Youth Exchange: Step In Their Shoes #1: Hiking in Wales

Location: YHA Kings, Wales

Dates: 13-21 March 2018

Number of participants: 30

Participating countries: United Kingdom, Lithuania, Norway, Hungary, Spain, Greece

Age: each country send 4 participants + 1 youth leader. Participants are aged 18-30 and youth leader has no age limit

Organizer: Abroadship.org

Apply here: application form

Your applications will be reviewed and you will be selected by sending organisation from your country, so if any particular question, please inquire at following emails:

Deadline to apply: 9 February 2017

Date of Selection: immediately, if you are right candidate

Inquiries about this training course: Justinas at hello@abroadship.org

Costs:

• 100% accommodation, food and program materials are covered by the grant from Erasmus+
• 80% traveling costs (only the most economical and agreed before hand at hello@abroadship.org) are covered. Maximum traveling expenses are up to:
  • €20/participant for UK
  • €275/participant for Lithuania, Norway, Hungary, Spain
  • €360/participant for Greece
• For traveling reimbursement, it is mandatory to keep and bring all your tickets and invoices, boarding passes and receipts (originals). Without these documents, traveling costs cannot be reimbursed.
• Reimbursements will be given in British pounds currency on the last day of the YE.

Step In Their Shoes #1: Hiking in Wales

Download here: step in their shoes – youth exchange – abroadship.org

Click to access step-in-their-shoes-v3.pdf

Context

We invite you to literallly step in ther shoes and WALK in Wales, RUN in Northern Ireland and HIKE in Scotland, imagining nowadays realities, whereas a lot of refugees had to walk or run over mountains, cross the sea and borders to reach peace in Europe.

During walk, run and hike (outdoor element) and other types of physical activities (sports element) we would like to explore sensitive topics and particularly inclusion.

Step In Their Shoes is a 3-phased empathy developing project to step in variety of different shoes through a our KING methodology: Knowledge, Involvement, Nature, Growth.

Overall Focus

• To reach personal development which helps to understand ourselves and reflect on own behavior and behavior of others
• Challenge the perception of the structures within our society that undermine social inclusion or foster discrimination
• Overcoming the stereotypes of different religion
• To raise awareness on the topic of discrimination
• To build a broader understanding of what an inclusive attitude means and to start inter cultural and inter- religious dialogue
• To understand the connections between culture and sport and to understand the inter cultural aspects of sport
• To raise the sense of empathy towards other people

Who Should Attend

The background of participants is youth (18-30 years) that are willing to develop empathy in order to be more inclusive and tollerant. Youth that are ready to address or perhaps face(d) themselves racial and religious discrimination. Youth that open minded, care about nearby neighbourhood, local, regional, national and international communities and are sensitive to human right issues.

Programme of Step In Their Shoes

DAY 0: ARRIVAL: Unpacking, Getting to know each other

DAY 1: COOPERATION: Morning pilates, Team building, Fight stereotypes, Welcome night

DAY 2: CULTURES: Morning pilates, Team Building and Open Badges, Culture and Refugees, Forum Theater, Intercultural Night

DAY 3: VALUES: Morning pilates, preparation for the hike, the hike and 100 my dreams, Evening near the fire

DAY 4: HEALTH: Morning pilates, Reflection after the hike, Olympic games, Empathy/mental health, Healthy Diet, Evening Yoga

DAY 5: CHALLENGE: Morning pilates, Erasmus+ and NGO Fair, Open space, Preparation for the hike, Night Hike

DAY 6: BALANCE: Rest and Reflection after the hike. Video making, Meditation

DAY 7: ALL IN: Morning pilates, Learning what you want, Achieve your goals, Youthpass, last evaluation, Goodbye evening.

DAY 8: DEPARTURE: Packing and leaving

Delivery Style

• “Learning by experience” – learning from experiencing different activities and putting them into practice;
• “Learning to play, playing to learn” – connected with learning through games, from actions and playful environment;
• “Learning through outdoor sports” – learning about sensitive topics while being outdoors, hiking and doing sports
• “Learning with nature” – being aware of the environment and its stimulus to brains, mental and physical condition

Methods Used

• Experiential learning with hiking and sports
• Group dynamic processes, simulations and teamwork activities
• Inputs from experts through non-formal education lectures and facilitated processes
• Theater sketches
• Dynamic workshops and presentations
• Outdoor environmental work and assignments
• Intercultural sharings, learnings and reflections
• Learning by doing in a group setting or individual processes.

Financial Costs

•   100% accommodation, food and program materials are covered by the grant from Erasmus+
•   80% traveling costs (only preapproved and the most economical – no first class, no taxy, no special seats, insurances, etc) are covered. Maximum traveling costs:
  • €180/participant for UK;
  • €275/participant for Lithuania, Norway, Hungary, Spain;
  • €360/participant for Greece.
• For traveling reimbursement, it is mandatory to keep and bring all your tickets and invoices, boarding passes and receipts (originals). Without these documents, traveling costs cannot be reimbursed.
• Reimbursements will be given in British pounds currency on the last day of the YE.

Where

I happens in Wales, in Snowdonia National Park, in YHA Kings hostel.

Space

Step in the shoes of YHA Kings hostel, which has limited access, no Wi-Fi and no mobile telepone signal. Space is isolated with nothing else, but nature. Snowdonia National Park is a retreat for outdoor pursuits. On the slopes of the Cader Idris mountain range and set in its own wooded ravine, the space offers nothing less than an immersion in nature. You will stay in rooms of 5/6 persons, sharing with others toilets and showers.

How to Get There

Address: YHA Kings hostel, Penmaenpool, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, LL40 1TB.

Place described: YHA Kings

It is a very remote place, thus we will issue a common guidance or perhaps will organise a common transport.

via London:
(1) use skyscanner.net or azair.com to fly to Gatwick, Stanstead or Luton Airports
(2) use easybus.co.uk to take a bus to London Victoria couch station – costs around £5, takes 1.5 hours
(3) use megabus.co.uk or nationalexpress.com to take a bus from Victoria couch station to Birmingham – costs around £2-8, takes 4 hours,
(4) and from there to YHA Kings it is complicated

via Birmingham
(1) use skyscanner.net or azair.com to fly to Birmingham
(2) and from there to YHA Kings it is complicated

Travel will be reimbursed 80%, up to the limits (see Financial costs slide)

Traveling options must be confirmed at hello@abroadship.org prior to the purchase of tickets

When to Get There

Arrival Day: 13th March

Programme: 14-20th Mach, in total 7 full days

Departure Day: 21st March

Allowed to stay in UK days: You are allowed to come max 4 days before the YE or leave after max 4 days after the YE, but the total amount of the days that are not part of the programme is max 4 days. If you decide to stay more than 4 days longer than the official programme, you will have to cover the traveling expenses yourself. During these extra days, you have to find your own accommodation and no other expenses are covered.

Practicals – What to Bring!

• In Wales could rain a lot, thus please bring sturdy comfortable waterproof footwear for hiking (walking boots), waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, hat, clothes to layer, to keep warm (cotton/wool)
• Water bottle, insect repellent, sun cream
• A large backpack for hiking
• Bring Passport or ID card
• Medicines
• Any “stuff” for intercultural evenings
• Insurance – this is critical! Please bring European Health Card and Insure in other ways, because we do not provide and are not liable for any incidents;
• Prepare for currency exchange losses! Get Revolut card – this will save you tons on money conversions from local currencies to GBP and back
• Bring best photo camera, video recorder you have, and of course lots of memory storage and UK electricity adapter!

Weather

In March temperature in Wales ranges from 2 to 8 degrees, daylight lasts about 11 hours and of course of course of course (not so) beautiful rain is a constant friend and a mandatory discussion subject in all conversations.

Check the weather forecast here.

Medicine, Allergies and Diet

If you have illness, physical limitations and/or use medicine we need to know about, please inform us. If you are vegetarian or have special diet, let us know, indicating what you can and cannot eat, so that we can arrange the suitable food.

How to Apply?

Fill this application form: https://goo.gl/forms/s6TPLGiCpOoP3tb32

In order to apply for Step In Their Shoes project, you must be over 18 years old and a citizen of one of the partner countries.  Contact the partner organisation from the list below if you need any support.

Follow up

There is an option to join the next youth exchange or training course, organized by us, as a group leader. Check Abroadship.org.

Contact

For information about practical matters, accommodation or how to get to the place, please contact Abroadship.org at hello@abroadship.org