Intercultural learning involves learning about differences, other cultures and their customs, openness of communication, building relationships with others, and developing awareness that building a community in which we live is only possible with the involvement of all of its participants.
Training for intercultural competences for young people, with the aim of interconnecting young people and providing support in creating an environment for interculturality and contributing to the protection of human rights, was held in Krk from the 29th of September until the 1st of October 2017.
About 20 high school students from Daruvar, Osijek, Vukovar and Zagreb participated in the education that covered human rights, intercultural understanding and active citizenship topics. The main objective of the training program is to strengthen the intercultural competencies of young people – to deepen the understanding that we have for others, to respect diversity, to suppress prejudice and discrimination – so that young people in their communities could be the Ambassadors of Solidarity.
The training included experiential learning, participative exercises and creative activities, with an emphasis on workshop approach and discussions on various topics related to intercultural understanding, mutual recognition and appreciation of diversity, as well as an incentive to contemplate cooperation in culturally pluralistic communities. In addition to the educational activities, the organizers provided the participants with an additional program during the training: a pub quiz on interculturality, and a social dinner in the city of Krk.
Training was jointly organized by GONG and the Nansen Dialogue Centre Osijek, within the project called GEAR: Global Education and Active Response for the Protection of Human Rights, Inclusion and Democratic Values in Intercultural Societies, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
At the end of the training, oral evaluation was conducted and the participants completed an evaluation questionnaire that explored their satisfaction with the four dimensions of the training: the general impression of the training, the usefulness of the discussed topics, their understanding of the theme before the workshop and the understanding of the topic after the workshop was completed. The evaluation showed a high level of satisfaction with the training by the participating youth.
Expected Educational Achievements (Outcomes):
• Participants developed their intercultural competence – they will communicate more effectively with people of other cultures,
• Participants adopted intercultural attitudes, knowledge and skills – they understand and respect differences,
• Participants adopted effective behaviour in other cultures (intercultural sensitivity),
• Participants develop communication skills for better cooperation with and understanding of others.
Keywords: culture, multiculturalism, interculturalism, identity, differences, groups, prejudices and stereotypes, learning to accept differences.