CROSSING Borders - Youth Exchange

CROSSING Borders (Camino: Rethinking Otherness and Solidarity through Storytelling and Immigration, going beyond National Gaps) is a Youth Exchange that aims at tackling current topics such as migration, integration, identity and solidarity in a unique and original way. This project offers 20 youngsters from 4 countries the great chance to dive into these different social issues through a mental and physical journey of two weeks.

The participants will be invited to live the enriching pilgrimage experience of the English Camino to Santiago (from Ferrol to Santiago). By using the principle of experiential learning, the youngsters will be put in the shoes of migrants all along the way. The walking pilgrimage process is a perfect opportunity to experience the kind of demanding journeys migrants often have to face. Afterwards, the participants will have some time to reflect on their own Camino and to discuss the topics mentioned above through debates, but also through artistic and creative activities. As a result, the participants will create their own story, both as a group and as an individual.

This relates to the second aspect which will be at the core of the Youth Exchange: the power of storytelling. The youngsters will be invited to discover the stories of different people with very distinct backgrounds, enhancing their intercultural learning and understanding. Storytelling will be used as a way to connect people and to tackle prejudices. In addition to this, the youngsters will also learn valuable listening and communication skills, including how to create their own stories, as they will familiarize themselves with the concept of storytelling.