Multicultural Europe

Multicultural Europe

In April, a project on diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion took place in the small Romanian town of Horezu. I was the only Slovak participant, which initially made me apprehensive, but I must say it gave me a lot. Since the project focused on diversity and multiculturalism, the project environment itself reflected this – over 50 enthusiastic people from more than 15 countries participated. Some participants representing European countries were originally from countries very distant from Europe, and thanks to them, we had a unique opportunity to get to know cultures very different from European ones.

For ten days, we learned through activities, some of which were led by the participants themselves. This gave us the opportunity to try out various methods of working with youth. In addition to the educational program, we had the chance to visit a local monastery and the larger historical city of Sibiu. These trips were excellent opportunities to talk with other participants, learn about their cultures and countries, and pick up a few phrases from their languages.

The project organizers were truly experienced and tried their best to accommodate us in everything. We were accommodated in a small town, so we could really see what life is like in Romania outside the big cities, which often don't resemble the rest of the country much. The only issue with the accommodation was that, as is common in Romania, meat was served for both lunch and dinner every day (except for vegetarian portions, of course), and even the biggest meat-eaters longed for a proper portion of vegetables by the end. Participation in the project also requires support from the sending organization, which always tried to help me (especially when I had trouble buying plane tickets), and the project coordinators were interested in ensuring everything was in order.

Thanks to this project, I not only learned something new in the field of youth work, inclusion, and diversity, which I can use in my work, but it also developed me in other ways. I communicated almost exclusively in English, and I am convinced that my English improved during those 10 days. I also experienced working in a team with truly diverse people, tried what it's like to travel solo by plane, practiced my presentation skills, and last but not least, I believe I became even more tolerant of differences.