Local Secrets

The Association of Social Promotion ARCI Link is applying for a Youth Exchange project entitled “Local Secrets” in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme KA1 (deadline April 26th). This project aims at promoting the sharing of traditional arts and crafts as a tool for intercultural exchange in Europe. The import and export of traditional practices and products among the EU countries, in fact, can develop a basis for European integration.

The Youth Exchange will take place from 29th April to 8th May 2019 in Monreale (Palermo), a city in the UNESCO World Heritage List (Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale). Together with its cultural and environmental beauties Monreale has a long and important tradition of artistic handicraft and of eno-gastronomic products. This tradition has been developed thanks to the architectural and artistic works commissioned by Arab, Norman and Byzantine sovereigns to an intercultural class of artisans, becoming a pillar of the the Arab-Norman identity of the region. That inspired the idea of sharing handicraft traditions in order to foster intercultural exchange.

The project aims at stimulating the comparison of practices and the exchange among the participating countries, in order to show concretely that the sharing of local communitarian traditions becomes an added value for building a wider community as the European one. The purpose, in fact, is fostering and encouraging the reevaluation of local traditions in an integrative and non-divisive perspective.

Indoor and outdoor activities will encourage the constant exchange among participants. Practical workshops will be designed in order to show and teach several forms of local arts and crafts, from Monreale and from each participating country. The hosting organisation, in particular, will propose workshop for practicing local traditions of ceramics and mosaic making, as well as bread and dessert baking.
The activities and methodology will be designed around the idea of “gift of small secrets” about local traditions that the participants will share in order to foster and strengthen cultural integration.

The ARCI Link Association works for the local cultural development of Monreale, in particular as a tool for youth empowerment. Its members are young people who strongly believe in the importance of integrating this process in a national and international dimension. In this sense, the aim of this project is bringing, for the first time Monreale in Europe and Europe in Monreale.
The ARCI Link Association, thus, looks for 5 people per organization (4 participants and 1 group leader) for a maximum of 5 organization from different countries.

The APV will take place from 1 to 4 February 2019 (two travel days and two working days).