Moving Stories: from Alienation to Connection

In today's complex world, youth alienation is an issue that often leads to misunderstandings, stereotyping and conflicts within communities, especially in multicultural environments. It manifests in various forms, such as cultural divides, social stereotypes and miscommunication. These issues are exacerbated by modern pressures - academic demands, uncertainties in the job market, global conflicts and exposure to social media and digital culture, which often favour superficial connection over authentic human interaction. As a result, young people may drift away from real-life communication, find it difficult to form meaningful relationships, and become more susceptible to stereotyping, misunderstanding and conflict in their communities.

“Moving Stories: From Alienation to Connection!” training course will bring together and equip 24 youth workers, educators and leaders from 9 Programme and Eastern Partnership countries with artistic methods such as creative writing, storytelling, dance movement, improvised theatre, which are known to support empathy, self-expression, non-violent communication and intercultural dialogue. 

Through experiential workshops and collaborative creative practice, participants will:

• Strengthen their capacity to engage and motivate young people, particularly those affected by exclusion, low self-esteem, conflict, or the isolating effects of digital culture.
• Learn to systematically integrate artistic and narrative-based methods into their youth work practices, making their organisations more responsive to complex social and cultural challenges.
• Compare and exchange realities, experiences, and methods across EU Program and Eastern Partnership (EECA) countries, building a network of organisations committed to creative, inclusive, and resilient youth work.
• Develop strategies to support young people in navigating stress, social pressures, and conflict-affected environments through expressive arts and participatory approaches.

Objectives of the project are:

• To equip participating youth workers with advanced creative, artistic and non-violent communication tools that can be directly applied to engage, motivate and connect with young people facing alienation, social isolation or conflict.
• To enhance participating youth workers’ capacity for intercultural dialogue and empathy by reflecting on personal stories, cultural experiences and expressive arts practices.
• To increase the long-term impact of partner organisations by integrating these innovative artistic methods into their youth work strategies and programs for young people.
• To build a sustainable international network of youth organisations and practitioners that promotes creative expression, inclusion, social cohesion, and resilience in youth communities.

More detailes can be found in the info pack through the link below:

https://sites.google.com/view/movingstoriesfromalienationtoc?usp=sharing