Seven days in the northernmost part of Africa and southernmost part of Spain. The wonderful city of Ceuta, mix of many cultures.
From the 24th of April to the 1st of May the Erasmus+ training course “Increasing quality of youth work – vulnerable youth in focus” was held in Ceuta, Spain. Young participants from Macedonia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Cyprus, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, and Slovenia, were brought together, sharing points of view on the topics of minorities and migration.
The idea and the topic of the project were a perfect picture of the problems people in Ceuta are facing. Let me explain this in more detail. Ceuta is a Spanish territory in Africa surrounded by Morocco. Thousands of migrants pass the Spanish-Moroccan border, either by swimming around the border fences that jut out into the sea or by walking across at low tide. They are looking for a better life inside the borders of the European Union, but they don’t seem to be welcomed, well accepted and included.
We had a chance to visit the famous border, which was officially closed for 2 years, due to COVID-19 restrictions, and was recently reopened. Most importantly we talked to locals about the situation. The path to the border crosses through this wonderful untouched forest and while the borders are closed, civilians are not allowed to enter that area, which is a real pity.
Other than that the activities consisted of sharing points of view and current situations in our own countries, also raising awareness about the problems we daily face and coming up with ideas to bring change in the world, no matter how small. During some of the workshops we got the chance to enjoy the sun on the nearby beach.
One of the most important parts of the training course was creating a “Toolbox” of activities and workshops. We were divided in small groups, and each and every one of us got the chance to be in the trainer’s shoes. We facilitated a day worth of activities in half an hour, and then got feedback from the actual trainers and then the whole group. The outcome was amazing. It was a first activity of this type for many of the participants, so they had the chance to experience the rush and confidence needed for a leading role.
Beautiful weather, heartwarming new friendships and widening our horizons. The perfect Erasmus+ training course.
