Seminar "Join" in Ommen, Netherlands

In the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, from 20/10 to 27/10/2023, a seminar entitled "JOIN" took place in Ommen, the Netherlands, organised by Synchro. This seminar was attended by young people from Poland, the Netherlands, Serbia, Greece, Greece, Italy and Spain. The representatives of our organization who were at the seminar write:

"Our meeting in Ommen, in the Olde Vechte building, was transformative. This seminar led us to the depths of inclusion, where we are not just talking about apparent acceptance of diversity but about practices that require effort, knowledge and introspection such as inclusive language, constructive dialogue, observation of our social representations and therefore our prejudices. This seminar was organized and carried out by Synchro, with perfectly prepared facilitators, offering an immense variety of activities, promoting respect, knowledge, democratic processes and tools for an inclusive interaction between people. Among the activities implemented and the guests who visited us, we had the opportunity to talk about Unconscious Bias with Roxana, a university lecturer, and to playfight with Elena and Joris, an experience that taught us how to communicate and play with our souls using the body as a vehicle. In the same context, we met Marco (Polo), a youth worker with many years of experience, who shared with us the secrets of his own methodology and the tools for an effective and inclusive communication with young people.

We also talked about the methodology used by each organization in order to highlight those tools that can make our work more inclusive. Some of the social groups we focused on were refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, people with special needs and young people with fewer opportunities. Specifically, each organization was invited to organize and implement a workshop, depending on the social group they are working with. Thus, as Youth Center of Epirus, on the occasion of our focus group which is unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, we organized and implemented a workshop for their inclusion and to raise awareness regarding this topic.

Finally, one of the most important things was that we were lucky enough to meet amazing people with whom we succeeded in a week to build the dynamics of a self-organizing community, made heart-to-heart friends, exchanged ideas about our worldview, fell in love and learned a lot from each other. Beyond the useful methodology and valuable tools for an inclusive way of working, leaving the Olde Vechte building, we were left with a bittersweet taste and a sweet sorrow that on the one hand we lived this unique experience and on the other hand that it ended so quickly."