Youth Exchange “P.E.A.C.E.: Promoting Empathy, Art & Collective Empowerment’’ for youth, peace activists, artists, volunteers

Würzburg, Germany, 1-8 February 2025

 

This youth exchange emphasizes the interconnectedness of community and art, highlighting the importance of working together to create a more empathetic society. The main focus is on using creative activities to foster deeper connections with the environment and each other, to reflect, and to advocate for a sustainable and peaceful future.

What is the aim of this youth exchange:

1. Encourage critical thinking on peace. Rather than viewing peace as simply the absence of conflict, we would like to explore a deeper, essential understanding of peace that challenges power dynamics, injustice, and structural violence.

2. Strengthen community bonds through collaborative art projects and cultural exchanges during and after the project.

3. Foster a culture of peace and solidarity through creative expression and shared experiences. The participants will be introduced to non-violent communication and have a chance to explore it within the group.

4. Educate participants on sustainable practices and encourage them to integrate these into their artistic endeavors and daily lives.

5. Encourage participants to develop mini-projects or campaigns for implementing what they have learned about community building, peace, and sustainability in their contexts.

6. Utilize art as a powerful tool for self-expression, resistance, protest, and raising awareness, driving forward collective movements and initiatives centered on peace.

 

What are the expected outcomes?

1. Participants will have an opportunity to try and practice various art forms and learn to use art for advocacy and expression, resistance, community organization, and non-violent communication.

2. Through discussion and open space, the participants will have a chance to learn and explore the concept of peace, and art as a tool for resistance and solidarity.

3. The youth exchange will serve as an inspiration to the participants to be more engaged in their local communities and to explore community building through art.

4. A joint exhibition of all the creative projects that were developed during the project. It could be a potential short film about the experience, a mini-comic, a zine, a painting, a craft project, or a social media post that aims to inspire others to think about what peace means to them. These outcomes will be shared with the SCI network and beyond.

 

FOR WHOM?

Our ideal participants are youth new to youth exchanges who are:

  • Critically thinking about peace
  • Using art as a tool for self-expression and resistance
  • Willing to learn about non-violent communication
  • Interested in intersectionality as a tool for understanding peace work
  • Committed to self-development and are seeking innovative solutions to social challenges connected to peace work
  • Passionate about making positive changes in their community
  • Interested in using art and willing to explore visuals in the context of peace building, resistance, and human rights

 

There are a few formal requirements you need to meet to join the training course:

1. You need to be a resident (not necessarily a national) of one of the 10 project countries (Germany, Netherlands, Estonia, Slovenia, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Tunisia and Kosovo).

2. You must be able to communicate in English (the working language of the course).

3. You must be between 18-30 years of age.

4. You need to attend the whole course duration (there is no possibility of making exceptions).

We explicitly encourage participants of all genders, abilities, and ethnic backgrounds to apply!

 

WHERE?

Our event will take place in Jugendhaus Windrad.

Address: Berner Str. 31, 97084 Würzburg.

Würzburg is a lovely city in Bavaria, with transport connections to other two big cities: Frankfurt am Main and Nürnberg.

Remember that Jugendhaus Windrad is a youth center and the living conditions will be simple!

Rooms are booked and available from 01/02/2025 until 08/02/2025 (check out in the morning). In case you arrive earlier or stay later than these dates, please keep in mind that you have to arrange your own accommodation. And yes, wi-fi is available. 🙂

We’ll be self-organizing and preparing our own meals together. There won’t be any cooks at the youth center, so we’ll take this opportunity to build community through shared living and cooking together.

You will share a room with 1-2 other participants in a dormitory.

The town of Würzburg is close to our venue and there will be a chance to have a free afternoon to explore Würzburg and surrounding areas.

 

FINANCIAL CONDITIONS

The food and accommodation during the training course as well as organisational costs (additional insurance, training materials, etc.), will be fully covered thanks to the co-financing by the European Union.

Reimbursement of the travel tickets will be 100% up to the maximum amount after the receipt of the original documents. Maximum travel reimbursement will be according to the Erasmus+ rates:

  • travel by plane: distance 100-499 km up to 180 euro, 500-1999 km up to 275 euro,
  • green travel (bus, train, car sharing): distance 100-499 km up to 210 euro, 500-1999 km up to 320 euro – foreseen only for participants from Germany and Poland.

We run this project in a partnership between SCI Germany, VSI Ireland, GAIA Kosovo, VIA Netherlands, Zavod Voluntariat Slovenia, SCI Italy, Para Onde Portugal, ESTYES Estonia, Cultures du Monde Tunisia, and KVT Finland.

 

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable food: The food we provide will be vegetarian with vegan options. This is not just a practical decision, but also an ideological one: SCI believes in the values of sustainability and climate justice – and if we want to contribute to a more peaceful planet, we need to give up on animal agriculture and its destructive effects on our planet.

Sustainable travel: We encourage you to use environmentally friendly transport (bus, train, car sharing) when possible, and we oblige participants from Germany to choose this type of transport instead of a plane. Questions or doubts? Contact us!

HOW TO APPLY?

If you find yourself a suitable candidate for the course, please fill in the application form here by 24.11.2024, 23:59 CET.

You will be notified of the selection results before 08.12.2024.

All those accepted will receive a detailed info sheet with all essential practical and programme-related information. We will also support you in the pre-departure phase together with our project Partner Organisations.

If some places remain available after 08.12.2024, we will continue accepting applications until the free slots get filled in.

 

QUESTIONS?

If you have further questions regarding the project, write to us at incoming@sci-d.de.

We are looking forward to your application!

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