both: already known actions as well as those invented by the participants, who know the problems and needs of their societies. Metodology: Young people will work in mixed groups during the thematic workshops based on the methods and instruments and non-formal education, during which participants will be the primary source of information to each other. In addition, they will receive a range of information from people on behalf of the Applicant, which will allow them to take initiatives in the future. Furthermore, they will get to know the city and the region through organized visits to the most important places associated with the Polish and European culture, as well as take part in organized cultural and integration events. Outdoor activities in which participants will take part will be dedicated to get acquainted with the local culture, as well as to talk and interview locals on selected topics. Results: The project provides the increase of the openness of young people and societies in 6 countries in the wider international cooperation by showing the opportunities and benefits that are associated with it. Youth will acquire skills and gain knowledge and experience that will enable them to promote the idea of multiculturalism, and take all sorts of activities that support the development of their countires and societies by themselves.