From 02 to 11 August, a delegation from Fundesplai, made up of 15 young people and 2 referents from the different projects of the International and Social Youth Area, participated in the first edition of the Erasmus Plus International Exchange in Portugal.
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From August 2nd to 11th, a delegation from Fundesplai, made up of 15 young people and 2 referents from the different projects of the International and Social Youth Area, participated in the first edition of the Erasmus Plus International Exchange in Portugal: Out of the box in the municipality of Santa Maria de Feira and in the city of Porto, together with 15 young people and 2 referents of the entity Fundaçao da Joventude of Portugal.
From Fundación Esplai and Fundesplai we collaborate with Fundaçao da Joventude in different projects aimed at young people, including Tresca Europe. As a result of this relationship, the proposal to be able to do an international exchange of Youth is born: Out of the box with the aim that the 30 young people could participate in a youth exchange and with a proposal of different activities under the common thread of the Theater of the Oppressed as a tool for social transformation.
The cultural and educational activities carried out were the experiential and experimental training of the sessions of social theater in Porto, other cultural and also the proposed by the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira, within the “Viagem Medieval“, a medieval fair that mobilizes an entire town with cultural activities, theater, games, street performances and medieval culture.
Testimonials from the young participants
The 9 days of agenda were very intense and full of activities and reflections on intercultural, social and educational issues. A few days of coexistence that we share with the words of the young people who have participated, the Oumy participant of Fundesplai, explains it to us:
“Excitement, nerves and more excitement was what we felt since we were told that we would be going to Portugal, and until the last day of the trip, or even afterwards.”
“The first three days were spent on the Medieval Viagem “Em Terras de Santa Maria”. This is the largest medieval recreation in Europe and takes place in a village near Porto, Santa Maria da Feira. These three days were amazing, we laughed, we shouted, we saw recreations of the history of Portugal of the ‘Moors against the Christians’, we dressed up for the time and we enjoyed it very much. The emotions experienced in that town were so many and so good all…”
“The rest of the days were spent in Porto, a spectacular and beautiful city. In the mornings we did social theater, very intense, and in the afternoons we did different activities: we visited some cellars in Porto, we went to see a Jazz concert, we visited important places in the city, we took a boat trip along the Douro river… but the activity that I remember with the most emotion and appreciation, is the one prepared for us by the 15 young people from Portugal with their managers, who showed us the most emblematic things of their country; music, gastronomy, dances… It was a fantastic evening and a lot of fun.”
“It has been an unforgettable and intense experience for everyone, we enjoyed it from the first second to the last. Projects like this show us that everything is possible with enthusiasm, effort and taking advantage of opportunities.”