Building Bridges not walls

This project included 2 mobilities, one in Arad, Romania and one in Reunion Island, each of them during 9 days, including 2 days’ travel, enabled 17 young people from Réunion and 12 young Romanians to take part in an immersive intercultural experience, focusing on social inclusion and integration and European citizenship.

The young Reunionese, aged between 14 and 16, are part of a support programme run by the Saint-Benoît town council to help young people find their place in the education system. The 12 young Romanians, aged 15 to 17, come from the Ghiba Birta national high school in Arad. These two groups, from different backgrounds, were able to share their experiences and discuss their perspectives, thus contributing to the development of intercultural skills.

The aims of the proejct were to :

To develop collaboration between organisations in order to improve their capacity to offer non-formal education programmes adapted to the needs of young people on a European scale.

The activities, which are mainly based on non-formal education methods, have been designed to create an open and stimulating learning environment, conducive to self-expression. personal expression. By exploring themes such as European identity, active citizenship and social inclusion, the young people had the opportunity to develop their sense of belonging to a European community and to reflect on contemporary social issues affecting their generation.

The activities took place in the Lunca Mureșului Nature Park, a natural area rich in biodiversity and landscapes, providing an ideal setting for outdoor learning. Located near the River Mureș, the park is a site for the protection of local flora and fauna and hosts educational activities on the environment, which has also helped to highlight the ecological aspects of the region. The meals, provided by a local caterer, were delivered daily to the activity site, ensuring a practical service adapted to the organisation of the days. adapted to the organisation of the days. A team of guides was put in place to accompany the young people throughout their stay.

Thierry Chaffre and Mickael Bertille, representatives of Saint-Benoît town council, and Stéphanie Siente-Icaze, activity leader at the Centre Jacques Tessier. Tessier. On the Romanian side, the youngsters were supervised by Laura Putnic, headmistress of the Lycée Nicoleta Giurgiu, English teacher, and by the EIVA activity leaders,

Cristian Babutau, Roxana Borbilau, Sibel Ulucay and Anjely Devillier, who were responsible for leading the activities and monitoring the young people. This Erasmus+ project is part of an approach aimed at reducing the marginalisation of young people and encouraging their civic participation. The use of digital tools and storytelling methods facilitated young people’s expression on complex issues, helping them to formulate and share their opinions on current societal challenges. The project partners hope that this experience will have a lasting impact on the young participants, as well as on the communities and organisations involved, by strengthening their capacity to deliver inclusive and meaningful education programmes.

In January 2025, it was the turn of the Romanian students to go to Reunion Island, for the second part of the project. They stayed for 10 days on this Island on the other side of the world

They talk about the project in the News of Arad :