Duration: 9 days
When: 13-22 Septemeber 2022

TOPIC: Development of disadvantaged rural and urban areas,

 Community development, Creativity, arts, and culture Participating countries: Hungary, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Romania

Number of participants: 7 young people + 1 group leader/country

Age: 16 –24

Short description of the program: In the frame of the project, we plan to implement a double youth exchange program with the participation of organizations from 4 countries.

The basic topic of the program is the exploration and promotion of the preservation of the Roma culture and traditions and the related values, and thus the reduction of the gap between the majority and the minority society.

The program was designed by Hungarian young people who have already taken part in a similar project implemented by other organizations. They want to explore more deeply the local values in the field of Roma culture and traditions, understand their background, to learn to preserve and pass them on, and do all this in the frame of international experience exchange, gaining experience in connection with the situation of other countries.

The program looks at local cultural values from the perspective of the youth themselves. It was formulated as a vision among young people to turn these values for the benefit of the community, society, and individuals. They are looking for answers to questions like How can local values be turned to the benefit of the community?

How can culture be used to teach, educate, and catch up? How can it be utilized for the development of settlements? How can local values be saved and preserved in the long run? In addition to learning about local values and traditions, our aim is to organize a value-creating, awareness-raising program that also provides young people with opportunities for development in the area of social responsibility and solidarity, while encouraging them to become active in the community.

In the long run, our goal is to strengthen community awareness and community cooperation in favor of the catching up of the settlements. The topic of the program itself is culture, but it goes beyond that, as it is also related to settlement development. Finding cultural values a positive process can start that can determine the future of the settlements, thus improving the life of the local community and making youth work easier and more efficient.

In order to support the achievement of our goals, we intend to implement a double exchange program with the participation of 4 countries (Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Northern Macedonia). One of the exchange programs will take place in Tiszavasvári, Hungary, and the second one will be organized in Oradea, Romania. Both exchanges will be attended by the same young people aged 16-24, 7 people from each country.