Study Visit “Celebrate Diversity, Practice Acceptance"

All main content elements and used method within the programme are to learn more about inter-cultural learning and to promote inclusion of the minorities in Europe, to make the participants familiar with the situation in Caucasus and in order to multiply effective policies around after the study visit by passing on aspects of the study visit contents to NGO and local community of the partners. The relevant information, skills and competencies will be introduced through methods of non-formal education, such as experiential learning and learning from each other. Practical exercises, working groups and work in project groups will be combined with reflection and transfer of study visit contents to real life practice. Intercultural learning formed an integral part of the study visit. Following this, the methods of the study visit are workshops, classical presentations mixed up with the Delphi method, simulation games, intercultural evening and different daily excursions. The programme is largely structured in three main, so called “phases”: The first phase is aimed to set the background for the study visit, create a feeling for the group and the participants’ different realities and experiences and introduce the socio-political context of the study visit. It will include the introductions (to the study visit at all, programme, team and participants and the participants’ expectations), an exercise to start building the group and a short exhibition of the participants’ organisations, countries and minority communities. In order to frame the study visit the working sessions dealing with the participants’ understanding of and experiences with Human Rights and ICL and in their countries/communities. Practical exercises will be introduced allowing participants to build on their previous experiences, to clarify different questions about Human Rights and to prepare the first excursions. The second phase focuses on the meetings with young people, youth organisations and initiatives, persons in charge from politics and administration and other representatives of the public. The purpose of the visits is to get a better understanding of the situation of minority inclusion process and ICL as well as Human Rights and to learn about the support structures for young people provided by CSOs and state authorities. Beside of this there will be discussions about the challenges, prospects and cooperation potentials for possible future international HRE and ICL projects as well as to meet and to find partners for potential future youth exchanges. The third phase focuses on the follow-up activities of the study visit as well as the evaluation: discussions of concrete plans for follow-up and future networking among the participants and a final evaluation of the study visit will conclude this part of the study visit. Feedback about the programme will be gathered daily from the participants and the programme will be adapted according to their comments. To share feedback participants meet in small groups at the begging of each day for evaluating previous working day. These groups remained the same throughout the duration of the project. All chosen methods and programme elements are designed to draw primarily on the existing experience and knowledge of the participants. They allow for intensive exchange and discussion within the group and hence learning from each other. We will provide additional oral - summarizing inputs at the end of each session - and written information – handouts or on-line documents - on the topics at stake. Objectives: - To discover the youth work and youth NGOs’ reality in the country linked to minority issues and inter-cultural learning; - To get to know youth policy developed by the Armenian Government related to minority issues and inter-cultural learning; - To see the difference in young people mentality and the methods used by the NGO in minority issues and inter-cultural learning in different regions of the country, with different ethnic /cultural (for example deaf community) and ethno-confessional groups; - To discuss and to underline the role of the NGOs and young people on the process of inter-cultural dialogue; – To create a space for dialogue among youth and youth workers from Caucasus and Europe for fostering transnational/transregional cooperation in minority issues and inter-cultural learning; – To raise awareness at international level about the ethnic minorities that don't have their independent states; – To promote peace education, tolerance and human rights education among youth from 6 countries; - To highlight the role of Erasmus + programme in the process of inter-cultural learning in the country and in the region; - To explore European values such as human rights, active citizenship, participation and good practices as a common base for future cooperation within the Caucasus and within the European Union and Caucasus region NGOs.