EU.YOU.GO Booklet 2023

Designer: Marta Rodrigues

Contents: Duarte Alves

Review: António Gomes

Contributes:

António Gomes

Stamatis Stasinos

Kalina Nalepa

Justyna Rumińska

Francesc Santos

Demetrio Ciolli

Giulia Vignozzi

Anny Velandria

Alexandre Guerreiro

Faustyna Pochroń

Antía Cadaya

Fiamma Ciolli

Beatrise Krūmiņa

Xián Antón Rodríguez

César González

Nerea Collarte

Clara Guzmán

Ieva Kļaviņa

Maija Mašala

Paulo Mato

Varvara Michail

Anna Tatys

Adriana Vieira

Clara Martínez

Narma Franco

Estere Linde

Elīna Ļubļinska

Christina Pappa

Ana Batista

Francesca Lamporesi

Patryk Frąk

Aleksandra Karczmarek

Nicola Ferretti

Carolina Silva

Duarte Alves

Maria Kopke

Sarah Pinto

António Pinto

Niki Pechlivanidi

João Semedo

Panagiotis Skordidis

Marco Politano

Afonso Palma

Rodrigo Nascimento

Filipe Olho Azul

José Manuel Man

Eduardo Pissarro

Pedro Santos

@2023 – Portugal

www.checkin.org.pt/euyougo

PROJECT

EU.YOU.GO – European YOUth Goals

EU.YOU.GO – European YOUth Goals is a youth exchange that was held in Ferreira do Alentejo (Portugal), between the 24th of July and the 04th ofAugust 2023. It involved 42 participants coming from 6 different countries: Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

The youth exchange was a great opportunity for all the participants to learn more about the European youth goals, share their own experience as well as enhancing their skills and knowledge in the field of communication and expression, having the chance to take part in several non formal education activities, related to the topic. Participants analyzed and discovered the topic, the Erasmus+ field and the different cultures involved in the youth exchange through several arts - from theater to music through dance - with the creation of a final show that directly involved the local community.

It was a fantastic experience for all the participants, facilitators, project staff and the Ferreira do Alentejo community, who got the opportunity to get in touch, share experiences and exchange opinions with different young people representing several European cultures.

OUR AIMS

Offer young people the opportunity to share experiences on the situation of European Youth Goals from the point of view of different European countries.

Provide tools and methods of expressions & communication like video, audio, design, drawing, dance, theatre and others, to empower young people.

Enhance the skills and knowledge of youngsters in the field of communication & expression, and how to use them as a tool for promote the culture.

Exchange of knowledges on “How to Understand European Solidarity Goals”.

EU.YOU.GO – European YOUth Goals

Check-IN’s 4 Structural Youth Goals between 2021 and 2027 are:

Schedule in 2022:

We will have the following schedule for 2023:

THE PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY: Erasmus+, KA1: Mobility of Individuals, Portuguese National Agency. Was approved with reference number: 2021-1-PT02-KA151-YOU-000012019

You could find more information about Erasmus + Program in: www.ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_pt.htm

PROMOTER

CheCk-In – CooperatIon and development

Is a non-profit organization, founded in 2010, based in Beja and operating from Lisbon, in Portugal. It was created by a small group of people experienced in the management and coordination of mobility projects, and active in the world of volunteering and development. Our organization mainly focuses on youth and adult mobility, non-formal education and the overall sharing of knowledge, through the support of European cooperation initiatives. Our aim is to promote lifelong learning opportunities, to encourage of social integration, education for sustainable development and social entrepreneurship. Our working methods are furthermore deeply rooted in the European core values, such as the respect for human rights, democracy, gender equality, ecological awareness, intercultural tolerance and solidarity between the people.

Website: www.checkin.org.pt

Instagram: @ngo_checkin

Facebook: ngocheckin

NATIONAl PARTNERS

InstItuto português do desporto e Juventude (IpdJ)

IPDJ’s mission is to promote an integrated and decentralized policy in the areas of sport and youth, collaborating with public and private entities, namely, sports associations, youth and students associations and local political bodies. IPDJ is committed to provide technical, human and financial resources to sports and to dynamize the support offered to associativism, volunteering activities, promoting active citizenship, non-formal education and youth geographic mobility, in Portugal and abroad.

Cm FerreIra do alenteJo

Ferreira do Alentejo is a municipality in the center of Alentejo region. Committed to open itself to its population, the Municipality works towards inform, serve and engage its citizens in everyday life, providing a broad range of services and public facilities that meet the needs of the population. Besides, it is also important the promotion of its cultural heritage through museums and monuments, not forgetting its gastronomy and nature.

agrupamento de esColas FerreIra do alenteJo

Group of schools in the municipality of Ferreira do Alentejo which includes 9 schools in the whole municipality, from kindergarten to the three cycles of basic education. Its headquarters are located in EB e Secundária José Gomes Ferreira, in the town of Ferreira do Alentejo, which covers the basic and secondary education.

INTERNATIONAl PARTNERS

YouthFullY Yours (greeCe)

The objectives of the group are to communicate with young people who live in Greece to the European community, and their interaction with youths of other countries. The mobilization and the action of young people through the issues they got involved in by going to such a program, but also the management and realization of ideas, and the willingness that whoever wants to deal with the improvement of our everyday life has.

assoCIazIone agrado (ItalY)

Is a local Italian organization which manages projects, activities and actions in order to promote personal development, skills and competences of Youth and Adults through Non-Formal Education. It works also in Adult Education projects and in the educational field with teachers providing Trainings on non- formal tools and methods.

omIX (spaIn)

Youth Information Centre (OMIX Ribadavia) has been established to support young people from Ribadavia town within the framework of non-formal and informal education. Together with European volunteers they are creating a platform for young people to help them reach their goals. We are working with and for the youth. We encourage their involvement by facilitating innovative free time activities, stimulating their creativity, developing different skills and sharing information.

pasaules kulturas telpa tukuma (latvIa)

Pasaules kulturas telpa Tukuma - promotes cultural diversity among local society and global networks, volunteer activities, including volunteer education, education of local and international community about world’s art, development of programmes to promote public participation and increased awareness about environmental diversity and protection.

InstYtut aktYwIzaCJI I rozwoJu spoleCznego (IaIrs)

IAIRS is a foundation that promotes activities aimed to develop personal and professional skills for groups and people through non-formal education methods. Among their goals, they want to promote a better lifestyle for kids and youngsters, including european values and cultural diversity. Therefore, their activities are enhancing the active citizenship of youngsters and their involvement within the international field and Erasmus+ programs.

AdvAnce PrePArAtory visit

8th July

Before the start of the YE; we reunited with the team leaders from Spain and Latvia to ultimate the last details of the project and the program. This preparatory visit was important to visit the venues where the workshops were going to take place, the accommodation and the kitchen/common rooms. Besides, it was discussed the draft programme and other details such as intercultural nights and needs participants might have to be fulfilled before the YE starts. There was also time to hold a Conference to present our project to the local community. We were very well received by Dra. Ana Rute Sousa, from the Youth Department of the Municipality, who welcomed us and our partners in Ferreira do Alentejo and wished the best for the project.

youth exchAnge

DAY 1 - 25th July

Our participants arrived in Ferreira do Alentejo. Coming from 6 different countries – Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Greece and Latvia – they didn’t know each other, so it was a very high priority to do some name games! We started with a game that promotes association: in a circle, each participant said their name out loud with a gesture, and then the whole group repeated the name and the gesture. After learning the game, it was time to learn how to write them in the second game: each participant had to find a new friend whose name has a letter in common with his own name. The first to write his own name borrowing letters from others won the game! Of course, this task was most difficult for those who had a bigger name or strange letters, but everyone managed to finish it! As it is very important to know not only the names, but also some other things about each other, the third activity was a speed dating. Facing each other, participants shared their thoughts and opinions about different questions, which could go from “what’s your childhood dream?” to “do you see the glass half empty or half full?”.

The second part of the morning was the opportunity to start building the teamwork spirit. Participants were faced with an impossible task to complete: the Mission Impossible! With 20 tasks to complete under 15 minutes, they had to, for example, create an hym to the project, dance zorba or say good morning in four different languages. However, they managed to complete all the tasks and prove that the mission impossible is, actually, possible!

The afternoon was the first dive into the topic of the project. Firstly, we discussed some logistics, such as the schedule, the rules, the different opportunities through the Erasmus+ program and also sharing their contributions, expectations and fears for the upcoming days!

The last activity of the day was a dramatization of the European Youth Goals that we are focusing our project on: Connect youth with EU (YG1), Quality learning (YG8), Youth Organizations & European Programs (YG11) and Inclusive Societies (YG3), while the 2023 edition pays special attention to Information and Constructive Dialogue (YG4). Splitted in groups, participants though of small theater plays to represent the YG they’re exploring and then performed it – the audience had to guess which YG they were talking about.

With the activities finished, it was time for reflection groups and have some free time before dinner. Then, it was time to have dinner and a free night to rest from this intense first day in Portugal.

DAY 2 - 26h July

Our day started with an energizer outside, to enjoy the beautiful weather Ferreira do Alentejo has to offer. After that, was time to start working again with in our project. The first activity of the day was the creation of the EU.YOU.GO country. And what does this mean? That, in groups, our participants delved into topics such as government, flag, culture, constitution and anthem and made them reflect the values that should be address in which of these topics.

The second part of the morning was the first time they had to work in their national teams. This was because they had to analyze where their countries stand in terms of the European youth goals. Through an online questionary previously prepared, the participants accessed some data and had the responsibility to draw some graphics and conclusions that seemed to them the most important to share. Then, they presented their findings and observations with the whole group and it was interesting to note the differences or similarities between the countries!

The afternoon was the time to give an official start to our project. To engage the local population, we organized the EUYOUGO Conference, where we talked about our project and our work, and promoted and invited everyone to the final show of the project. From the Youth Department of the Municipality of Ferreira do Alentejo, we were glad to have with us Dra. Ana Rute Sousa, who welcomed the participants in the town. To finalize our conference, we discussed the YG4 – Information and Constructive Dialogue and, for this specific topic, we invited Dra. Diana Almeida, from Instituto Português para a Juventude

e Desporto, who talked with us about the importance of these topics and how we can collectively address them.

The Conference finished a bit earlier, which gave us some free time to rest before dinner, which was very well received because tonight is Intercultural Night! The first countries on stage were Portugal, Latvia and Greece.

All the participants from these countries promoted very well typical food and games from their countries, and everyone had a great time together!

DAY 3 - 27h July

As everyday, we start the morning outside with some energizers and today Italian team is the responsible one for this!

After, it was time to start with the workshops! During the morning, we introduced the 4 workshops available this year (music, theater, dance and visual arts) and the fantastic facilitators team (Marco and António, Maria, Sara and Sarah).

During the morning, each one of them had 30min to explain to the participants what are their ideas for the workshops and proposed some exercises to exemplify what participants can expect if decided to join them. After all the four presentations, participants splitted themselves according to their preferences.

Then, after lunch, it was time to start the workshops. The facilitators are still exploring the territory to see the best they can perform with our participants.

On the visual arts workshops, participants started by exploring the connectivity between words and art, namely, starting painting and drawing a person based on words and adjectives. The theater group explored exercises that made them aware of space, body and the group as a whole. The music workshop was focusing in polyrhythms and exploring the expectations of participants and how could the workshop be shaped in a way that everyone develop some skills and be happy in participate and perform.

The dance group was learning that everybody can dance and that every movement can be dance. This was made with movement exercises to feel space, impulses, passing and feeding the group energy and balance.

After this day full of new experiences and expectations, it was time for the second part of intercultural night. Tonight on stage we had Spain, Poland and Italy, who presented us with local foods and traditions.

DAY 4 - 28h July

It wouldn’t make sense for our participants to spend ten days in Ferreira do Alentejo and not have the chance to get to know the town. Therefore, this morning, in collaboration with the Municipality and the Youth Department, participants spent the morning in the museum, where the guide explained the History that surrounds us, and the influences in Ferreira and the legends around it.

In the afternoon was finally time to enjoy time in the swimming pool. After dinner, participants choose to have free time to spend the way they preferred.

DAY 5, 6, 7 & 8 - 29,30,21 July & 1 August

After having time to rest, it was time for an intense ride! The next four days were fully dedicated to the workshops. After introductions, participants did some more exercises to explore their capacities and skills. Later, they decided what they would like to prepare to present in the final show.

The facilitators also opted for a collaborative final show, which means that the groups usually used these days to gather together (for instance, dance and theater spent one afternoon together), to join forces in creating an awesome performance.

visuAl Arts workshoP

The visual arts started by exploring the concept of the 7 elements of visual arts. Later, they explore those concepts by observing one grafitti present on the walls of the venue. Other exercise was about collaborative art, where each one of them started a drawing and, after one minute, passed it to the next one, who would continue the drawing, until all the members of the workshop contributed in all the drawings. Another exercise about collaborative art was drawing and painting, altogether, a long piece of paper, without verbal communication.

On the next day was time to use our hands differently. The proposal was to use clay to build different architectonic elements present in Ferreira do Alentejo, who could be use as decoration of the stage of the final show or souvenirs for those who attended the show. The participants also got together with the theater group to explore shapes, which include drawing their colleagues during their theater

exercises, for instance.

The workshops continues on the stage, so participants could feel the space and get inspiration to decorate it. They also joined the dance workshop, where they assisted to four dances about the elements and then had to create a collaborative painting based on what

they watched. Later, it was time to join the music workshop and draw some music instruments.

The fourth day was spent in creating origami to decorate the stage. They also discussed the possibility of performing live drawing and live painting during the show, and decided who would do what.

dAnce workshoP

The dance workshop started by stretching and warming up the body through different dances and movements that explore speed, density, flow and weight. Later, they used an exercise in pairs to feel the weight and lightness of movements and understand dance as a response to others’ impulses and communication. On this first approach to dance, participants also took the components of elements - water, earth, fire and air - to create a short choreography.

The new day was the day for floorwork. To begin with, there was a mirroring the partner exercise, to explore movement and concentration. They also met the music workshop, to learn how to improvise a dance according to the music played. In the afternoon it was proposed to work as a choir, in order to build a deep sense of listening and improvising in group – creating a body made of individual bodies that follow a common path – becoming a collective (like the groups of birds flying together, etc). To end this second day, there was an exercise of movement

meditation, which is to dance the inner body and express emotions.

The next day was the day to work with inner impulses, and explore different qualities of dance such as speed, flow, weight and density of movement. The participants also got together with the visual arts group, so they could understand how others perceive dance and what’s happening on the stage, making sure that their intentions when dancing are well received by the audience. After that, they also got together with the theater workshop, to share efforts in constructing a choreography that represents emotions and their physical representations. After the learnings of these three days, participants of the dance workshop got together to decide what they want to perform on the final show and rehearse in bigger and smaller groups.

theAter workshoP

The theater workshop started with a challenge to the participants: introduce themselves with movement parameters and then exploring some theoretical knowledge and concepts on how to be on a stage. Also, the participants worked around the concept of “ubuntu” (which means I am because you are), as a way of move and interact on stage.

The next day was dedicated to elements of storytelling and how to use words to work on a performance. After these experiences, participants debriefed which ones they felt would be a better suit to use on the final performance. In the afternoon, it was time to get together with the visual arts group, to work in shapes and human sculptures, and understand how their work on stage is perceived by those who are watching (audience).

The workshop continued on the following day by adding emotions. The exercises were based on adding movement parameters to words and sentences, and

then adding emotion to it. After that, the group got together with the music group, in order to let the participants express themselves on stage and the musicians could create a soundtrack to the movements they were watching. In the afternoon was time to reunite with the dance workshop, in order to to share efforts in constructing a choreography that represents emotions and their physical representations. After this intense meetings there was also time to do some improvisation exercises and brainstorming ideas for the final performance.

The last day before the performance was to work on what they would bring on stage. This included preparing a structure for the performance and working on first and final scenes and how to glue them together with the other workshops’ groups.

Music workshoP

The music workshop started their work by experiment to create music with different objects that are not music instruments. Later, they practiced rhythm exercises and understood the basic concepts of music and how frustration is part of the creative process. They also had the opportunity to do their own solo performance and listen to themselves.

On the next day, the participants reflected on the work they did and how to continue from there towards a performance. They explore different exercises, even if goofy or disconnected, to understand in which direction participants were more comfortable to go with. Later, they joined the dance workshop and were challange to create music to flow with the dance their colleagues were doing. On this day, they also explore the concept of silence and why it is important for the music creation process.

The work with other groups continued, this time with the theater workshop, while also creating music that would match the performance of their colleagues. Some other exercises include the exploration of a soundtrack and rhythm. The group also visited the stage where the final show will happen, to ensure details like acoustic and position of instruments.

The next day was time to create the final performance and create ideas for music and understand how to collaborate more for the final show. A lot of creative work was done in order to establish the music to be played and the roles and tasks which participants would take during the final show.

DAY 9 - 2nd August

This was the day of the final show. Participants were excited but also nervous. They spent the whole day in rehearsals – first in their workshops, then altogether, deciding the final order of the show and its’ rhythm and flow. The decoration of the stage was done by the visual arts workshop, and the staff from the Municipality helped with the lightening and music installation. Before the show, participants also took their time to breathe and be confident in the work they developed in the past days.

The spectacle ended up being a success, as a lot of people appeared, curious to see what the foreigners prepared. Everyone enjoyed to see the different dances and performances. After, everyone used the rest of the night to celebrate the success of the show.

DAY 10 - 3rd August

After such a success, this day was a reflection day on the whole youth exchange and their participation and engagement in all the process. It was also time for final evaluation and final goodbyes.

Day 1 - 25 July 2023

Day 2 - 26 July 2023

Day 3 - 27 July 2023

Day 4 - 28 July 2o23

Day 5 - 29 July 2023

Day 6 - 3o July 2o23

Day 7 - 31 July 2023

Day 8 - 1 August 2o23 "

Day 9 - 2 august 2023

Day 10 - 3 August 2023

this project for me was:

“Stressful but at the same time interesting and exciting !”

amazing experience to explore my body and mind

Preserverance, team work, challenging

emocional, unforgetable, Inspiring

Inspiring, creative and overwhelming unfortunately

emotional, finding inner peace, refreshing Friendship, knowledge, empathy, team work

“new experience, emotional, joyful.”

magical, learning, personal growth

Amazing, fun and a way of learning

“Very well organised. Good!”

Discovering, stressing, Ubuntu

Surprising, inspiring, unique

something new, exciting, unusual in a good way.

Inspiring, emotional, Challenging

Fascinating, emocional and reflexive

life-changing, inspiring, unforgetable

Difficult, intense and unforgettable.

Inspiring. dynamic. Discovery.

eye-opening, impactful, welcoming

Integrating, developing, memorable

Peace, Kindness, Comfortable

Creative, emotional, super amazIng!

Difficult, intense and unforgettable.

InspIrIng,FreeIng, eduCatIonal

super amazIng, IntrestIng, JoYFul

FaCebook posts

Instagram posts Instagram storIes

https://j.planicie.pt/blog/2023/08/02/arte-reune-40-jovens-da-europaem-ferreira-do-alentejo/

https://alentejo.sulinformacao.pt/2023/08/40-jovens-artistas-de-6-paisesinvadem-ferreira-do-alentejo/

The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.