Youth Exchange "DiscoverMe" - 4-12.07.2022 - Barcelona, Spain
The Youth Exchange "DiscoverMe" supported young people to use technology in a professional way in their work and gathered young people from different countries together to get enough knowledge about new technological development in their countries. The exchange aimed to support the technical entrepreneurship skills of the young participants, share different useful apps with each other, and discuss how European youth can improve their skills in order to be competitive with young people from other regions such as India and China.
The exchange also focused on creating social media tools to increase awareness about technology and its impact on society.
The exchange organisers believed that "blaming" new technologies could cause children and young people to lose interest in information and communication technologies (ICT) and could also create problems in the future. Instead, they wanted to provide a positive and supportive environment for young people to learn about and engage with technology.
Overall, the exchange was a success and helped young people develop their technical skills and understanding of the role of technology in society.
The project was set in Esparreguera, a medium-sized town close to Montserrat Mountain and 30 minutes from Barcelona and the nearest beach. Esparreguera celebrated its annual festivity "Festa Major", which included street food, concerts, traditional music, dances, human castles, fireworks, theatre, and folk traditions. We assisted with the festivities each afternoon/night. The accommodation was in a rural house in el Bruc in a beautiful and sunny Mediterranean environment, 15 minutes from Esparreguera, at the bottom of Montserrat Mountain.
The project was implemented by using non-formal educational methods and activities to achieve the following specific objectives:
To learn and discuss different definitions of addiction and increase awareness on what is conscious technology use and what is not
To develop critical thinking regarding the information on this phenomenon and to understand how ICTs can positively affect young people and children in our societies and support their technological entrepreneurship skills
To increase understanding about the positive use of social media and technology and how it affects people of all races, ethnicities, religions, and genders
To raise positive awareness of human rights, tolerance, active participation, and their value for youth through cultural dialogue between young people from six different countries
To identify and share similarities and differences in practices used in different countries in terms of technology use
To promote active participation of young people through ICTs
To develop a critical approach towards ICT messages based on their own experiences, skills, beliefs, and values
To develop skills in creating media content and creating videos on preventing unconscious technology use
To offer the opportunity to meet partner groups and develop concrete ideas for future projects focusing on cultural diversity and active participation
To support young people in increasing their knowledge about the new Erasmus+ Program in order to develop new projects in the future
To create professional videos and actively use social media to reach as many people as possible with the outcomes of the project and the visibility of the Erasmus+ Program.
Partner Countries: Croatia, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Spain (4 participants + 1 GL).