F.I.D.E.S. – Foster Intercultural Dialogue in European Society

Migration flows in the last decades have significantly changed the population diversity of some European countries. Phenomena such as EU enlargement, globalisation and geopolitical changes contributed to establish a multi-ethnic, multicultural and plurilingual society. However, Discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin is the most widespread form of discrimination in the EU. We believe it is fundamental to have people able to overtake conflicts, support a cross-cultural dialogue and promote peaceful coexistence; it has become a goal that countries have necessarily share through an intercultural innovative approach.
“F.I.D.E.S. – Foster Intercultural Dialogue in European Society”, it is a project that, aims at tackling discrimination in the European Union providing a group of youth workers, youth leaders and active members of EU organizations of the youth field, with skills, tools, approaches and techniques useful to develop and support the intercultural dialogue and social cohesion.
The specific objectives are:
• To give an overview of the today’s multicultural society in Europe;
• To understand the causes of stereotypes, prejudices and intolerance and how they develop in forms of discrimination
• To identify the European values and how they can be used in contrasting those phenomena.
• To endorse the right attitudes towards an intercultural society;
• To support active citizenship and social inclusion through non-formal education.
• To explore the European programs which promote the intercultural dialogue.
• To undertake measures to foster acceptance of diversity in Europe at each field.
The training course will focus on two macro-themes: what distinguishes each other and what unites us. In a first phase, participants will reflect on the concept of different in terms of cultural linguistic ethnic and religious views, identifying the reasons that lead to episodes of intolerance, discrimination and misunderstanding. In the second one instead, focus will be on seeking the shared values, primarily those who founded the EU identity thus to foster the intercultural dialogue in the participant’s communities.
Through non- formal and informal methodologies, participants will be empowered with knowledge, skills, tools and attitudes thus to enable them to play an important role in the intercultural society.