The project «INTERCULTURAL VIBES» is a youth exchange that uses music as a means to learn more about its own culture and that of other European countries. Mediterranea has promoted this idea and intercepted organizations working closely with young musicians and dancers, who share a real passion for music and dance. Music is an effective instrument of intercultural dialogue, uniting peoples and minds and allowing to know the cultural roots of the different countries involved. The young people express their art in the project and tell, through musical notes, a story that speaks of traditions and common values related to tolerance, respect for the culture of others. In the same way, young people through residential experience develop new artistic and social skills, sharing their passions and creativity. The partnership organizations operate in disadvantaged rural or urban areas, where there are few opportunities for cultural growth and the labor supply is very low. The group most affected by this situation are young people, among whom there is a low level of skills that can be spent on the labour market, a high unemployment rate and consequently a high risk of marginalisation and social exclusion.

The main aimis to encourage and promote the personal and social education of young people, reinforcing their feeling of being European citizens. The young people involved in the Youth Exchange, are an essential ‘active’ part from the very beginning till the very end of such a project. OBJECTIVES: Specifically, the project pursues the following priority objectives: • Improve musical skills through peer learning from other participants • To promote intercultural dialogue and European awareness among participants through music as a universal language. • To learn more about the cultures of European countries Foster the inclusion processes of young people with fewer opportunities «Intercultural vibes» is a youth exchange involving 30 young people from 5 European countries: Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Malta, and Poland. All participants share the same passion for traditional music, dance and are young people interested in intercultural dialogue. Participants want to improve their artistic skills and, at the same time, address issues related to intercultural dialogue, good practices for the protection of human rights but, also, address the challenges of active European citizenship. Young people are between 16 and 29 years old, most of them live in disadvantaged rural or urban areas and suffer from many problems in relation to this: lack of cultural, recreational and educational opportunities, high rates of youth unemployment and social marginalization.

This project will show how music is a way to get to know one another better, to know one’s own cultural roots and those of other cultures. Music can be used for educational purposes and intercultural understanding. The youth Exchange in focused on: intercultural dialogue, common values of freedom, tolerance and respect of human rights. The activities planned during the exchange, in particular, are divided into two phases: • in the first part of the exchange, the participants will be involved in workshops to share the musical traditions of each country. • Later they will be divided into groups for the creation of a melody, accompanied by a choreography and text. In this way, the young people involved will know better their own culture as well as the traditions of the other partner countries. They’ll acquire new musical skills, also in the ICT area through peer learning and non-formal education. Following the approaches of peer education and learning by doing, the participants will be involved in the project as protagonists (workshop, laboratories, etc.). will be a 10-days residential experience, during which the participants will manage all activities (including informal time, such as cleaning, cooking, etc.) to encourage interaction and active participation. These activities will be prepared by the participants in the national groups, before the exchange itself. They’ll be supervised by the sending organizations and the group leaders, in cooperation with the other national groups. The workshop activities are interspersed with playful moments and role-playing games that aim to amalgamate the group and to get to know each other. During the exchange there are also intercultural evenings and a trip to Gallipoli. All the activities are realized through non-formal learning methodologies and follow the approach of learning by doing and peer education. The whole Exchange is conceived, in fact, in self-management: not only the thematic activities, but also the management ones, are carried out by the participants and this favours the active participation and the development of transversal competences.

Accommodation and food are 100% covered by the Erasmus+ programme.

“Ostello Salento” is a structure in Alezio (Lecce) equipped with all the basic comforts and in accordance with the law, where another successful youth exchange was held. The structure is surrounded by greenery, is distributed on a single floor with bathrooms and services with several bedrooms, a large kitchen, common recreation room and outdoor spaces. The participants will be accommodated in a dormitory with shared rooms and toilets. We will useas self-management approach, so the participants will be divided in mixed groups (gender andnationality) to cook and to clean. These groups (in rotation) will be responsible to cook and cleanthe spaces. There will be no washing machine: we’ll have so much fun, that you won’tneed it. Please before arriving, remember to bring all the materials you need for the activities andfree time on a USB key (video, presentations, files, movies, ..). Link: https://www.ostellosalento.com/

We will arrange kitchen teams, so everybody gets the chance to cook and prepare the meals withother young people and leaders. There will be a fully equipped kitchen to cook for a large group. All the food will be provided by the staff. For any problem about the food we’ll have thepossibility to buy extra in the markets in the surroundings. Please it is stronglyrecommended that if you have any particular needing about food (allergies, vegetarian,..) toinform us before coming in order to manage it before.

IMPORTANT: Traveling sometimes requires an additional day for catching a flight and staying for an additional night in the city, where the airport is situated. We are aware of such situations, but organizers can’t cover this cost, it is participant’s own cost. For that reason, we recommend you to use hostels (http://www.hostelworld.com/) or friends https://www.couchsurfing.org/).

Airport Recommended Brindisi and Bari

An invitation to try to travel mindfully – with no excess luggage and extra effort to store it.

Accommodation, food and activities are fully covered by the project (and paid by Mediterranea directly), while the travel costs will be reimbursed up to: – 275 euro Each participant will buy her/his own tickets (please send us the travel itinerary and wait for our authorization before to buy the tickets). We’ll refund the costs after receiving by ordinary mail in Italy all the original tickets, boarding passes and invoicesfrom your home to the accommodation (including busses, trains, shuttles to the airport, etc). We’re allowed from Erasmus+ Agency to refund only the original tickets (altogether including the return tickets) once we’ll receive physically by ordinary mail after the youth exchange. No first class tickets or taxi expensesare allowed to be reimbursed. We’ll process only one bank transfer to your sending organization or the group leader, for the whole national group after the youth exchange.No other amount of money will be asked or given to the partners/participants.We can refund your travel tickets in case you wish arrive or leave 2 days before/after the youthexchange, in case you want to have a private tour (but you have to cover food andaccommodation by yourself for the extra days, as well for the internal travel tickets).

Intercultural evening where you will have the opportunity to share something about your
identity/culture with others. We suggest that all participants can go beyond the traditional
“national culture” and think of their individual cultural identity. Think of the elements that
compose your identity, the building-blocks of what makes you ‘you’, and try to show them
to other participants during this evening. Maybe some of you are into traditional music and
others more into rock culture; someone might really like those folk dances from your
country and someone else knows everything about… Hip-hop; maybe you feel you are
really a typical person from “your country” or maybe you don’t fit so well into that box.
Whatever you identify with, that’s what you should share.
– Sharing the musical traditions – dances, music and songs: The national groups share with the other participants the history, dances and traditional music of their country or region of origin. Participants will be asked to bring characteristic costumes, musical instruments or anything that serves to tell the musical roots of their country.

To bring:
– Anything you may need (USB, PC, video, photo, etc) for the intercultural evenings and
workshopsyou’re supposed to prepare.
– Music instruments.