S.U.N.R.I.S.E. VILLAGE
Smart Union of NGOs against the Risk of Social Exclusion
Story-Board
S.U.N.RI.S.E
Smart Union of NGOs Against the Risk of Social Exclusion
Youth Exchange – Savigno (Italy) 20/10/2014 – 31/10/2014 Casa La Lodola
Alp has no idea about what to write but here we are and Ane will give us a big contribution. Where are we? Casa La Lodola. Nowhere, somewhere. Irene is bothering us but she is so sweet that we appreciate it. Ismael and Sveta are the film makers. Others are trying to reach the civilization in Savigno, a small Italian village.
Giulia and her group have nothing to do so they are sitting with us except Alp. Because he is awesome. Elena’s dancing team is sleeping so they can’t do anything either so she’s with us as well. Giovanni is thinking about a song and we also have a logo!
But.. who are we? Basically sick people. And maybe a bit mad.
We are 30 people who came from 8 different countries (offıcially 5). Latvia, Spain, Turkey, Romania, Italy plus extra ones from Moldovia, Slovakia and Germany. Benjamin and Ondrej, Erasmus students who are “Latvian” for 11 days.
We all came here with something in our minds. We were joining a youth exchange! But it was the first experience for the most of us. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know where we were going or what we were going to do. In our minds we had our fears. Fear was strong in the beginning but as we got to know each other and share our cultures, it was no more.
Okay, Ane gave up to the fever. Alp is sleeping, help!
A youth exchange is an European opportunity that allows young people to move across borders in order to share their cultures and learn about European programs. Each of them has a main topic around which rest of the program focuses. This time it’s youth employment, entrepreneurship and social inclusion (S.U.N.RI.S.E). The activities done in the exchange are done with the aim of improving these topics. Everything is run by the participants. Since the project is held in the countryside in an isolated house, all is self-managed.
During a YE you learn through non-formal activities which go around the subjects.
The first team building activity is a shocking walk from the bus stop in Ca’ Bortolani (1 hour from Bologna) to the house in the darkness. Up to us the stars, in our minds too many questions: what are we doing? Where are we? Will I talk with the other participants?
Wait! The car! You can give us a lift! Giovanni, take us! “No guys, it’s broken”.
Walking walking.. the group arrives fine, safe and exhausted. Fortunately Irene is a super chef and we can stuff our stomachs. Uncertainty.
We still miss some people. Ismael, Julia, Marika, Sveta and Inese are arriving in Marzabotto, we pick them up (God bless the Romanian car!) and the group is completed.
Get to know each other. The most essential thing of our stay. It will be spontaneous but Giulia will lead the activities which follow this aim.
Everybody say their own name doing also a gesture, we are good in remembering all of them! However, when the blanket is down.. not all of us can say the name of the person in front of us. Laughing is the answer then.
We also start to understand what we will do, how we live in our village where everybody is a character. “There is no the internet..” is followed by a “ooooh..”. And now? How can I spend 10 days here with these strange people, without understanding exactly what we will do and even without knowing if some acquaintances have put “in a relationship” on Facebook thousands of kilometers far away from here?? Don’t worry for that, we will have our gossip box! Waiting for new couples…
Let’s try to understand which are our fears and expectations. Will we beat our fears? Will we change our expectations? Language barriers, misunderstandings, no relationships, animals, insects.. Knowledge, meeting new cultures, learning useful things..
Giulia and her group have nothing to do so they are sitting with us except Alp. Because he is awesome. Elena’s dancing team is sleeping so they can’t do anything either so she’s with us as well. Giovanni is thinking about a song and we also have a logo!
But.. who are we? Basically sick people. And maybe a bit mad.
We are 30 people who came from 8 different countries (offıcially 5). Latvia, Spain, Turkey, Romania, Italy plus extra ones from Moldovia, Slovakia and Germany. Benjamin and Ondrej, Erasmus students who are “Latvian” for 11 days.
We all came here with something in our minds. We were joining a youth exchange! But it was the first experience for the most of us. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know where we were going or what we were going to do. In our minds we had our fears. Fear was strong in the beginning but as we got to know each other and share our cultures, it was no more.
Okay, Ane gave up to the fever. Alp is sleeping, help!
A youth exchange is an European opportunity that allows young people to move across borders in order to share their cultures and learn about European programs. Each of them has a main topic around which rest of the program focuses. This time it’s youth employment, entrepreneurship and social inclusion (S.U.N.RI.S.E). The activities done in the exchange are done with the aim of improving these topics. Everything is run by the participants. Since the project is held in the countryside in an isolated house, all is self-managed.
During a YE you learn through non-formal activities which go around the subjects.
The first team building activity is a shocking walk from the bus stop in Ca’ Bortolani (1 hour from Bologna) to the house in the darkness. Up to us the stars, in our minds too many questions: what are we doing? Where are we? Will I talk with the other participants?
Wait! The car! You can give us a lift! Giovanni, take us! “No guys, it’s broken”.
Walking walking.. the group arrives fine, safe and exhausted. Fortunately Irene is a super chef and we can stuff our stomachs. Uncertainty.
We still miss some people. Ismael, Julia, Marika, Sveta and Inese are arriving in Marzabotto, we pick them up (God bless the Romanian car!) and the group is completed.
Get to know each other. The most essential thing of our stay. It will be spontaneous but Giulia will lead the activities which follow this aim.
Everybody say their own name doing also a gesture, we are good in remembering all of them! However, when the blanket is down.. not all of us can say the name of the person in front of us. Laughing is the answer then.
We also start to understand what we will do, how we live in our village where everybody is a character. “There is no the internet..” is followed by a “ooooh..”. And now? How can I spend 10 days here with these strange people, without understanding exactly what we will do and even without knowing if some acquaintances have put “in a relationship” on Facebook thousands of kilometers far away from here?? Don’t worry for that, we will have our gossip box! Waiting for new couples…
Let’s try to understand which are our fears and expectations. Will we beat our fears? Will we change our expectations? Language barriers, misunderstandings, no relationships, animals, insects.. Knowledge, meeting new cultures, learning useful things..
Amor vincit Omnia (but life is also CV, interviews and European opportunities)
The situation about the youth employment is not so different in any country. We share and exchange information even about these subjects and not only about cultures. Italians and Spanish participants try to make people laugh by acting a sketch. Turks prepare a presentation that showed their situation, what they are doing and what should be done to solve the unemployment problem. Latvian and Romanian groups bring their statistics and hold discussions about youth entrepreneurship.
Even if this period is one of the worst ever for us from some points of view, we don’t forget how many opportunities we can get from Europe and good activities taken by governments.
We will see in the following days how we can prepare ourselves for the business world.
Ondrej’s dances help people for waking up and becoming a team. A team who is able to enjoy the movements even in the square of Bologna during a day-trip. Flash-mob!
Love can change our plans even during a Youth Exchange. We taste Turkish food made by Dicle before saying goodbye to her. She will follow her love in Italy.
Life is not just love and we try to learn how to face today’s working problems. Is a video an useful way in order to apply for a job? Maybe it is better for an EVS . Creativity and sympathy are good points to begin with.
Nobody here knows more than the others so everything is based on discussions. How do we make a CV? How do we get prepared for an interview?
We simulate a commission that do job interviews to the others. We see how everyone struggles against professional people, bringing their personalities. Some are shy, some more serious, some talkative and others too general in their answers. Benjamin will become a reporter in the Middle-East for sure.
Claudiu’s explanations convince people to go to Romania to join European Voluntary Service programs. Giulia and Fede show what a youth exchange and course training are.
Pello and Ismael ask about Younet and EVS here, see you soon here!
Even if this period is one of the worst ever for us from some points of view, we don’t forget how many opportunities we can get from Europe and good activities taken by governments.
We will see in the following days how we can prepare ourselves for the business world.
Ondrej’s dances help people for waking up and becoming a team. A team who is able to enjoy the movements even in the square of Bologna during a day-trip. Flash-mob!
Love can change our plans even during a Youth Exchange. We taste Turkish food made by Dicle before saying goodbye to her. She will follow her love in Italy.
Life is not just love and we try to learn how to face today’s working problems. Is a video an useful way in order to apply for a job? Maybe it is better for an EVS . Creativity and sympathy are good points to begin with.
Nobody here knows more than the others so everything is based on discussions. How do we make a CV? How do we get prepared for an interview?
We simulate a commission that do job interviews to the others. We see how everyone struggles against professional people, bringing their personalities. Some are shy, some more serious, some talkative and others too general in their answers. Benjamin will become a reporter in the Middle-East for sure.
Claudiu’s explanations convince people to go to Romania to join European Voluntary Service programs. Giulia and Fede show what a youth exchange and course training are.
Pello and Ismael ask about Younet and EVS here, see you soon here!
Intercultural evenings, day-trip, walk in the nature..
Like in all the exchanges, we won’t miss the intercultural evenings! Time spent tasting traditional food, dancing, playing games, watching videos from other countries and so on.
We start with the Latvian evening. We taste delicious fish and drink a strong alcohol. Videos about visiting the country are showed. See you there! We continue the evening with local dances and games. The pin’s game make Melih and Irene learn more anatomy, team building!
“Disease” is starting and Alp and Sveta are the first victims. Nevertheless, Alp is a brave guy and he presents us his country with the help of the others: Turkish mafia guys, Turkish dancer and best facial expression ever by Esat. But of course the hero here is Alp. He does all the presentation while he is sick and no one understands.
Thanks to a video they showed we know that Turks were very courageous soldiers but Claudiu stresses the fact that “Chinese are small” so it was an easy battle. We should fight stereotypes but we don’t in this case.
Ozumden show us a bit of belly dance and she reads the future through the coffee pots. Everybody will get married according to her! Pello’s future is in a very deep hole..
Raki makes the end at the evening.
(Home-made Palinca brought by Claudiu help the digestion of the excellent pancakes made by Dorina, Irina and Daniela for the Romanian evening. They also lead the dances with super excited Latvian girls.)
Knowing where we are help people in fixing all the points of the project. Saturday is the Pizza-day in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna region.
Unfortunately Alp and Fede stay at home because of the fever but they assure that they have never had such a beautiful day. No, actually we missed them a lot!
The best moment for us is when Giulia says to Fede that they will bring pizza for dinner!
Alp’s and Fede’s cinema tastes aren’t exactly the same..
Civilization! Bologna, the city of the towers. Bologna “la grassa”.
Bologna also means internet for the people. What Bologna’s people could have thought seeing these guys dancing without music in the street? Making local people curious about us..
Finally everyone can taste a proper pizza at Spaccanapoli pizzeria, in the center of Bologna, close to the oldest western University. They know the secrets of Bologna (Little Venice, the Poseidon one..). Santo Stefano and “le sette sorelle” is one of the best place to visit in the red city.
We start with the Latvian evening. We taste delicious fish and drink a strong alcohol. Videos about visiting the country are showed. See you there! We continue the evening with local dances and games. The pin’s game make Melih and Irene learn more anatomy, team building!
“Disease” is starting and Alp and Sveta are the first victims. Nevertheless, Alp is a brave guy and he presents us his country with the help of the others: Turkish mafia guys, Turkish dancer and best facial expression ever by Esat. But of course the hero here is Alp. He does all the presentation while he is sick and no one understands.
Thanks to a video they showed we know that Turks were very courageous soldiers but Claudiu stresses the fact that “Chinese are small” so it was an easy battle. We should fight stereotypes but we don’t in this case.
Ozumden show us a bit of belly dance and she reads the future through the coffee pots. Everybody will get married according to her! Pello’s future is in a very deep hole..
Raki makes the end at the evening.
(Home-made Palinca brought by Claudiu help the digestion of the excellent pancakes made by Dorina, Irina and Daniela for the Romanian evening. They also lead the dances with super excited Latvian girls.)
Knowing where we are help people in fixing all the points of the project. Saturday is the Pizza-day in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna region.
Unfortunately Alp and Fede stay at home because of the fever but they assure that they have never had such a beautiful day. No, actually we missed them a lot!
The best moment for us is when Giulia says to Fede that they will bring pizza for dinner!
Alp’s and Fede’s cinema tastes aren’t exactly the same..
Civilization! Bologna, the city of the towers. Bologna “la grassa”.
Bologna also means internet for the people. What Bologna’s people could have thought seeing these guys dancing without music in the street? Making local people curious about us..
Finally everyone can taste a proper pizza at Spaccanapoli pizzeria, in the center of Bologna, close to the oldest western University. They know the secrets of Bologna (Little Venice, the Poseidon one..). Santo Stefano and “le sette sorelle” is one of the best place to visit in the red city.
When people are back home they find Alp and Fede still alive at least but now Alp is ok while Fede is getting sick. It is said that Alp has done some secret rituals. Exchanging his sickness with the others so he can be healthy.
On Sunday we give continuity to the CV and interviews activity with a personality test brought here by Francesca. The results underline our personal features and jobs attitudes either. Alp shows us how we can get information in our home countries with project like Eurodesk.
We want to discover more about where we are. Signor Domenico tell us where we could go for a walk in the countryside. Some of use leave the place trying to reach a river no far from La Lodola. Peasants help us to find the way. Ivan and Pello are the bravest of the group and they dive into the cold water. They won’t get sick and we can consider it a miracle. People enjoy the nature across nice local houses.
On Sunday we give continuity to the CV and interviews activity with a personality test brought here by Francesca. The results underline our personal features and jobs attitudes either. Alp shows us how we can get information in our home countries with project like Eurodesk.
We want to discover more about where we are. Signor Domenico tell us where we could go for a walk in the countryside. Some of use leave the place trying to reach a river no far from La Lodola. Peasants help us to find the way. Ivan and Pello are the bravest of the group and they dive into the cold water. They won’t get sick and we can consider it a miracle. People enjoy the nature across nice local houses.
We come back happy for this team-building somehow activity and we join the sunset.
Before dinner Ane lead the mid-term evaluation, an important moment fixed so that people can talk about the experience till now preparing the last days. We understand if we expectations have been fulfilled and fears are disappeared.
Apl’s music makes the atmosphere comfortable, we close our eyes, we lie on the floor and Ane starts reminding us what we have done in the previous days. The activities, the games, the dances, the evening, drinking, funny moments and so on.
Everybody stresses that the group is nice and the national groups are well-mixed. Fears about how to interact with others are defeated. Now we can finish our stay enjoying our last cultural evenings, having fun and finishing some works for the project.
--
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANE!
We scream on Sunday night! The best party is with sangria, Spanish night! We taste tortillas and some other Spanish dishes made by the Spanish group and we drink a lot of Sangria to celebrate Ane!
After watching some videos, Elena ask people to play Furor: women vs men.
Even if Esat, Fede and Pello (Francesca will never forget Pello’s movements) do their best with their dances, women win. Alp is not a good referee, anyway.
The last cultural evening is the Italian one. As Italian, they must cook. Francesca, Irene and Giulia make the cannelloni while the boys cut the potatoes and check the oven getting burned. Gender equality.
Before drinking wine and Limoncello we give an Italian gestures lesson; Housni can explain to everybody essential differences between some Italian words (Alvaro really improves his knowledge; Irene and Giovanni show us how to dance “La Taranta” dance, typical from their region.
THE DOCTOR AND THE LAST DAYS
The beginning of the second week is characterized by the general sickness. After Alp and Fede recoveries, Casa La Lodola looks more like an hospital. Sickness, headache, fever, stomach-ache, head-ache connected with blessing.. vertigo! The doctor is a bit surprised.
Even the car needs its doctors and the mechanic finally arrives repairing (?) it. At least, it works.
In the last activity Ondrej, who work for AIESEC in his country, tell us what is AIESEC and how they work. It’s the biggest students’ association in the world and they make many projects. “Work hard, party harder” is their idea.
After his presentation, we split in different groups in order to make some works about the project for the conclusion. Youth Exchanges are supposed to have a final event. During our final event, we will present what the groups have done.
Some of us want to make videos collecting pictures and music, others are very brave and they will try to involve the local people. They want to ask them something about the region and which opportunities there are for young people here. Others draw a logo and make a song. Giovanni is the guitarist.
We know that they wrote a text but nobody, except the authors, will never know it because singers are too shy. Dori and Alvaro makes some interviews to all the participants about the project and the gossip ;).
We try to write something but this work will never have an end. In fact, I’m writing days and days after the end of the exchange.
The final event is set on Wednesday evening. Giulia show the Logo: we try to make the sunrise thank to Europe and all our countries. We can remember all the moments spent together through the videos made by Sveta, Ivan, Irene, Ismael and all the people protagonists in these days. Francesca reports us the interviews to the local people. Her group found one teacher who knows a lot about the European opportunities and he also has joined some education programs abroad. On the other hand, a woman who has no idea about what Europe can offer to her young daughter. She will know a little bit more now.
Dori presents some of the funniest interviews she made with Benjamin and Alvaro.
The day after is the day of the final evaluation. The Spanish team enjoyed it so much that they will go all together to another one in Romania very soon. Alp liked so much Italy, Bologna and us that he misses the flight and he spends one day more in Bologna. All of us hope to meet each other again for other moments together. Right now.. keep in touch!
The participants of the exchange
Before dinner Ane lead the mid-term evaluation, an important moment fixed so that people can talk about the experience till now preparing the last days. We understand if we expectations have been fulfilled and fears are disappeared.
Apl’s music makes the atmosphere comfortable, we close our eyes, we lie on the floor and Ane starts reminding us what we have done in the previous days. The activities, the games, the dances, the evening, drinking, funny moments and so on.
Everybody stresses that the group is nice and the national groups are well-mixed. Fears about how to interact with others are defeated. Now we can finish our stay enjoying our last cultural evenings, having fun and finishing some works for the project.
--
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANE!
We scream on Sunday night! The best party is with sangria, Spanish night! We taste tortillas and some other Spanish dishes made by the Spanish group and we drink a lot of Sangria to celebrate Ane!
After watching some videos, Elena ask people to play Furor: women vs men.
Even if Esat, Fede and Pello (Francesca will never forget Pello’s movements) do their best with their dances, women win. Alp is not a good referee, anyway.
The last cultural evening is the Italian one. As Italian, they must cook. Francesca, Irene and Giulia make the cannelloni while the boys cut the potatoes and check the oven getting burned. Gender equality.
Before drinking wine and Limoncello we give an Italian gestures lesson; Housni can explain to everybody essential differences between some Italian words (Alvaro really improves his knowledge; Irene and Giovanni show us how to dance “La Taranta” dance, typical from their region.
THE DOCTOR AND THE LAST DAYS
The beginning of the second week is characterized by the general sickness. After Alp and Fede recoveries, Casa La Lodola looks more like an hospital. Sickness, headache, fever, stomach-ache, head-ache connected with blessing.. vertigo! The doctor is a bit surprised.
Even the car needs its doctors and the mechanic finally arrives repairing (?) it. At least, it works.
In the last activity Ondrej, who work for AIESEC in his country, tell us what is AIESEC and how they work. It’s the biggest students’ association in the world and they make many projects. “Work hard, party harder” is their idea.
After his presentation, we split in different groups in order to make some works about the project for the conclusion. Youth Exchanges are supposed to have a final event. During our final event, we will present what the groups have done.
Some of us want to make videos collecting pictures and music, others are very brave and they will try to involve the local people. They want to ask them something about the region and which opportunities there are for young people here. Others draw a logo and make a song. Giovanni is the guitarist.
We know that they wrote a text but nobody, except the authors, will never know it because singers are too shy. Dori and Alvaro makes some interviews to all the participants about the project and the gossip ;).
We try to write something but this work will never have an end. In fact, I’m writing days and days after the end of the exchange.
The final event is set on Wednesday evening. Giulia show the Logo: we try to make the sunrise thank to Europe and all our countries. We can remember all the moments spent together through the videos made by Sveta, Ivan, Irene, Ismael and all the people protagonists in these days. Francesca reports us the interviews to the local people. Her group found one teacher who knows a lot about the European opportunities and he also has joined some education programs abroad. On the other hand, a woman who has no idea about what Europe can offer to her young daughter. She will know a little bit more now.
Dori presents some of the funniest interviews she made with Benjamin and Alvaro.
The day after is the day of the final evaluation. The Spanish team enjoyed it so much that they will go all together to another one in Romania very soon. Alp liked so much Italy, Bologna and us that he misses the flight and he spends one day more in Bologna. All of us hope to meet each other again for other moments together. Right now.. keep in touch!
The participants of the exchange